Diamond Color Guide

Discover the diverse hues present in diamonds.

Diamond Color Guide

Diamond color grading measures the absence of color in white diamonds — the less color present, the higher the grade, since a truly colorless stone allows more light to pass through and disperse as spectral colors. The scale runs from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow or brown).

Color Grade Scale

Grade Description
D – F Colorless. The highest color grades, showing no detectable hue even to a trained gemologist under controlled lighting.
G – J Near Colorless. Color is faint and generally undetectable to the naked eye when mounted, offering excellent value.
K – M Faint. A subtle warm tint may become noticeable, particularly in larger stones or against a white metal setting.
N – R Very Light. Yellow or brown tint is visible to the naked eye, giving the stone a warmer overall appearance.
S – Z Light. Noticeable color throughout the stone, though outside this range, deeply saturated "fancy color" diamonds are graded on a separate scale.