Near colorless diamonds, (G, H, I, and J grades,) are the best value in diamonds. G color is just one step down from the truly Colorless tier, so it still appears very colorless. H color is another good “near colorless” choice and is, in my opinion, the last color grade where yellow or brown is not visible face up.
D color diamond is the highest grade and is extremely rare—the highest color grade that money can buy.
Red, green, purple and orange are the rarest. GIA® issued its first origin-of-color reports for colored diamonds in 1956. Backed by decades of research and the examination of thousands of colored diamonds, the GIA Colored Diamond Grading System has become the standard for evaluating these extremely rare gems.
To group the colors based on prices the relatively affordable colored diamonds are grey, brown and fancy yellow. Going to mid ranging prices it can be an intense and vivid yellow diamonds and orange diamonds. A group higher in prices are pink, purple, violet, green and blue diamonds. Which are already very very rare!
Because diamonds reflect white light, colorless diamonds produce the best sparkle and fire. In fact, the more color a diamond has, the less likely it is to reflect white light. And as a result, will produce less sparkle. A D-color diamond is the highest quality, and will offer the greatest sparkle.
Arguably, fancy blue diamonds are the second rarest diamonds on the market. Comprising only 1% of all the mined colored diamonds in the world, blue diamonds are often associated with royalty. The color grading ranges from a very faint blue to a fancy vivid blue.
The majority of mined diamonds fall between white and pale yellow or brown; what is known as the normal color range. Diamonds of more intense color (usually yellow, but in some cases red, green or blue) are termed fancy color diamonds.
The Moussaieff Red Diamond's New Home
Sometime between 2001 and 2002, the Red Shield Diamond was purchased from Goldberg by Shlomo Moussaieff, an Israel-born London jeweller and the founder of Moussaieff Jewellers Ltd. The stunning diamond was acquired for an estimated $8 million and renamed the Moussaieff Red Diamond.
Tiffany only accepts engagement diamonds in the “colorless” and “near colorless” range on a diamond color scale. In other words, for engagement rings, Tiffany only accepts D color diamonds, E color diamonds, F color diamonds, G color diamonds, H color diamonds and I color diamonds.
According to that GIA standard, the "best" diamond color is D. (Read more about D color diamonds here.) D color diamonds are the equivalent of IF or FL grade diamonds on the clarity scale — they're very rare, and their price definitely reflects that.
An H grade is two levels higher on the diamond color grading scale, and you may be able to notice the difference when comparing side-by-side. Yet J can sometimes be the better purchase, depending on the setting and type of metal, as a J color diamond may still appear colorless when set in an engagement ring.
Round brilliant cut diamonds are easily the most expensive diamond shape. In part, that's because round is the most popular diamond shape. More than half of all the diamonds sold today are round diamonds. This incredible popularity means that diamond miners and retailers can charge more for such an in-demand shape.
In terms of clarity, the most popular range for a diamond engagement ring is the VS1-VS2 diamond. Color is also a factor to consider when thinking about clarity. For example, it will be much easier to spot imperfections in a very clear white diamond than in a yellow diamond.
The purest of pure diamonds should technically transmit visible light and appear as a clear colorless crystal. Not every diamond is white; colors in diamond originate from lattice (repeating atomic pattern) defects and impurities.
The most expensive diamond in the world is the Kohinoor. The unique 105.6-carat colorless diamond is said to be priceless. What is the most expensive diamond quality?
THE MILLENNIUM STAR
It is the second largest faceted D-Flawless diamond in the world; the 273.15 carat Centenary Diamond is the first. The Millennium Star is arguably the most beautiful diamond in the world, and one which experts have declared priceless.
Although most black diamonds on the market today are either superheated or irradiated to an almost black color, natural black diamonds do exist, though they are extremely rare. Carbonados, sometimes called "black diamonds," are a distinct and unusual polycrystalline diamond material.
Blue Diamond – $3.93 million per carat
The most expensive and rarest gemstone in the world is a natural blue diamond. That explains the price of $3.93 million per carat. Blue diamonds were discovered in India and later displayed in a London collection in 1839.
No, a sapphire is not a diamond. Diamonds are made from carbon while sapphires are a mineral known as corundum. They have uniquely different chemical compositions and styles.
The most expensive diamond cut is the round brilliant because it wastes the highest amount of rough stone – around 60% on average – during the cutting process. This large quantity of discarded material means that consumers will pay for a larger stone than they end up with to help cover costs.
1. Round Brilliant Cut. Round Brilliant Cut diamonds exhibit the most brilliance making them the most prized of all diamonds.
A dirty stone doesn't sparkle because light simply can't enter the diamond and causes it to appear dull. So, if you notice your diamond jewelry getting cloudier overtime, it's likely due to a dirty surface and there's an easy fix to restore their luster.