Colourless vs Fancy Colour Diamonds

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

A colourless Round Brilliant Diamond (left) next to a Fancy Vivid Pink (middle) and a Fancy Vivid Yellow (right) Radiant Shape Diamonds

 

WHY COLOUR STARTS AT D

Until 1953, there was no standardized grading system for white diamonds; jewellers 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 colour of a white diamond, with each letter representing the colour saturation of yellow or brown. Put more precisely, the scale described the diamond’s relative absence of colour. The originator of the GIA Diamond Colour 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 colour Diamonds

 

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

 

COLOUR GRADING IN FANCY COLOUR DIAMOND

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

The saturations and tones of the Fancy Blue Diamond grading scale

Although the nomenclature referring to a diamond’s colour 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