Diamond Colour

Colour variations

Most diamonds appear colourless or 'white' but many display hints of colour caused by the presence of other elements during the stone's formation. These are extremely subtle shades and may go unnoticed with the naked eye.

Diamonds are graded by colour and all the major international laboratories have agreed 23 colour gradings. Only 3 of these are classified as colourless. The closer a diamond approaches colourless, the rarer and more valuable it becomes.

Diamonds with a strong, pure colour are also extremely rare and are called 'fancies'. Amongst these are pink, blue, yellow, green, orange and even black diamonds.