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Diamond Color Information
Acting as a prism, a diamond can divide light into a spectrum of colors and reflect this light as colorful flashes called fire. Just as when looking through colored glass, color in a diamond will act as a filter, and will diminish the spectrum of color emitted. The less color in a diamond, the more colorful the fire, and the better the color grade.
Miner's Den Diamond Color
At the Miner's Den, you'll find only the finest diamonds with color graded D-J. Diamonds graded J or better are colorless or near-colorless — their color is typically undetectable to the unaided eye.
The color in diamonds graded K-Z detracts from the beauty of a diamond. It's especially noticeable set in platinum or white gold.
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| D | Absolutely colorless. The highest color grade, which is extremely rare. |
| E | Colorless. Only minute traces of color can be detected by an expert gemologist. A rare diamond. |
| F | Colorless. Slight color detected by an expert gemologist, but still considered a "colorless" grade. A high-quality diamond. |
| G-I | Near-colorless. Color noticeable when compared to diamonds of better grades, but these grades offer excellent value. |
| J-K | Near-colorless. Color slightly detectable. An excellent value. |
| L-M | Noticeable color. Not carried by Miner's Den. |
| N-Z | Noticeable color. Not carried by Miner's Den. |
Note that Miner's Den also carries fancy color diamonds. These diamonds are graded on a different color scale than white diamonds. Since the scale above ranges from the best to the worst quality in a white diamond, the colors found in fancy color diamonds are not represented on this scale. Learn more about fancy color diamonds.
Note about Fluorescence
Some people seek diamonds that produce this unique effect, while others avoid it. The visible effects of fluorescence grades of faint, inert, negligible, and medium, can only be detected by a trained gemologist with specific UV light. A fluorescence grade of strong or very strong can make a diamond with a near-colorless grade look even whiter. In some very rare instances a diamond with very strong fluorescence can give the diamond a slight hazy or oily appearance. Diamonds with a strong or very strong fluorescence are a better value for the end customer because the market prices them slightly lower than diamonds with faint or negligible fluorescence.
What color grade is best?
Polish and symmetry are two important aspects of the cutting process. The polish grade describes the smoothness of the diamond's facets, and the symmetry grade refers to alignment of the facets. With poor polish, the surface of a facet can be dulled, and may create blurred or dulled sparkle. With poor symmetry, light can be misdirected as it enters and exits the diamond. The polish and symmetry grades are clearly listed in each diamond detail page and within the GIA or AGSL diamond grading report.
For the purist, look for a colorless diamond with a grade of D-F and a fluorescence rating of faint, inert, none, or negligible.
For an excellent value in a diamond with no noticeable color to the unaided eye, look for a near-colorless grade of G-I, and a fluorescence grade of medium or strong blue.
Or, if you'd rather not compromise on color but would like to stay on budget, choose a diamond with a good cut, SI1–SI2 clarity, and consider going with a strong fluorescence. It will still be beautiful to the unaided eye and you may prefer the unique effect of a strong fluorescence.
The table below compares the prices of diamonds with the same clarity grade (VS1) and carat weight, but varying color grades.
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