Diamond Education
Learn about the unique grading standards for fancy colored diamonds and colorless stones.
Yellow Diamond Grading
Often called canary diamonds, the deeper the yellow the more expensive the diamond. Yellow diamonds intensify once set in yellow gold. These are all GIA natural yellow diamonds and range from the saturated Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond to the Fancy Intense Yellow down to the light yellow diamond.
Colorless Diamond Grading
We use GIA-graded stones as the basis for our diamond color standards. Colorless and near colorless diamonds are graded upside down. The differences between the grades are subtle. Face-up photographs give you an idea of diamond color under real viewing conditions.
Pink Diamond Grading
These are pink diamonds we have photographed and offered over the years with GIA grades. There's really no way to make an orderly chart of pinks because they are so rare and so many colors and tints can appear in the stone, affecting the price significantly. These examples offer a range of the different grades available.
Brown Diamond Grading
These are natural brown diamonds. There's really no way to make an orderly chart of brown diamonds because their tints, called qualifiers, range from green to orange to yellow. Keep in mind that brown diamonds appear differently under different lighting conditions. All are natural brown diamonds — they may also be referred to as chocolate diamonds.
Orange Diamond Grading
These are orange diamonds we have photographed over the years. There's no orderly chart for orange because orange diamonds are rare and because many colors and tints can appear in the stone — colors like yellow and brown — affecting the price significantly. These examples offer a range of the various grades of natural orange diamonds.
Additional Resources
- Cool and Unusual Diamonds
- Fancy Colored Diamond Buying Guide
- Why Insist on a GIA Report?
Questions about a specific diamond? Contact us directly — David and our team are happy to walk you through grading in detail.