Engagement Ring Color and Clarity Guide

A Quick Guide to Engagement Ring Color and Clarity

The 4 Cs of Diamond Grading are Cut, Carat, Color, and Clarity, and should be prioritized in that order for your Engagement Ring.

Javi posing with a D Color 2 carat Oval and an F Color 2 carat Oval, trying not to blink

For maximum light return, your Diamond needs to be official “Ideal” Cut if Round and official “Excellent” Cut (or if not available, all “Excellent” Cut Proportions) if Fancy-shape (non-Round). If that reads like Mandarin (and you don’t speak Mandarin) learn more about Fancy-shape Cut Grading here. Next up is Carat, because it’s gotta be the right size. After that, Color, because your Diamond should look colorless to the naked eye (no visible tones of yellow or brown). And lastly Clarity, because all you care about is that your Diamond is eye-clean (no imperfections visible to the naked eye). In this post we’ll compare Color and Clarity, and I want you to leave convinced that your budget’s better spent on a higher Color Grade than a higher Clarity Grade every single time.

How does Diamond Color Grading work?

A Diamond’s Color is graded on an alphabetical scale from “D” to “Z”. “D” is the best Color Grade, meaning a “D” Color Diamond has no included yellow or brown, like a drop of pure water. A “Z” Color Diamond looks like Dwight Schrute’s Dijon mustard work shirt. You’ll (hopefully) never see one of these in a jewelry store.

For a Lab-Grown Diamond, I recommend staying in the Colorless range- grades D, E and F. Why? Because they’re the best, and Lab-Grown Diamonds are so affordable that your budget will comfortably cover one of the Grades in this range.

What’s the best Color Grade for my Engagement Ring?

There’s two ways to attack this question. First, the objective answer. The best Color Grade for your Diamond is the best Color Grade, “D” Color. And if a “D” Color Diamond is comfortably within budget for the shape and size Diamond you want, go nuts. Don’t get me wrong, perfect is perfect. BUT, you shouldn’t feel like if you’re not a getting a “D” Color Diamond, your Diamond’s going to be yellow, because that’s not true.

Three approximately 3 carat Ovals on a young lady's hand. The top Diamond is D Color, the second Diamond is E Color and the third Diamond is F Color.

Here are three 3 carat “Excellent” Cut Lab Diamonds, the top’s perfect “D” Color, the middle is crisp “E” Color, the bottom is a very nice “F” Color.

This bring us to our second answer. The lowest Color Grade at which your Diamond will look a crisp, bright white is “E” Color (the 2nd best Color Grade). Depending on the size of your Diamond, an “E” Color will be $250, $500, $1,000 less than the “D” Color option, for a noticeable (but minimal) difference in hue. If you’re cutting it close to your budget (or just don’t want to spend more money unnecessarily), an “E” Color Diamond is perfect. That also allows you to put those $250, $500, $1,000 saved towards a larger Diamond, or one with an official “Ideal” (for Rounds) or “Excellent” (for Fancy-shapes) Cut Grade.

What’s the best Clarity Grade for my Diamond?

Same two answers here. The objective best Clarity Grade is “Flawless” (just like your partner 😉). A “Flawless” Clarity Diamond has no inclusions (imperfections inside the Diamond) or blemishes (imperfections on the Diamond’s surface), visible by a skilled grader under 10X magnification. Dear reader, I love you. I wake up every day to create your Dream Ring at thousands off retail price. But, you’re not a skilled grader spending 8 hours a day looking at shiny rocks under microscopes. On 95%+ of Diamonds, you won’t be able to tell the difference between a “Flawless” Clarity and a “VS1” Clarity with your naked eye. Even under magnification, you’ll need a jeweler to point out the imperfections so you can really appreciate the difference.

Two 2 carat Oval Diamonds on a young lady's hand. The top Diamond is D Color and VS1 Clarity, the bottom Diamond is F Color and VVS2 Clarity.

Take a look at these 2 carat “Excellent” Cut Lab Diamonds. The top Diamond is D Color and VS1 Clarity. The bottom Diamond is F Color and VVS2 Clarity. Can you tell the difference in Color? Absolutely. The top Diamond is a crisper shade of white. Can you tell the difference in Clarity? No shot. Even better, neither can your wallet. They’re both $1,350. Spend those dollars on a feature you can actually appreciate.

On 95%+ of Diamonds 6 carats and under, the Diamond will be totally eye-clean with a “VS1” Clarity Grade. Exception: An Emerald-cut or Asscher-cut above 3.50 carats should be “VVS2” Clarity, as these shapes don’t hide Clarity imperfections very well. On other shapes, if you want something higher than a “VS1” just because, go for it. But opt for a “VVS2” or absolute max “VVS1”. And keep in mind there’s no need to go any higher than “VS1” in the majority of cases.

So, what Color and Clarity Grade should my Engagement Ring be?

With all this taken into account, and assuming you’re only shopping “Ideal” Cut Round Diamonds or “Excellent” Cut Fancy-shape Diamonds, I’d recommend “E” Color and “VS1” Clarity for your Engagement Ring’s Center Diamond.

  • Does that leave you under budget? Get a larger Diamond.
  • Still comfortably within budget? Up your Color Grade from “E” to “D”.
  • Want to give me more money for no reason? Go up from “VS1” to “VVS2” Clarity.
  • Didn’t hurt enough? I accept tips, preferably in the form of UFC tickets or a bottle of Bourbon old enough to vote.