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Jewelry Artisan • Gemologist • Designer
SUPERIOR DETAIL AND ACCURACY
Diamond Color Grading
THE *D to Z COLOR SCALE
GIA grades Colorless to Light Yellow diamonds on a Letter Scale. The scale starts at D and continues all the way to Z. Any color saturation beyond Z is consider a Fancy Color.
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Color in the Diamond is typically caused by Nitrogen. A color grade of D is consider Carbon, with no other trace elements. It lends itself Colorless; this is a Type IIa diamond. The stone appears more yellow or brown, the more Nitrogen it contains. Hence, the objective to color grading on the Letter Scale is to look for the least amount of color,
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In order for GIA to create a new diamond grading system for the trade, they started Colorless (pure Carbon) at D because the old color grading system used the letters A, B, and C.
Here are Color Grading Diamond Masterstones. Diamonds are graded under a daylight equivalent fluorescent light. GIA uses the Diamond Dock. This makes for well balanced lighting.
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By placing the diamond to be graded between the masterstones, one can determine the color of a diamond.
This procedure is done with the diamonds table down in order to see its entire bodycolor. Color Grading a diamond in a setting is not accurate.
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The diamond should be loose, with no obstruction, and graded table down (see above).
FANCY COLORED DIAMONDS
When certain elements combine with Carbon, we get different colored diamonds.
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Just the same, strain in the crystal lattice during formation displays a Fancy Pink or Red color.
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Diamonds form so deep that they can be exposed to Gamma radiation pockets in the earth; creating Fancy Green diamonds in different tones and hues.
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Fancy Blue Diamonds contain Boron trace elements; classifying them as Type IIb diamonds and making them electrically conductive.
As stated above, Type Ia diamonds are commonly seen with Nitrogen trace elements, but they are together in clusters throughout the stone, making them appear K - Z (faint Yellow/ Brown - Light Yellow/ Brown). When Nitrogen atoms are isolated throughout the diamond, they produce rare Type Ib Fancy colored diamonds.
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All of these characteristics create natural diamonds of many colors with unique undertones.
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Colors and Classifications for these Fancy Colored Diamonds are crucial. Classifications are seen in the diagram above.
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The diamond should be loose when graded; it should not be in a setting.
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Fancy Colored Diamonds are color graded table up, not table down, like D to Z diamonds.
They are separated by color saturation and tone. A mildly darker tone can help encapsulate color saturation in the diamond.
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As said before, classification is crucial when cost is concerned. From Fancy Light to Fancy Vivid, there are many different colors.
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Here is a GIA graded Fancy Vivid purplish-Pink.
You can see the red undertones. Any more color saturation and this would have been Fancy Red. You can still see that Bubble Pink Argyle trait.
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Whatever the case, Fancy Colored Diamonds can command tall prices because there are not many.
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The market for them is practically non-exist. It quite literally pays to know someone you trust when it comes to purchasing one of these rare specimens.
DIAMOND CLARITY GRADING
