THE QUALITY SCALE
AND GIA'S FANCY-COLOR NOMENCLATURE
A fancy-colored diamond's quality is judged by its overall beauty and the
tone of its color, as seen when the stone is viewed from above (face-up).
Color descriptions made by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) are
based on the Munsell color system. According to the GIA system, "fancy
blue" and "fancy pink" diamonds are those with tones above
tone level 2+ (which roughly compares to GIA's diamond color grades S to
Z). However, since yellow diamonds are more common than blue or pink diamonds,
yellow diamonds of tone level 2+ are simply called "light yellow," and
stones with tones darker than level 3 are designated "fancy." Diamonds
that have had their colors artificially altered are not assigned a color
grade.
The charts below show the results of assigning GIA's fancy-colored diamond
grades to the Quality Scale. |
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Fancy
Blue Diamonds
The left-hand chart below shows the quality scale for fancy blue diamonds,
using GIA terms. (An asterisk [*] designates the GIA fancy-color grade
assigned to the various diamonds.) Generally, beauty grade S corresponds
to "Blue," B to "Gray-Blue," and D to "Gray."
Fancy
Yellow Diamonds
The right-hand chart below shows the quality scale for fancy yellow diamonds
from the next page, with GIA terms inserted. Since three small diamonds
are used in each space, think of them as a general reference. Even a "fancy
vivid yellow" stone in 3+-B may suffer in beauty if it has low transparency
or if it is slightly brownish as shown in spaces 3-B or 3-C. GIA's fancy
color grades use the terms "Fancy Vivid," "Fancy Intense," "Fancy
Deep," "Fancy Dark," "Fancy," "Fancy Light," "Light," "Very
Light," or "Faint," based on a combination of tone and saturation.
These do not necessarily correspond to beauty, because beauty is also influenced
by transparency and hue. |
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JUDGING
QUALITY
As can be said of all fancy-colored diamonds, a fancy yellow diamond is
enjoyed for the overall color that its transparent and brilliant mosaic
pattern creates, as well as its scintillation. There is no need to be overly
concerned with imperfections as long as they do not detract from beauty
or present durability problems. Although synthetic or color-treated stones
may possess the enviable combination of fine color and freedom from imperfections,
it is prudent to assume that such conditions are rarely encountered in
the fancy-colored diamonds created by nature. |
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