DIAMOND COLOR GAME

Diamond Color is very subjective indeed. But, I guess all of the 4C’s are up for opinion! :)

The Average Diamond Color on the market is G-H-I-J, which is the Near Colorless Range. These Diamond Colors tend to face up pretty nice and most of them appear White (or Off-White) in body tone.

Even though they aren’t “True White“, like D-E-F Diamonds are (which are actually Pure White), the Near Colorless Range still looks great and most people would never notice a slight Yellow Tint in the stone.

And to Prove my Point…

Color really is difficult for the average person to distinguish, so I thought we’d Play a Game…

No, not that type of game…

A Diamond Color Matching Game

The rules are simple:

• Look at the 8 Diamonds below
• Figure out what Color goes to what Diamond
• The Colors to choose from are: D, E, F, G, H, I, J and K

It really is that simple!

All the Diamonds shown below are about as identical as I could find (Diamonds from James Allen). They are all: VVS1 Clarity, Excellent Cut, Polish and Symmetry, GIA Certified, 1.00 Carat, No Fluorescence, Ideal Cut. So they are ALMOST identical, except for the actual Color Grade!

The 8 Grades of Color are: D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K. All you have to do is to figure out which Stone is which Color.

Sounds Easy Enough…

Let’s go…

(The Answers will be given at the end of this Post)

Guess the Diamond Color!

And to help you out…

I’ll make the Diamonds above smaller, since stepping back does help one compare them better, especially since you can see them all the stones at once.

See what I mean in these smaller Diamond images…

Now you should be able to Guess the Colors!

Right?

I will say, these Stones I used do face up pretty nice. They should, the Quality of these stones is impressive! And as you can see, a lot of the Colors do look similar! But, if you really scrutinize the body tone of the stones, you should be able to pick out at least 60% of them accurately. Or if anything, the Pure White Diamonds from the Near Colorless Diamonds…

Something else you have to keep in mind when Viewing Diamond Color, the angle of the Diamond and how light hits it will affect the overall grade. It could make the Diamond appear lighter or darker in hue.

Mountings Affect Color as Well

Even the Mounting that you have your Diamond set in can affect how the Color of the Stone appears. The Mounting could prevent light from entering the Diamond, which could make it look dark.

The Mounting could also cast Color into the Stone, affecting the appearance. If the Mounting is Yellow Gold, then the Diamond could also appear Yellow! Which is why I always advise putting White Diamonds into White Gold or Platinum. But, on the other hand, if you have a Diamond that does have Color, like J-K-L-M Color, then by all means, set it into a Yellow Gold Mounting and it will help mask the Color and make it look better! :)

Now onto the Answers!

Ready for the Answers?

Take a peek at the Chart Below to see how your Guesses turned out…

And, since I said that smaller versions are easier to see, let’s look at them. Plus, I’ll also show you the stones in proper Color Grading Order (D-K) as well. :)

Now you can see how the Color changes gradually from Pure White to Off White in just a matter of steps. It’s actually pretty cool to witness.

Did you Guess Properly?

10 People could have looked at these Diamonds and probably given 10 different Answers. That’s how subjective Color is to the human eye.

That’s why Jewelers and Diamond Graders rely on Specific Tools and Equipement to determine Color properly… Things like this Diamond Color Grading Kit, and a Diamond Colorimeter for accurate Color Grading. As seen here…

Fancy Colors

Now, if you want to see what REAL COLOR looks like in a Diamond, check out these Fancy Yellow Colored Diamonds from James Allen…

Viewing Diamonds side by side makes it easier to distinguish Color. Especially if you put a Near Colorless Diamond up against a Pure White Diamond (which are my Favorite Colors), then you’ll really see the difference. You can’t beat Pure White Diamonds for Beauty, Brightness and Whiteness.

But, in all fairness, you shouldn’t have to Grade or Compare Diamond Colors yourself. Just leave it up to the Grading Experts like GIA or AGS. Let them accurately Grade the Stones and all you have to do is look at the Diamond Report to know for sure. That’s the best way and the easiest way.

Catch my Drift Color?