Normal people like me and you unlike experts will find hard to differentiate one color grade from another. But the price difference between each grade can be sometimes jaw dropping. If you are shopping on a budget and want to maximize your diamond size and brilliance return, then an I – J grade is the most reasonable choice for you.

Unless you compare the diamond with another or test the experts, anything above J is colorless. In addition, it has minimal or no effect on its brilliance.

The effects of the diamond’s color on its brilliance depends largely on the shape of the diamond. Round diamond cuts are able to bring the most fire. Hence, a lower color grade will have the least impact on a round diamond’s brilliance. Therefore, generally, you can afford to choose a lower color grade for round diamonds. In addition, for shapes like radiant where there is a wide % of table (hence less brilliance/fire), a lower color grade will be more obvious. Below is a table that shows the effect of color on the different shapes where a higher score means a stronger effect.

 Effect of color on shapes:

Round: ★★★★★
Princess: ★★★★★
Emerald & Asscher:  ★★★★★
Oval, Marquise, Pear, Heart: ★★★★★
Radiant, Cushion: ★★★★★
 Another aspect which is important to note when choosing your color is the type of ring band you would be choosing. The type of ring band would provide a basis of color comparison (between your ring band and diamond). Hence, for example, a lower color grade will be more obvious on a platinum ring band than compared to if the diamond is set on a yellow gold ring band. Below we provide a general guideline for the minimum color grade you should get for two different types of ring bands.

 White gold/ Platinum:
Round: H – J
Princess, Emerald, Asscher: G – I
Others: F – H
Yellow Gold:
Round: K – M
Princess, Emerald, Asscher: J – K
Others: J – J 

Looking back at the color grading table (as shown below), prices of diamond usually fluctuates to a higher extent between each description group (meaning between eg. colorless and near colorless) than between each grade.  Hence, the trick here is, look out for grades between each description group (eg. F & G or J & K) and compare their prices. In most cases, a color grade F is not significantly different from a grade G but because they belong to a different description group, the price different is significant! As a smart consumer, whenever you encounter wide price gaps due to grades between F & G or J & K, choose the cheaper one!

 D, E, F = Colorless??
 G, H, I, J = Near Colorless
K, L, M = Faint Yellow
N, O, P, Q, R = Very Light Yellow
S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z = Light Yellow

See also diamond color.