When you are planning on purchasing a diamond it is important that you know as much as possible about how diamonds are classified. Learning about diamonds is first learning about the “four Cs” of diamonds which are considered the most important grades and categories:

• Cut
• Clarity
• Color
• Carat weight

These are the criteria jewelers use when grading diamonds, and they’re the ones you’ll need to understand to buy the right diamond for you. Click on each bullet point to learn more.

Diamonds come naturally in every color of the rainbow (some more rare than others like blue). However most people are concerned with diamonds in the white range. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) rates the body color in white diamonds from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow). 
 The best color for a diamond is no color at all. A totally colorless diamond allows light to pass through it easily, resulting in the light being dispersed as the color of the rainbow. Colors are graded totally colorless to light yellow. The differences from one grade to the other are very subtle and it takes a professionally educated eye and years of experience to color grade a diamond accurately.

See chart below for scale of colors. Click here to go back to our diamond education guide.

Tip:  Diamonds graded G through I show virtually no color that is visible to the untrained eye.

Tip: Fancy color diamonds do not follow this rule. These diamonds, which are very rare and very expensive, can be any color from blue to green to bright yellow. They are actually more valuable for their color. My wife owns a rare an expensive natural blue diamond bought in Alaska at Diamonds International.  These diamonds are beautiful.