Diamond Colour
The Gemological Institute of Americais the most respected and most common diamond report and sets the industry standard for COLOUR and CLARITY grading.
The finest quality diamond is a colourless diamond which is graded as "D" which means it is absolutely free from any color. The next is very slight traces of color which can be observed by any expert diamond valuer or grading laboratory. These are graded as E color or F color diamonds. Diamonds which show very little traces of color are graded as G or H color diamonds. Slightly coloured diamonds are graded as I or J or K colour and so on.
A diamond can be found in any other colour also other than colourless, some coloured diamonds such as pink are very rare diamonds and can be very expensive or even priceless.
Flourescence
About a third of all diamonds will glow under ultraviolet light, usually a blue color which may be noticeable under a black light or strong sunlight. Some diamonds with "very strong" fluorescence can have a "milky" or "oily" look to them, but they are also very rare and are termed "overblues."
The GIA conclude that with the exception of "overblues" and yellow fluorescent diamonds, fluorescence had little effect on transparency and that the strong and very strong blue fluorescent diamonds on average had better color appearance than non-fluorescent stones.
At Victoria James, we aim to provide you with the highest quality diamond possible, but we appreciate that budget may also enter into the equation, so we can, if you wish, guide you to achieve the perfect balance.
