The 4 Cs:  Color

The value of a diamond depends on the 4 Cs:  cut, color, clarity, and carat weight.

Scroll down for more information on diamond color.

D-Z Color Scale


GIA has developed a universally-accepted color grading system for colorless diamonds.  This scale ranges from D to Z, with D being completely absent of any body color and Z being a light yellow diamond.  Diamonds that are more yellow than Z color would be graded using the fancy color grading system.

Examples of GIA's D to Z diamond color grades
Photo courtesy of GIA

Diamonds can occur in nearly all colors including yellow, brown, gray, black, blue, pink, orange, green, and red.  These colored diamonds are graded using GIA's fancy color grading system.

For colored diamonds, the color strength grades are:

• Faint

• ​Very Light

• Light

• Fancy Light

• Fancy

• Fancy Intense

• Fancy Vivid

• Fancy Vivid Dark

• Fancy Vivid Deep

Fancy vivid blue diamond ring
Photo courtesy of Forbes
Fancy yellow radiant cut colored diamond ring
Photo courtesy of Scott Papper, GIA GG, AJP, CM (NAJA), Global Gemology & Appraisals
LeVian fancy vivid brown
Photo courtesy of Scott Papper, GIA GG, AJP, CM (NAJA), Global Gemology & Appraisals
Princess cut fancy black diamond & pavé white diamond ring in white gold
Photo courtesy of Scott Papper, GIA GG, AJP, CM (NAJA), Global Gemology & Appraisals