Determining the Depth of Color In a Diamond

Depth of color describes the saturation of color combined with the tone. This list of the color is considered saturation. Any purer pink or yellow diamond, for instance, has very little color saturation, while a blue or brown diamond has very heavy color saturation. Diamonds that are of fancy- color will typically be less saturated. A diamond that is heavily saturated can be considered rare and expensive, except for a brown diamond. Sapphire blue and red ruby are considered to be the most expensive and see most rare of all.

Tone is the description of how much white (which causes a light appearance), or black (which causes a dark appearance) is in the color. If too much white is present the diamond will look colorless or pale, if there is too much blacker than the diamond will be very dark. Fancy black diamonds are popular in today's industry but these are typically nontransparent and heavily included. A black diamond will sell for a lot less than other fancy- colored diamonds. Black diamonds are on the increase in designer lines but they usually have been treated to obtain the black color. There are many diamonds that are white that should not be mixed up with colorless diamonds. To come across a fancy white diamond is a rarity. Fancy white diamonds are cloudy or milky and are usually less sought by consumers.

Most diamond grading reports judge the depth of color use of terminology similar to the following:

• Fancy Vivid
• Fancy Intense
• Fancy Deep
• Fancy Dark
• Fancy Light
• Light
• Very light
• Fain

The depth classification of a color is very important and one different color can affect the value of a diamond tremendously.