Colour (Part 3 of 4): Understand the 4 C's and Save Thousands of Dollars!

Recently I had a client who came to my Maharani Jewels showroom inquiring about engagement rings. After doing a lot of research and meeting with several jewelers, he was certain that he wanted to purchase an 'E' coloured diamond.

When I asked him why, he told me that he didn't want to see any yellow in the diamond, and he felt that anything below an 'E' colour would show a tint of yellow. So, I showed him a series of diamonds under my professional DiamondLite ranging from the color D to L.

I simply asked him that at which point did he start to see a tint of yellow.  He pointed at the 'K' colored diamond and was shocked when I told him because, in his mind, a diamond started showing a tint of yellow at an F or G.

This revelation saved him nearly $6000.00 because he opted for an 'I' colored diamond!  As one can imagine, he was delighted with the savings! So, to help guide you to make informed and educated decisions about your choice of a diamond's color, I have made a list...

THE TOP 5 most important things to know when it comes to a diamond’s color:

1. Diamonds in the D-Z color scale fall in the normal color range in which the colorless diamonds are the most rare and hence more valuable, while the ones that have tints of light yellow or brown are more common and much less valuable.  Diamonds that fall outside of this normal color range are called fancy colored diamonds.  Examples would be pink, blue, orange, yellow, green, and etc.  Diamonds in this fancy colored category are more rare, and hence much more valuable than diamonds that fall in the normal color range.
   
   
2. The letters in the D to Z scale don't describe actual colors; rather, each letter represents a range of color that is based on a combination of its tone (darkness or lightness) and its saturation (intensity). This combination of the two is referred to as the depth of color, which is a measure of how noticeable the color is.  This is important because although two stones could be assigned a 'G' color grade, for example, they can still differ slightly in their depth of color. As an expert gemologist, I always examine several diamonds of the same color grade so I can pick the one which shows the least amount of color in order to provide my client with the best possible diamond for value.
   
   
3. It is easier to see color in larger stones than smaller ones.  For example, a slight tint of yellow is not as easily visible in a 0.25 ct diamond as it is in a 1.50 ct diamond.  When purchasing a diamond, just keep this in mind if you are being shown significantly smaller sample diamonds to help you determine your choice of color.
   
   
4. The mounting of a diamond affects the apparent color of a diamond.  In a white gold setting, a diamond in the J-K range looks faint yellow, whereas that same diamond in a yellow gold setting looks nearly colorless. In addition, when judged under gemological equipment and perfect lighting conditions, loose diamonds will show more color than a diamond that has been mounted and is worn as a ring.
   
   
5. Diamonds of different shapes project color differently.  For example, it is easier to see color in emerald or princess cut diamonds.  Again, this is important information because an 'I' colored diamond in a round brilliant shape may look nearly colorless, but when seen as an emerald cut, the tint of yellow is much more visible.

With the information above, you will certainly be in a better position to make an informed purchase, as well as one that can potentially save you a lot of money!

Stay tuned for the final part of my blog series on the 4 C's in which I will take about clarity, and share many more industry secrets that can save you thousands of dollars!