How diamond colour affects the fire and sparkle of a diamond

Colour is important because it affects the transparency of the diamond and whether it has a yellow tint. So for example, if you choose a D colour, it will be colourless whilst a K colour diamond will have a hint of pale yellow. However, in a round brilliant diamond, provided you choose a colour that is H or above, it is the cut grade that makes a diamond look beautiful.

Compare these two diamonds - they are both perfectly cut diamonds with superb Hearts & Arrows. The only difference in specification is that one is a D colour and one is H colour. In this image, we are comparing the light return of the two diamonds. Both have excellent light return and excellent contrast pattern.

Comparing the levels of light refraction between the two diamonds, both have very attractive flashes of fire across the diamond. Both stones have similar levels of fire. In fact, it is very hard to pick the D colour from the H colour when assessing which is more beautiful.

To see the difference between these two diamonds, we need to turn them face down against a white background. The H colour has a faint hint of yellow whereas the D is completely transparent. Choosing which colour to go for then comes down to personal choice; if you want a better colour, it will be rarer and will therefore cost a little more.

In order to make sure that your diamond is as beautiful as possible, you should look for a perfectly cut Hearts and Arrows diamond. Provided you have chosen a stone from the near colourless range (H or higher), you will not notice any traces of yellow within your diamond.