Diamond Colour and Engagement Rings

Choosing the Right Colour Diamond for Your Engagement Ring

When you buy an engagement ring from us, you get to choose the diamond you would like. This section of our Engagement Rings Buyers Guide, explains Diamond Colour, and will help you make an informed choice.

In this section of the guide we consider:

If you have any questions please just ask:

What is the Diamond Colour Scale?

The diamond colour scale goes from D (the best), to Z (the worst). The difference in colour between each grade is very subtle indeed. Ideally a diamond should be crystal clear and entirely free of any taint or colour.

Please note, that the chart above is only applicable to the round diamond shape.

What Colour Diamond is appropriate for an Engagement Ring

Colour grading is done by examining the diamonds under a controlled light source against a set of master stones. Even then it can be tricky to tell the difference between two grades that are near to each other on the scale. Once in an Engagement Ring, it becomes very difficult indeed, to assess the colour grade.

If you want a very high quality stone, and are prepared to pay the extra, then colours D-F are for you. If you are only concerned with how noticeable the colour will be, then D-J will be fine.

What Colour Diamonds do 1791 Sell in their Engagement Rings?

When you buy an engagement ring from 1791 Diamonds, you get to choose the diamond yourself. You can therefore specify the colour grade you want.

In the Signature Engagement Rings we let you choose from grades D-H, all of which will look amazing and in our Modena Engagement Rings we let you choose from D-J. These are part of the standards that set our rings apart.

Please read our Diamond Policy

What Are Fancy Colour Diamonds?

'Fancies' come in all the colours of the rainbow, the least expensive in shades of yellow and brown with pinks fetching the highest price. You can choose fancy coloured diamonds as either side stones or the main stone, in any of our rings. See our Deep Blue Engagement Ring although actually the one shown has sapphires as side stones we can use fancy diamonds.

What Causes the Colour in Diamonds?

Diamonds are formed over 100 miles below the Earth's surface under immense pressure and temperatures over 400 degrees celsius. If the conditions are not perfect carbon graphite will be formed instead of a diamond. If traces of certain elements (like nitrogen) become trapped in the crystals, what we call 'fancy' coloured diamonds are formed.

The diamonds we wear today were created millions of years ago, the reason we get to enjoy them is because they were ejected from the Earths mantle through volcanic eruptions.

These beautiful and near indestructible crystals were then found and cut to represent the symbol of everlasting love. Quite the romantic story.

Other things to consider when buying an engagement ring?

The price of a diamond is determined by its rarity. Larger diamonds and those of higher quality are more rare. There are four factors that determine diamond rarity. These are: