The less colour, the higher the grade
Color is the grade name on all reports
The colour of a diamond is slightly yellow The diamonds grade is based on the absence of colour: the lesser the colour of a diamond, the higher the colour grade. Next to the cut, the colour is also one of the most important marks at making a choice in diamonds. The eye first catches the brilliance and then the colour.
DJ-FA only suggests the best diamonds with a colour grade D-J en slightly yellow K-M. Diamonds with colour grade J or higher are colourless or almost colourless: with a colour, the naked eye can’t detect.
Colourless
D E F
The differences between D, E and F can only be determined by a gemologist, comparing them. They can rarely be detected with the naked eye. D-F diamonds can best be put in white gold or platinum. Yellow gold reflects colour, so it doesn’t accentuate the high colourless grade of the diamond.
Near colourless
G H I J
This diamonds show slight traces of colour and are very suitable to be put in white gold or platinum. There are more I-J diamonds than higher graded diamonds but that’s why they are very valuable: an I-J diamond can be sold for half of the price of a D diamond. In the G-J series, the price can go up from 10 till 20% per grade.
Very Faint Yellow
K L M
From the K diamonds, the colour (mostly yellow tinted) is easier to determine with the naked eye. They are particularly attractive if fitted in yellow gold, which gives them a warm glow, much appreciated by many people. Because of its distinctly colour, the K diamond reguarly gets sold at half of the price of a G diamond.
Faint Yellow
N O P Q R
Diamonds with an N-R colour grade have a distinct visible yellow or brown tint. DJ-FA doesn't suggest these diamond colour grades.
Slightly Yellow
S T U V W X Y Z
Nearly all customers consider S-Z being too coloured to be a white diamond You can really see that they are yellow. DJ-FA doesn’t suggest this series.
BUYING TIPS & WHAT TO CONSIDER
For best prices for diamonds being considered as colourless with the naked eye, you best choose the G-J diamonds.
Because colour gets easilier detected in larger diamonds, G-H series are best for diamonds over 1 carat, and I-J series for diamonds under 1 carat. Once they are fitted in a ring, this diamonds will look like colourless, high graded diamonds. Instead of investing in a higher colour grade, you can choose a better cut. This cut stays the most important factor for a diamonds brilliance.
If the carat is most important, and your budget is , you can best consider a round diamant with colour grade K-M, fitted in a golden ring. This diamond with a lower colour grade but a better cut will sparkle more and the visual effect will be bigger than a diamond with a higher colour grade and lower cut.