Explore the 4 C’s of Engagement Rings: Color

The next C we will explore in our 4 C’s series is color. A perfect diamond is completely colorless, so the color refers to the presence of any color at all. The presence of color in a diamond could cause the diamond to have a cloudy appearance or appear slightly yellow. Because of this, the more color a diamond has the lower the quality of the diamond, and the less valuable it is.
The Gemological Institute of America developed an alphabetical scale to represent a diamond’s color. The scale ranges from D – Z, with D being colorless and Z containing the most color. The GIA stated that their scale started with D to differentiate themselves from other scales at the time, all of which started at A.
The Scale is as follows:
D through F: Colorless
G through J: Near Colorless
K through M: Faint Yellow
N through R: Very Light Yellow
S through Z: Light Yellow
It’s important to note that in “near colorless” diamonds, it is almost always impossible to see any signs of color with the untrained eye. This makes these diamonds a good option for people looking for high quality diamonds who might not have the budget for a completely colorless diamond.

Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers has a great selection of diamond engagement rings.  Visit our diamonds on the Schwanke-Kasten website.