Here at The Diamond Reserve, we pride ourselves on providing a thorough diamond education to every client that comes to our office. Whether or not someone has a brief education on the four C’s and a few other important tidbits or not, we love diving deeper into explaining the industry we are so passionate about and educating our clients on what makes a diamond sparkle like no other. This allows buyers to make a more educated and well informed decision prior to making one of the larger purchases they will likely complete in their lifetime!
With that said, we want to further dive into the concept of what color a diamond truly reflects. More specifically, what color should a quality diamond reflect? A common misconception during a purchase is that most people think they should be buying a “white” diamond or a diamond that is “white” in color. We are here to bust that misconception and follow up with what you truly should be looking for. This misconception branches from the common belief that white is the sum of all colors on the color scale. Yes, this is true, but, white does not appear on the color spectrum because white is actually the sum of all colors in general. In spite of this, diamonds should actually be colorless in hue, rather than having a white tint or effervescence.
A phrase you will commonly hear while in our office is that the ideal diamond should be colorless, like that of a drop of pure water and will refract the rainbow well. We recommend buying GIA certified diamonds. The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) created a color scale that ranks diamonds from D-Z by using a color-grading system that measures the degree of colorlessness by comparing a diamond under controlled lighting and precise viewing conditions to masterstones of established color value (the Gemological Institute of America).
White diamonds are not color graded according to GIA’s color scale, because they are simply not colorless. People often refer to colorless diamonds as “white” diamonds, but diamonds that are within the D-to-Z range are not white at all. The color of diamonds within this respective scale can range from colorless to having slight hues of yellows, browns and even greens as you work your way further down the scale. From a pricing standpoint, diamonds that are graded higher on the color scale are diamonds that come with a premium in terms of pricing due to the rarity these stones encompass.
Starting at the top of the scale, colorless diamonds are graded between D, E and F. Next is near colorless diamonds which are graded G, H, I and J. From there, the scale keeps moving down in color and price point, too. “Fine diamond jewelry” is considered to be anything between D and J; so we only recommend buying within this range, and only sell within this range as well unless otherwise directed by the client we are working with. Different shapes of diamonds can carry color differently, so there can be some wiggle room in terms of color grading and pricing as the color someone seems can vary from eye to eye. Some diamonds may have more apparent hues than others, but this can also vary in terms of what the viewer is able to notice or not.
Regardless of what color you prefer and what budget you are working with, we are able to hunt for the diamond of your dream at The Diamond Reserve. If you would like to start the process of designing your dream ring, please give us a call at 303-385-8449 or click here to schedule your appointment!