Diamond Meridian ID

Whether you’re looking for the perfect engagement diamond, or just want to know exactly what the fifth C is, our fun, informative guide has all the answers.

D-E-F: Colorless. This is the colorless diamond group. They are common enough to be found in any store, but still command the highest prices. D and E show virtually no color and are clear like glass. F starts to show the very slightest of color and is the transitional color to the next group.
G-H-I: Near colorless. This is the near colorless group. If you are looking for value when you shop, ask to see stones from this group. These diamonds begin to exhibit a very light shade of color, but it is hard to detect in mounted stones.
J-K-L-M: Faint yellow. This is the group that begins to show slight yellow color which may be noticeable from the top of the stone and even more from the sides.
N-R: Very light yellow. Diamonds in the N-R group show yellow color even when mounted in jewelry. Determining the exact color of a diamond in this group is not important since their prices are similar. Certificates for diamonds in the N-R group are uncommon because of their relatively low price.
S-Z: Light yellow. Diamonds in this group show substantial color when loose or mounted. Although prices for S-W range are the same, and bring the lowest price in the colorless-yellow market, diamonds around the X-Y-Z range and lower are rare and have a very appealing yellow color causing their price to rise (fancy yellow). The stronger the yellow, the higher the price. Fancy yellow diamonds can command prices as high as "D" colors or more.

Brown diamonds are simply colorless diamonds that have a tint of brownish body color. The brown group is cheaper than any other group simply because they have fallen out of favor with the public. The D-Z color scale only considers white and yellow diamonds, so brown stones are not represented in it.. Brown diamonds have a scale of their own, called "brown shades," but defining an accurate price can be difficult.

The common shades are: Very light brown, Light brown, Brown and Dark brown. A common way to pin a price on a brown diamond in the trade is to compare its color to the Colorless - Light yellow group as follows:

Very light brown, comparable in price to the G-H-I color group.
Light brown, compare to the J-K-L-M color group.
Brown, falls in line with the N-R color group.
Dark brown, think the S-Z color group.