Although diamonds are mostly known for being colorless, they come in a wide range of colors. Most diamonds fall in the range of colorless to light yellow. This is considered the normal color range. Within this range, colorless diamonds are the most rare and most valuable.

The color grading scale goes from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow). Diamond Atrium only carries diamonds graded D through J. These are colorless or near colorless diamonds. Their color is typically undetectable to the unaided eye. Diamonds in the K through Z range have noticeable color which can be distracting.


         D       (Absolutely colorless): Contains no trace of color. It is extremely rare.
         E       (Colorless): Contains minute traces of color that can only be detected by a trained
                   gemologist. It is very rare.
         F        (Colorless): Has slight color that can be detected by an expert gemologist, but is still
                   considered colorless. A very high quality diamond.
         G-H   (Near-colorless): Color is slightly noticeable when compared to higher grades, but
                   these are excellent value diamonds.
         I-J     (Near-colorless):  Color is slightly noticeable. Offers an excellent value.
         K-M  (Noticeable color):  Not carried by Diamond Atrium.
         N-Z   (Noticeable color):  Not carried by Diamond Atrium.

Diamonds that fall outside the normal color range (D-Z) for diamonds are called fancy-colored diamonds. These include intense yellow diamonds, as well pink, red, blue, and other exotic colors.

Many diamonds emit visible light when struck with ultraviolet (UV) light. This effect is called fluorescence. Blue is the common fluorescent color in diamonds. A light yellow diamond can benefit from fluorescence because the blue fluorescence tends to cancel out the yellow color of the diamond. Hence, the yellow diamond looks closer to colorless. In some rare instances, the fluorescence can be so strong that it makes the diamond look “oily.”