Color and the value of diamonds

The next C that affect the value of a diamond is its color.

Colorless diamonds and richly colored diamonds (provided the color is natural and not enhanced in anyway) are the most valuable.

Diamond color is graded from D to Z. D being colorless. Z being the most strongly colored, like the canary diamonds, brilliant pink or the rich blue ones.

When buying investment diamonds, or diamonds for fine jewelry, colors D,E and F are the best. The whiter (more colorless) the diamond, the more brilliant it would be. Hence the colorless diamonds are valued more highly than those tinged with color.

Colors G,H,I and J are still great for fine jewelry. The barely there tinge is hardly visible and a platinum or white gold setting would make the diamond look whiter / brighter / colorless.

Color K,L and M may appear to have some yellowish tint. Acceptable in jewelry but should be cheaper than the higher grades in color.

The price of the diamond goes down as the color grades go further down the scale from D down to X. But the richly colored canary yellow diamonds, bright pink diamonds or blue diamonds, where the color is natural and very visible, are rare. The rarer the diamond, the greater its value, hence those diamonds are extremely valuable provided the color is natural.

I keep emphasising on natural coloring as diamond color can be enhances through irradiation to make it colorless or to deepen the color. Certification is important in determining its real value.

Here's more about the Color of a diamond and its value.