Walk into any Paint Store and look at all the different Colors of White. There's Ultra White, Mint White, White Orchid, Waterfall Mist, Eggshell White...
The point is, there are literally hundreds of different shades of White. Who knew there were so many? It just goes to show you that when we're talking about White, we're not always talking about White-White.
Diamond Colors
Diamonds come in White, but they also come in Yellow, Brown, Green, Blue, Pink, just about every Color of the rainbow. Even though there are some wonderful Colors of Diamonds (like the Hope Diamond), White is still the preferred Diamond Color to get. The Whiter the Diamond, the better.
The Color Grading System
G.I.A. devised the Diamond Color Grading System in 1949. They wrote the 4 C's that Jewelers all across America use to grade their stones with. The Color Grading System is broken down into 6 main Categories:
• Colorless
• Near Colorless
• Faint Yellow
• Very Light Yellow
• Light Yellow
• Fancy Color
Take a look at the Diamond Color Chart below.
As you can see from the names of the Categories, most Diamonds have Yellow in them. But, Yellow, is NOT where we are headed today.
G Color
G Color is in the Near Colorless Range. In fact, it's at the very top end of the Near Colorless group. The only Diamond Colors that are better than a G are in the Colorless Ranges D, E and F (Pure White, void of any Color whatsoever).
G Color is still considered a White Diamond. G is what most Jewelers term as "Fine White". Some may even call it "Off White", either way, G is still White. White is White.
To most people G will look like a Colorless Diamond. I could put a G up against an F and unless I told you which one is which, you probably could never tell. Putting a G up against a D or an E may show you a slight difference.
G does have some Color to it, barely! This Color is usually only seen from the side view and only seen by experts. The average customer will look at G and think it looks White. And in truth, that's all that really matters.
Obvious Yellow
People don't see Color in a Diamond until it starts to look obviously Yellow or Brown (usually the J Color grade or lower). When you start to notice Color, you'll also notice something else, Yellow Color is NOT pretty! It can make a Diamond look Dingy, Stained, Dirty and Old.
Now, some people don't mind Yellow. Some say it adds a bit of warmth into the stone. But others will sneer and only look at White. It's just a matter of taste.
White looks Better
To most, White looks Better, looks Brighter, and Sparkles more (not to mention Sells more).
You could go higher up the Color Chart if you want. You could get into the Colorless Ranges of D, E, and F. Colorless stones are absolutely Stunning, very Bright, very White, and just Magnificent. Personally, I love Colorless stones. I recommend E. But, Colorless is Expensive. Very Expensive! Can you blame them? They are the best of the best. Nothing is higher, so they command the higher prices.
That's what makes G Color such wonderful Diamond Color to buy. G looks just as White as the Pure White stones. G doesn't cost you an arm and a leg. Really, Colorless Diamonds could cost you Thousands more! So for a White Diamond, G is great.
It's a win-win to your eyes and to your pocketbook!
Compare Colors
If you want to really see and compare G Colored Diamonds, go to a Jewelry Store and ask them to show you some different Colors. Like these Color Grades:
• D Color
• G Color
• K Color
These 3 Diamond Colors are one Color from each of the top 3 Main Color Categories (Colorless, Near Colorless and Faint Yellow). They will give you a much better idea of what Color really looks like. You should be able to see the differences in these stones. The eye can detect when you go from a Pure White stone to a Faint Yellow stone.
Try it. You will love it. It will help you understand Color much better seeing it. It's fascinating.
You could just as easily compare a G Color to an E Color and J Color (more common Colors), but it will be a bit harder to judge the differences when they're just a couple of grades apart. Although, if you look at enough Diamonds and compare enough stones, you should be able to detect slight Color variances between them.
All in all, G is great. It's a good compromise of getting a White stone and still saving money at the same time. These two combinations make G a hard Color to beat.
G is Bright, White and Beautiful.
And Gee... That's the best type of Diamond to buy!
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