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Using the GIA grading scale, diamonds range in color from D to Z. There is no A, B, or C grade. D is the most colorless and Z the most yellow. The yellowness in diamonds is a result of more nitrogen in the mineral and the more yellow a diamond is, the less the value to a certain extent.
Colors D, E, and F are the colorless colors. These diamonds present virtually no color to the customer. They are also extremely translucent and allow for maximum color dispersion. This is what happens when you "flash" a diamond under bright lights and can see a rainbow spectrum of color radiating from the diamond. These diamonds are rare and bring a premium price but are worth those who truely want what they offer.
Colors G, H, I and J represent the near-colorless range. These diamonds will face up white for the most part (especially G and H) and will not bring the premium in price that a colorless diamond will. Again, the higher the color the more expensive, so J will definitely be the price leader in this range.
Colors K, L and M form the faint yellow catagory. These diamonds will be considerable less expensive. Diamonds in this range will display a noticable yellow color to most customers. At 14 Karat, we usually don't recommend this range to our customers but we understand in certain situations it may be necessary to use them. It would be desirable to obtain a diamond with a heavy fluorescence value to counter act the yellow hue. See "What is fluorescence" below.
We Recommend:
Again, color is a preference. However, if you are looking to maximize your budget, a near coloress stone will almost always be the best bang for the buck. At 14 Karat, we recommend the grades F, G, H and I. These usually provide most customers with a diamond that has no visible heavy yellow hue and will allow for money to be spent more evenly on the other 4-C factors. Over time we have found that customers buy more diamonds in the color grade "H" than any other color we stock.
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