Colorless vs Fancy Color Diamonds

Diamonds come in a wide range of colors, from colorless to black, yellow to green and red to blue. The difference between a fancy color diamond and a colorless (white) diamond is vast. A white diamond's color is graded on a scale that ranges from D (colorless) to Z (a diamond with a yellow or brownish shade). This color grading scale applies only to white diamonds and not to fancy color diamonds. The value of color in a white diamond is inverse to that of a fancy color diamond. The less color a white diamond has, the more valuable it is; whereas, the more color a fancy color has, the more valuable.

A colorless Round Brilliant diamond (left) next to a Fancy Vivid Pink (middle) and a Fancy Vivid Yellow (right) Radiant shape Diamonds

 

WHY COLOR STARTS AT D

Until 1953, there was no standardized grading system for white diamonds; jewelers were free to use any term or so-called "system" that came to mind, including Arabic and Roman numeric systems. Some also used A, B and C as reference points. Not only were A, B and C used without clear definition, but some dealers were grading their diamonds double A (AA).

In 1953, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) began to issue diamond grading reports using the D-Z scale to indicate the color of a white diamond, with each letter representing the color saturation of yellow or brown. Put more precisely, the scale described the diamond’s relative absence of color. The originator of the GIA Diamond Color Scale wanted to start afresh. They sought symbols that would have no association with earlier systems: they thus created a scale starting at the letter "D".

Visual comparison between D color and J color Diamonds

 

Once the color of saturation of a diamond surpasses the "Z" grade, the diamond enters another level to become a highly sought-after and much prized "fancy color diamond"

 

COLOR GRADING IN FANCY COLOR DIAMOND

It wasn't until mid-1970s that the GIA development a color grading scale for fancy color diamonds. Fancy color diamond grades are not referred to by a letter but by a description indicating the amount of color saturation in the diamond, because contrary to white diamonds, the more color present in fancy color diamonds, the more valuable they are.

The saturations and tones of the Fancy Bue Diamond grading scale

Although the nomenclature referring to a diamond’s color on a grading report has been standardized, the gems are often described by enthusiasts and collectors with ornate names such as pumpkin orange, baby pink and, of course the most famous description of all, canary yellow. Canary yellow is simply another term for a very yellow stone.

Yellow, Red and Green Diamonds set as engagement rings