It is now widely acknowledged that diamonds symbolize love. People buy diamond rings for their weddings , and the 60th wedding anniversary is called a diamond wedding . This is not just a random statement, but has its own basis. It is said that the tip of Cupid's arrow of love is made of diamond. The classic slogan "Diamonds are forever, and one diamond will last forever" has made the meaning of diamonds and love more deeply rooted in people's hearts. Diamond History and Culture Giving diamonds to express love has a long history. As early as the 13th century, King Louis IX of France issued an order prohibiting all women from wearing diamonds, regardless of their status. However, this rule was later broken by a love story. A woman named Angliss Suarez wore diamonds because she was favored by King Charles IX at the time. From then on, wearing diamonds was no longer just a privilege, but became a must-have for women when they got mar...
In order to let the majority of online friends have a deeper understanding of jewelry, I will bring you more jewelry knowledge in the coming days.
When you’re shopping for a diamond engagement ring, you need to know about diamond color if you want to understand the quality and value of the diamond. Here are seven basic things you should know about diamond color.
1. The value of a diamond depends (in part) on its colorlessness
Diamond color is very important: Most diamonds used in engagement rings are near-colorless with a slight tint of yellow or brown. All other factors being equal, the more colorless a diamond is, the rarer it is, and that rarity will be reflected in the price.
GIA's D-to-Z color grading system provides an accurate measure of diamond color.
GIA's D-to-Z color grading system is used to measure the colorlessness of diamonds. The letter "D" represents colorless diamonds, while the following letters represent diamonds with slight yellow or brown tints.
GIA classifies diamond color into five groups:
- Colorless (DF): the rarest and therefore the most valuable
- Near Colorless (GJ): A color that is difficult to detect except by trained graders.
- KM: Colors that are still difficult to see for untrained eyes
- Very Light (NR): A faint color that can be seen in larger diamonds by the untrained eye
- Light (SZ): A color that can be seen in diamonds of all sizes. The diamond has a slight hint of yellow or brown, but is not bright enough to be considered a "fancy colored" diamond.
When diamonds at either end of the grading spectrum are placed side by side, the difference in diamond color is immediately apparent.
2. The color grade of a diamond should be determined by a grading laboratory
The differences between diamond color grades are subtle and therefore difficult to detect to the untrained eye. But they do have a significant impact on a diamond’s price. For this reason, diamond color grading is best left to gemological laboratories such as GIA, which have the expertise and processes to ensure objective and unbiased color grading.
GIA graders follow strict standards when evaluating diamond color, including the type of lighting and neutral background used, as well as the specific way to hold and view the diamond during the evaluation. Color grade is determined by comparing the diamond to master stones. Master stones are a set of diamonds with known positions based on the GIA D-to-Z color grading system (when all diamonds are placed table-side down in the grading tray). This viewing position reduces the complex appearance of colorless to near-colorless diamonds when viewed face-up.
One look at this 6.75 ct, F color, SI clarity round brilliant diamond and you'll understand why diamonds are a universal symbol of love.
3. The grade and value of colored diamonds are different from those of colorless diamonds
Diamond color is undoubtedly the most important factor for colored diamonds. Colored diamonds are diamonds that are noticeably yellow, brown, pink, red, blue, orange, purple, green, gray or black. This does not include diamonds that are slightly yellow, brown or gray within the normal color range. Diamonds with natural color are called colored diamonds or fancy color diamonds.
Colored diamonds can appear in every color of the rainbow.
GIA grades colored diamonds differently than colorless diamonds. Unlike GIA’s D-to-Z grading system for colorless to light yellow diamonds, which is based on the degree of colorlessness when the diamond is viewed table-down, the grading system for colored diamonds is based on the degree of color when the diamond is viewed face-up. The terms GIA uses to describe colored diamonds include: Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Dark, Fancy Intense, Fancy Deep and Fancy Vivid.
Generally speaking, the more intense the color of a colored diamond, the better. For example, Fancy Deep and Fancy Vivid diamonds have more intense color than Fancy Light diamonds, so they are generally more valuable. However, hue is also very important: for example, a diamond with a very deep color (Fancy Dark) may not be as desirable as a lighter diamond graded as Fancy Intense.
Colored diamonds are much more expensive than colorless diamonds. This 3.66 ct Fancy yellow diamond shines like a ray of sunlight. Two haloes of diamonds: the inner halo contains 0.37 ct of yellow diamonds; the outer halo contains 1.50 ct of colorless diamonds.
Fancy colored diamonds are significantly rarer than diamonds in the D-to-Z color range. Some experts estimate that only two percent of total rough diamond production is fancy colored. Because rarity affects price, it’s not surprising that some brilliant blue, pink, green, orange and other fancy colored diamonds fetch millions of dollars at auction.
The GIA-graded 59.60 ct Fancy Vivid pink “Pink Star” diamond sold for $71 million at Sotheby’s auction in Hong Kong on April 4, 2017.
4. There are many treatments to improve diamond color
Diamond color can be altered through a variety of treatments. All other factors being equal, an untreated diamond will be more expensive than a treated diamond.
HPHT treatment is perhaps the most common technique used to alter, enhance or remove color. HPHT can turn some brown diamonds into colorless diamonds or other colors such as yellow, yellow-green or green. The process is also used to treat pink, blue and orangy-yellow diamonds. The resulting color can be considered permanent, but HPHT treatment information should always accompany the diamond report.
Annealing is another process that uses controlled heating and cooling to change the color of gem materials, especially those that have been irradiated. Irradiation or coating of diamonds is also a method used to enhance diamond color.
Before high-pressure, high-temperature annealing to remove color, this 6.61 ct diamond was Fancy yellow-brown (left). After annealing (right), GIA graded the diamond L (faint yellow).
5. Diamond fluorescence has little effect on diamond color
Diamond fluorescence is the visible light that some diamonds temporarily emit when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun, fluorescent lights or other sources. This reflected light can vary in color (usually blue in diamonds), intensity (faint to very strong) and pattern. Fluorescence also disappears when you move away from the light source.
Many in the diamond industry believe that strong blue fluorescence can make a pale yellow diamond appear closer to colorless when illuminated by an ultraviolet light source such as sunlight. Blue and yellow are complementary colors that tend to cancel each other out, so blue fluorescence can mask the yellow color of a diamond. In rare cases, some extremely fluorescent diamonds can appear hazy or oily. However, less than 0.2% of fluorescent diamonds submitted to GIA exhibit this effect.
The same group of seven diamonds illuminated by an equivalent daylight source (left) and exposed to long-wave UV radiation (right).
To answer consumer and trade questions about the effect of fluorescence on diamond color in the D-to-Z range, GIA conducted extensive observer testing. Researchers found that "average observers, representative of the jewelry-buying public, did not detect a systematic effect of fluorescence [on the face-up appearance of the groups of diamonds]. Even experienced observers were unable to agree on the fluorescence effect for every diamond." Therefore, GIA considers diamond fluorescence to be an identifying characteristic, but not a grading factor. This means that it has little to no effect on diamond color.
6. Your engagement ring setting may affect your perception of diamond color
Diamonds are extremely reflective, with facets that basically act like a series of tiny mirrors, reflecting light and their surroundings. So it’s no surprise that the color of your ring’s prongs and band can affect the color you see in your diamond. White metals like platinum or white gold can intensify the colorlessness of a colorless or near-colorless diamond, while a yellow gold band can reduce the D-to-Z color scale and make the diamond appear more yellow.
The 8.03 ct marquise cut diamond in this engagement ring has a D color grade. It is flanked by two tapered baguette diamonds totaling 0.72 carats. The platinum band and prongs highlight the diamond's beauty.
7. To determine the color of the diamond, please refer to the GIA certification
A GIA Diamond Grading Report provides detailed information on the diamond’s quality assessment based on the 4Cs: clarity, cut, carat weight and diamond color. Not only does the report include an objective color grade, but it also discloses other identifying characteristics, such as fluorescence, and any treatments detected.
An engagement ring is a deeply personal and symbolic piece that represents your love and commitment. A GIA diamond grading report can help you feel confident in your purchase of this most important token of love.
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