Diamond Color/Quality: What Do Those Letters Mean?

As you explore the Design Center, you’ll find a few different options for your diamonds. Three of the four categories are self-explanatory. But if you’re curious about the abbreviations in the “Color/Quality” menu, you’ve come to the right place.

Before we talk about color and quality, think about the geological conditions that have to come together to produce a diamond. First, you need a deposit of carbon deep below the earth’s surface, at a depth of about 125 miles (200 km). Down there, the pressure is 50,000 times stronger than the pressure at the surface. That amount of pressure creates immense heat: 1600°C (3000°F). The heat and pressure liquefies rock and squeezes carbon atoms together into a crystalline pattern. Then, you need that heat and pressure to find an outlet to erupt to the surface, or at least close enough to the surface for miners to access the kimberlite pipes in which diamonds are embedded.

Such a violent act of creation is going to leave scars. These “scars” are called inclusions: little pockets of gas trapped inside the crystal, or microscopic streaks of other metals that get snared in the diamond’s crystalline web of carbon. The more inclusions are present in the crystal, the less clear the diamond is going to look.

With all that liquid metal sloshing around down there, other substances are going to bond with the carbon as it cools. That’s one thing that determines a diamond’s color. When higher levels of nickel or nitrogen get trapped in the forming crystal, you get a diamond with a more yellow hue.

The diamond’s structure also determines its color. Given the conditions under which diamonds are formed, the structure of the crystal isn’t always going to be perfect. It’s that crystal structure that reflects light and makes a diamond look transparent. The more perfect the crystal, the more colorless a diamond will appear. Graphite is also pure carbon, but it’s dark gray because the carbon atoms are arranged in a 2D structure that absorbs light rather than a 3D crystal that reflects light.

Most diamonds are brown and not really suitable for jewelry. These diamonds get used in electronics, durable saw blades, and other industrial applications. Diamonds are not the rarest gemstone the planet’s geology produces, but a clear diamond with few inclusions and a near-perfect structure is the product of an incredible set of circumstances.

Color

Diamond color ranges from “Colorless” to “Light” on a scale of D to Z, with perfectly colorless diamonds given a “D” grade and light, yellow-tinted diamonds given a “Z” grade. Why start at D? The creators of the scale, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), wanted to avoid confusion with an older A-B-C grading system.

While D color diamonds are the rarest and most expensive, that doesn’t mean that they are inherently “better.” Some types of metals and some skin tones look better with slightly more yellow diamonds. It all depends on your personal preferences and what you think looks good.

We offer three colors of diamonds in the Design Center: G, J, and R. These three options cover a variety of colors and price points to match with any color metal and any budget.

G-J Color: D-F color diamonds are rare and thus prohibitively expensive for most buyers. Even a professional jeweler, however, would be hard-pressed to notice a difference between D-F color diamonds and G-J (“Near Colorless”) color diamonds.

G color diamonds provide the best balance of near-perfect color and affordability. Any yellow tint will be imperceptible to the naked eye except in the kind of ideal studio lighting conditions rarely found in the wild.

J color diamonds have slightly more yellow tint, but they are still closer to the traditional colorless diamond than the more yellowy “champagne” diamond.

R Color: These “Very Light” diamonds are not just for the price-conscious buyer. With their slight champagne tint, R color diamonds contrast beautifully against a white metal like platinum, palladium, or white gold. If you’re looking for something a little different, try pairing an R color diamond with a platinum band.

Red gold provides a warm backdrop for your R grade diamond for a ring with a wistful, nostalgic vibe. Think summer afternoons, romantic sunsets, or the warm, fuzzy feeling of a glass of champagne.

Quality

By “quality,” we mean the clarity of the diamond. The clarity scale describes the number and size of the inclusions (internal marks) and blemishes (external marks) visible under 10x magnification. There are six grades on the clarity scale: Flawless, Internally Flawless, Very Very Slightly Included, Very Slightly Included, Slightly Included, and Included. All except the first two grades have 2-3 further subdivisions for more granular grading.

According to GIA, most diamonds sold range from VS to SI. We offer three categories: Internally Flawless, Very Slightly Included, and Slightly Included.

IF (“Internally Flawless”): An Internally Flawless diamond has no inclusions visible at 10x magnification, though it may have surface blemishes. To the naked eye, however, this is a perfectly clear diamond.

VS (“Very Slightly Included”): A jeweler can detect inclusions under magnification, but they are hard to spot. Even professionals might not be able to tell the difference between a VS and an IF diamond with the naked eye.

SI (“Slightly Included”): A jeweler can easily spot inclusions under magnification. If you know what you’re looking for, you might see a slight white spot where the diamond doesn’t sparkle as you rotate it under the light, but these spots are smaller than a single facet.

The differences between these three categories are not all that noticeable. We do not carry I (“Included”) diamonds. Significant inclusions detract from a diamond’s beauty and may indicate structural issues that make the diamond prone to cracking or breaking.

Color? Clarity? It’s All About the Cut

There’s one thing that can enhance a diamond’s color and clarity and make it look better than its grade: the quality of the cut. An expert cut can make a diamond look bigger and brighter than it is, enhancing its brilliance and scintillation. We only carry diamonds whose cut matches the master craftsmanship we put into every ring we make, so no matter your budget, you’ll find the perfect diamond for your ring.