Diamond Colour
Colour is a very important factor in diamond grading, or more correctly absence of colour. Most Diamonds are graded on a whiteness scale or absence of colour scale. The colours that may decrease the value or rarity of a diamond range from yellow and brown to silver and grey. Basically the whiter or clearer the colour of the diamond, the more rare and stronger the feeling of pureness and beauty.
Please Note: Diamonds come in all colours of the rainbow (see our section on colored diamonds head menu for more information).
Below are the foremost colour grading scales ranged together. They are GIA Gemological Institute of America, AGS American Gem Society, CIBJO, the acronym for the French authority, Confederation International de la Bijouterie, Joaillerie, Orfevrierie des Diamantes, Perles et Pierres, which translates to International Confederation of Jewellery, Silverware, Diamonds and Stones.
Diamond Colour Grading Scales
| GIA | AGS | CIBJO | Russian < 0.29 ct | Russian > 0.30 ct | ||
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D | Colorless | 0 | Exceptional White + | 1 | 1 |
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E | 1 | Exceptional White | 2 | ||
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F | 2 | Rare White + | 2 | 3 | |
 |
G | Near Colorless | 3 | Rare White | 3 | 4 |
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H | 4 | White | 5 | ||
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I | 5 | Slightly Tinted White | 4 | 6 | |
 |
J | 7 | ||||
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K | Faint Yellow | 6 | Tinted White | 5 | 8 (1-5) |
 |
L | |||||
 |
M | 7 | Tinted Color | 6 | 6 (1) | |
| N | Very Light Yellow | |||||
| O | 8 | |||||
| P | ||||||
| Q | ||||||
| R | 9 | |||||
| S | Light Yellow | 7 | 9 (1-4) | |||
| T | ||||||
| U | ||||||
| V | 10 | |||||
Pink Diamond Colour Types
Pink diamonds are truly one of the world's best kept secrets. In a range of stunning hues and intensities, from a very intense purplish pink to a blush pink champagne, these diamonds are so rare most people will never see one.Pink diamonds are graded according to the intensity of colour in each individual stone. Argyle Diamonds uses a scale from 1 to 8 one being the most intense colour and eight the lightest colour.
The 1 to 8 grading is then given an additional grade according to each individual diamond hue.
Pink Diamonds Hue in order of rarity
PP: Purplish Pink, P : Pink, PR: Pink Rose, PC: Pink Champagne.
Intensity of Pink Diamonds
Very intense, Intense, Strong, Medium, Medium Light, Light, Very Light, Blush.
Argyle Pink Champagne Diamonds are a beautiful mixture of elegant champagne with whimsical pinks. Pink champagne diamonds are graded and valued according to the intensity of champagne hue.
PC1- Pink and light champagne (C1 and C2)
PC2- Pink and medium champagne (C3 and C4)
PC3- Pink and dark champagne (C5, C6 and C7)
Exactly what gives a pink diamond its colour is largely unknown and the subject of ongoing debate, but it's this intrigue that adds a delightful inimitability to each stone.
It is thought that pink diamonds obtain their colour as a result of pressure beneath the Earth's surface. As pressure raises the diamond closer to the surface, it is believed that its structure becomes altered, thus absorbing light and producing colour.
