Diamonds / Colour Diamonds

Colour Diamonds

Fewer than one in ten thousand diamonds shows real colour. Here the letter grade gives way to hue, tone and saturation.

The spectrum

Hue first. Then tone, then saturation.

Yellow The most seen; canary at its best. Champagne Brown with warmth; the value hue. Pink Argyle's legacy; rare and rising. Blue Boron-coloured. Vanishingly rare. Green Natural radiation; hard to certify. Orange Pure orange is rarer than pink. Grey & black Quiet, modern, affordable.

Intensity

Nine words for how much colour a stone holds.

GIA grades colour intensity from Faint to Fancy Vivid. The last three carry most of the value; the first three are where a beautiful champagne or a soft pink is often found for less.

FaintVery lightLightFancy lightFancyFancy intenseFancy vividFancy darkFancy deep

Recent examples

Illustrative examples. Rich confirms what is available.

Fancy yellow cushion: photograph to follow

Fancy intense yellow Cushion, 1.21 ct VS1 · GIA · Even distribution

Champagne oval: photograph to follow

Fancy light brown Oval, 2.04 ct SI1 · GIA · Warm, eye-clean

Pink pear: photograph to follow

Fancy light pink Pear, 0.52 ct VS2 · GIA · Purplish pink

Grey radiant: photograph to follow

Fancy grey Radiant, 1.60 ct VS2 · GIA · Bluish grey