A fancy color diamond is graded by the hue, tone and saturation of its color, on a scale that runs from Faint through Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense and Fancy Vivid, with Fancy Deep and Fancy Dark for darker stones. The stronger and purer the color, the rarer the diamond. Read the full grade, not just the color name, because the words before it tell you as much as the color itself.
Two Different Color Scales
White diamonds are graded on a scale from D to Z, where the goal is the absence of color: a D diamond has none, and color becomes more visible further down the alphabet. Once a diamond's color is strong enough, it moves off that scale entirely and is graded as a fancy color. On this scale, color is no longer a flaw to minimize but the quality being measured. That is why a vivid yellow diamond can be far rarer than a white one of the same size.
The Fancy Color Grades
Fancy color grades describe how strong and how deep the color appears. From lightest to strongest, the main grades are:
- Faint, Very Light and Light: a hint of color, visible mostly to a trained eye.
- Fancy Light: clearly colored, soft and pastel.
- Fancy: a definite, even color.
- Fancy Intense: strong, saturated color.
- Fancy Vivid: the most saturated and the most valued grade for most colors.
- Fancy Deep and Fancy Dark: deep, rich color with a darker tone.
Colored diamonds are graded face-up, the way you see them when they are worn, because that is where the color shows. Cut matters here too: radiant and cushion shapes are often chosen for colored diamonds because their faceting concentrates color as light moves through the stone.
Reading the Words in a Grade
A fancy color grade often names more than one color. The last word is the main color, and the words before it are modifiers. A Fancy Intense Purplish Pink is a pink diamond with a purple modifier. A modifier ending in -ish is a lighter influence than a hyphenated one, so a Brownish Pink shows less brown than a Brown-Pink. Modifiers are not defects; they are part of a stone's character, and they shape both its look and its rarity. Our natural pink pieces show how wide that range is, from a Fancy Light Pink oval diamond ring to a Fancy Intense Purplish Pink round diamond ring.
What Gives a Diamond Its Color
Each color comes from something different in the crystal:
- Yellow: nitrogen atoms in the crystal absorb blue light, so the diamond looks yellow. Yellow is the most common fancy color, which makes it the most approachable way into colored diamonds. See our fancy yellow diamonds, including this 5.01 carat Fancy Intense Yellow oval diamond ring.
- Pink: pink is believed to come from distortion in the crystal structure that forms deep in the earth, rather than from an impurity. Natural pinks are rare, and strong pinks are rarer still. See our fancy pink diamonds.
- Green: natural green color comes from exposure to natural radiation over geological time. Often only the surface is affected, which is why many green diamonds are cut to keep their color layer. See our fancy green diamonds.
Natural or Lab-Grown Colored Diamonds
Lab-grown colored diamonds are real diamonds with the same structure as mined ones, and they make saturated color available at a fraction of the cost of a natural fancy diamond. In lab-grown stones, color can come from the growth process itself or from a treatment applied after growth. A grading report should tell you the stone is lab-grown, and you should read its comments for any note about treatment. Our colored lab-grown diamonds are each listed with an IGI report number, their shape, carat weight, color grade and clarity.
Natural fancy color diamonds are a different purchase. Their color formed over millions of years, they are scarce, and the strongest colors are among the rarest gems on earth. If you want rarity and a stone with geological history, natural is the choice. If you want vivid color, a larger stone, or color for everyday jewelry, lab-grown is the practical one.
What to Check Before You Buy
- The full grade: the saturation word and every modifier, not just the color name.
- A grading report: from a recognized lab, stating natural or lab-grown origin.
- Photographs and video in daylight: colored diamonds change with the light, so look at them in more than one setting.
- How the setting frames the color: rose or yellow gold can warm pink and yellow stones, while white gold or platinum keeps them crisp. Many colored diamond rings use one metal around the center stone and another for the band for exactly this reason.
Shop Colored Diamonds
Browse our natural fancy yellow, pink and green collections for finished rings and bracelets, our colored lab-grown diamonds for a loose stone to set your own way, or our high jewelry for statement pieces. Every colored diamond we list states its color grade. Jewelry and loose diamonds ship free and insured, with 14-day returns.
Frequently asked
What is the highest grade for a fancy color diamond?
Fancy Vivid is the most saturated grade and usually the most valued. Fancy Intense is just below it, and Fancy Deep describes strong color with a darker tone.
What does brownish pink mean on a diamond grade?
The last word is the main color, so a brownish pink diamond is pink with a brown modifier. A modifier ending in -ish has a lighter influence than a hyphenated one such as Brown-Pink.
Are lab-grown colored diamonds real diamonds?
Yes. They have the same structure and hardness as mined diamonds. Their color can come from the growth process or from a treatment after growth, so read the grading report for its origin and any treatment note.