At what Color Grade will my Diamond start to look yellow?

A Diamond will start to look yellow around a Color Grade “G”. “G” is the first grade in the “Near Colorless” range. While for Natural Diamonds, a G Color Diamond is an excellent option to keep the price down, for a Lab-Grown Diamond, your budget will cover a Diamond in the “Colorless” range (Grades D, E and F) with no visible tones of yellow.

Can you easily tell the difference between a “G” Color and a “Colorless” (D, E or F) Color Diamond?

Yes, the difference is absolutely noticeable without the need for any special viewing equipment or magnification! Take a look at the 4 Diamonds pictured below. All ~2 carat Oval-shape Lab-Grown Diamonds, all “Excellent” Cut. Even in photos, it’s easy to see the increasing tone of yellow at each subsequent Color Grade.

From bottom to top, D, E, F and G Color Oval-shaped Lab-Grown Diamonds.

Does Color Grade matter more on a larger Diamond?

Absolutely! The larger your Diamond is, the easier it is to see tints of color. This doesn’t mean that you need “D” Color for your Diamond to look crisp white, but expect to see some visible tints of yellow at grades “G” or lower. If you’re shopping for a 4 carat or larger stone, those tints may be slightly noticeable around “F” Color, depending on the Cut quality of your Diamond.

What Color Grade do you recommend for my Diamond?

For a Lab-Grown Diamond, I think the sweet spot is Color Grade “E”. That’s the middle of the “Colorless” range, the perfect balance of price and quality where there’s no yellow visible in the stone. If a “D” Color Diamond is comfortably within range, then by all means go for it. If an “F” Color is helping you stay within budget for the size Diamond you’d like, that’s an excellent choice as well. BUT, before you optimize Color, set a budget range, then narrow your search to only “Excellent” Cut Fancy-shape (non-Round) or “Ideal” Cut Round Diamonds, in the Carat Weight range you’d like to be. No sense in paying for an “E” Color Diamond with terrible proportions that barely returns any light.

Here’s what we mean…

Here we have a 2.69 carat official “Excellent” Cut Lab-Grown Diamond on the bottom and a 2.31 carat Lab-Grown Diamond on the top with “Very Good” proportions. Both are “F” Color Grade but the 2.69 carat is visibly brighter! Remember to prioritize Cut over Color, if two Diamonds are the same Color but one is a higher Cut Grade, the higher Cut Grade Diamond will look whiter!

Read more about Color and Clarity here.