There are a lot of diamonds being sold on the market today that come with some form of report from a recognized grading laboratory. Some very well known and established diamond grading laboratories are the GIA's Gem Trade Laboratory, AGSL (American Gemological Society Laboratroy), IGI (International Gemological Institute) & EGL (European Gemological Laboratories) are some of the finest. If the diamond you are considering purchasing is accompanied by a grading report by one of these institutions you can bet you're pretty safe with what you're getting and the color that's listed on the report.

There are a lot of diamonds on the market though that are not "certified" by any gem lab and are graded "in house". Most if not all the diamonds on our site are lab graded by an acredited lab and being that I am a gemologist, I guarantee the quality of the diamond I'm selling whether it's lab graded or not. But if you're considering purchasing a diamond that is not lab graded and the jeweler is "not" a gemologist and does not have the proper equipment to grade the diamond with, there are some practical tips I can give you to get an idea of what color diamond your looking at.

1. Always observe diamonds loose, not mounted. A diamond set in a ring will be difficult for a laymen to be able to observe the color accurately.

2. Have a flat white business card handy. If the jeweler doesn't have anything to lay the stone in, a flat white business card is sufficient.

3. Ask for a cz (cubic zirconia) to be able to see against the flat white background and be able to compare the color to. ALL CZ'S ARE "D" COLOR. Even if the diamond you are buying is lab graded it will be cool to see you're potential diamond next to a colorless stone. And it will also make the jeweler think you actually know what you're doing (and you will!)

4. Assuming the diamond is not lab graded and the jeweler says the stone is a "G-H" in color or an "I-J" in color. Either assume the lower of the two grades or assume he is wrong altogether. There are many jewelers who will tell you what you want to hear just to get your cash in their pocket. Put that stone against the flat white background, compare it to a cz and remember: (DEF) colorless is colorless against a flat white background. (GHIJ) Near colorless has an ever so faint tint against a flat white background. (KLM) obvious tint against the white background etc.