The 5 C's: Color
Diamonds come in many colors

Diamonds come in many colors, but the overwhelming majority sold in the jewelry industry range from nearly colorless to very light yellow or brown. The most prized diamonds are colorless (D-E-F), because their beauty depends on their optical properties. The color grading scale established by G.I.A. (Gemological Institute of America) varies from D (totally colorless) to Z (light yellow). Each letter grade represents a range of color.

D through F are virtually colorless.

G, H and I diamonds appear colorless when mounted.

J, K and L diamonds look very nearly colorless, but you can see some coloring in larger stones.

M and beyond, most people can see color pretty easily.

To color grade, diamonds are compared to diamonds of known color, called master stones. This set defines G.I.A.'s diamond color grades and all diamonds are compared to them.

D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V X Y Z

Colorless Near Colorless Faint Yellow Very Light Yellow Light Yellow Fancy Yellow

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