You'll hear retail stores refer to "yellowish" diamonds as "canary"...and "brownish" diamonds as "cognac". If they are natural "canary" and "cognac" colors, and not lab created, they can be very expensive, and can be a great investment.

Color in Diamond grading actually refers to subtle differences in the body color or hue. The Diamond color scale begins at "D" (colorless) and goes to "Z" (obviously yellowish) Although Diamonds are available naturally in a variety of colors, the average person thinks of Diamonds as white or colorless. Color can be artificially added to diamonds, so be careful to ask or check the independent appraisal.

Actual colorless Diamonds (D - F) are quite expensive (all other factors being equal) and for most people are cost-prohibitive. Diamonds that are near colorless (G - J) often appear colorless when mounted in jewelry and the average consumer will not detect any color, although many consumers may begin to see a subtle presence of color around "J".

A representation of color, ranging from D to Z at the cusp of the color scale are "K - M", since most consumers notice color in this range. Lower than "M" is very easy for consumers to see color.

As you read about other THREE of the Four Cs (Carat (Weight), Clarity & Cut), you will see how color plays an important role in Diamond certification.

Tags: 4 c's, diamond color, diamonds, peoplepawn