Diamond colour grade

White diamonds are graded for colour using two main methods. The first is comparison with stones of known colour and the second is similar but uses hi tech calibrated digital systems. A white diamond of perfect pure white with no trace of colour will receive a grade of ‘D’. The white diamond colour scale descends in quality from ‘D’ to ‘Z’. During normal everyday conditions the human eye sees colour tints in white diamonds graded between ‘H’ down to ‘Z’. For this reason Metal Urges only supply white diamonds graded ‘G’ or higher. It needs to be noted that the human eye (in normal conditions) also has trouble seeing the difference between diamonds with colour gradings higher than ‘G’.

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A ‘G’ coloured white diamond can be as much as 40% cheaper than a diamond of ‘D’ colour, and therefore represents far better value. At Metal Urges we obviously remain very happy to supply diamonds of ‘D’ and ‘E’ colour For clients interests in the purest stones for investment.

Over the last ten years Metal Urges have been carefully testing our clients and ourselves, on what the human eye can and cannot be detect in terms colour in white diamond. The results have led to the following rule affecting what we are prepared to offer our clientele. For white diamond over 0.75ct in weight we only offer ‘F’ colour upwards. Under 0.75ct we recommend ‘G’ colour and no lower. The reason being that as size increases in white diamond the visible colour saturation also grows, thus larger stones show more colour. To avoid a large expensive stone potentially showing an unappealing off white colour going up a grading to ‘F’ makes sense.

As qualified diamond graders Metal Urges grade diamonds in house at our store in Hobart, Tasmania. Metal Urges white diamonds with a weight over 0.25ct are generally GIA certified. A GIA diamond certificate independently states an individual diamonds gradings.

Metal Urges also supply a range of fancy coloured natural diamonds including Argyle pink diamonds, yellow diamonds, Argyle champagne diamonds, Argyle cognac diamonds, blue diamonds and green diamonds. These fancy coloured diamonds fall into very different grading systems.