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Color

The Diamond Course

Diamond Council of America © 2015

ND OL 2015

1The Diamond Course 4D i a m o n d C o u n c i l o f A m e r i c a ©

ColorIn This Lesson:• TheSurprisingC• TheDiamondPalette• CausesofColor• EvaluatingColor• CustomersandColor

THE SURPRISING CMany customers today know that color affects a dia-

mond’s value. Some do not understand what the term “color” actually means the way diamond or jewelry profes-sionals use it. Others are puzzled by explanations on web-sites, in consumer literature, or from other retailers.

As a result, there are a number of facts that can cause surprise when you discuss this C:

• Diamondsoccurnaturallyinmanydifferentcolors.• Mostdiamondsareatleastfaintlytinted.• Trulycolorlessdiamondsareveryrare.• Diamondcolorcanbeaddedorsubtractedbyarti-

ficialtreatments.• Lesscolorusuallymeanshighervalue,butsome-

timestheoppositeistrue.• Smalldifferencesincolorcanmakesizablediffer-

encesinprice.• Color’srelationshiptobeautyishighlypersonal.

Color is a less visible, less tangible factor to most consumers.

Photo courtesy William Schraft.

Color

2The Diamond Course 4

D i a m o n d C o u n c i l o f A m e r i c a ©

The challenge in presenting color is to keep these sur-prises from causing confusion or other negative reactions. Instead, you need to use them to create positive results.

With an effective explanation of color you can high-light the natural wonder of your product, demonstrate your knowledge, illuminate some of the mysteries of value, and help your customer take a step toward the purchase deci-sion. You’ll learn to do all these things in this lesson.

Lesson ObjectivesWhen you have completed this lesson you will be able to:

• Explainthecategoriesandcausesofdiamondcolor.• Describehowprofessionalsevaluatecolor.• Interpretcolorgradesforcustomers.• Discusscolor’srelationshiptobeautyandvalue.• Adaptyourcolorpresentationstoindividualcustomers.

Createpositiveimagesaboutcolorindiamonds.

Color


THE DIAMOND PALETTE Many people think of diamonds as being colorless gems. However,

diamonds actually occur in every color of the rainbow – and then some.

In addition to colorless, the diamond palette runs through blue, green, yellow, orange, red, pink, purple, violet, brown, and gray. It also includes black and white.

Many diamond colors can vary from very faint “hints” to intensities rivaling gems such as ruby, sapphire, topaz, and tourmaline. One color that’s not in the diamond palette is deep emerald green.

You can clarify the concept of diamond color by explaining the normal market color range. Most diamonds on the market range from near colorless to light yellow, brown, or gray. Absolutely colorless diamonds are very rare, but they’re still con-sidered part of the normal range.

When professionals talk about diamond color, they’re usually referring to this range. When they use terms like “fine color” and “top color” they mean very little color, or none at all. In most cases “white” means colorless or near colorless, rather than the whites seen in paint, paper, and most other consumer products.

Diamonds with natural colors outside the normal market range are classified as fancy color. These include deeper yellows, browns, and grays, plus all shades of other colors.

Today’s technology can add or subtract color in diamonds. The resulting products are known as color-treated diamonds. You’ll learn more about these in Lesson 8.

The diamond color palette includes every hue in the spectrum.

Black diamond.

blue, green,

yellow,

orange,

red, pink,

purple,

violet,

brown,

and gray

Color



Be careful not to bury customers with facts. Your goal in the first part of your color presentation is to get the cus-tomer’s attention and focus on the possibilities you’re going to present.

(Even if your store doesn’t offer colored diamonds, you should be prepared to answer questions about them.)

FLUORESCENCE

Inadditiontotheirnormalcolor–technicallyknownasbodycolor–manydiamondsexhibitanalmostghostlycolorphenomenon.Theyglowinlightthatcontainshigh

amountsofultraviolet(UV).Thisphenomenonisknownas fluorescence.

InabouthalfofallgemqualitydiamondsyoucanseefluorescencewithaspecialUVlamp.Themostcommonfluorescencecolorisblue.Othersincludewhite,yellow,andorange.

Aboutonediamondintenfluorescesstronglyenoughtolooknoticeablydifferentunderdifferenttypesoflighting.TraditionalincandescentbulbsemitnoUV.Withthistypeoflightyouseeonlythediamond’sbodycolor.

SunshineandfluorescentlightscontainhighamountsofUV.Underthesesources,youmightseefluorescenceinadditiontobodycolor.

Inthatcase,thediamond’sappearancedependsonthecombinationofbodycolorandthecolorandstrengthofthefluorescence.Forexample,bluefluores-cencecangivecolorlessdiamondsablueovertone.Itcanalsomakelightyellowdiamondslookclosertocolorless.Strongfluorescencecanmakeadiamondappearcloudyor“oily.”

Checkingfluorescenceisoneofthestepsindiamondcolorgrading.MostgradinglightshaveaUVlampforthispurpose.UVlampsarealsostandardequipmentforgemidentification.Ifoneisavailableinyourshowroomandyoulearntouseit,youmightshowadiamond’s“ghostlyglow”tocustomers.Mostwillfindthisfascinating.

Even if your store doesn’t offer colored diamonds, you should be able to answer questions about them.

Diamonds that look “normal” in normal lighting can glow under UV light.

Color


Diamondsarecoloredbytraceelements,slightcrystalstructuredistortions,orcombinationsofbothfactors.

CAUSES OF COLORWhen customers discover that diamonds occur in different col-

ors they may ask, “What causes the colors?” The short answer is: “The same factors that produce most of a diamond’s beauty – chemistry and structure.” Expanding this answer can provide a glimpse into the natural wonder of diamonds.

In Lesson 1 you learned that diamond is composed of almost pure carbon. The arrangement of atoms in the diamond crystal is almost perfectly symmetrical. When the chemical composition and crystal structure are amazingly close to pure and perfect, the diamond will be completely colorless.

As diamond crystals grow deep inside Earth, they often incor-porate atoms of other elements. Even tiny traces of some elements can color the crystal.

Nitrogen is the most common trace element in diamonds. When nitrogen atoms replace just one out of every 10,000 carbon atoms, the diamond will have a faint yellow tint. As the nitrogen concentration increases to 10 in 10,000 atoms, the tint becomes deeper. Similarly, traces of the element boron color some dia-monds blue.

It’s usually nitrogen that causes a diamond to have a yellow tint.

When chemical composition and crystal structure are astoundingly close to perfect, a diamond will be completely colorless.

Color



Structural distortion can also cause color. The immense pressures involved in diamond formation can create distortions in the crystal structure. In Lesson 3 you learned that these distortions sometimes produce the clarity characteristic known as graining. They can also impart colors such as brown, pink, red, and purple.

Scientists do not yet fully understand the causes of some diamond colors. They think various combinations of trace elements and/or crystal distortion are usually responsible.

Green and black diamonds are different. Many green diamonds are colored by small doses of natural radiation from the rocks in some diamond deposits. (You can assure customers that the diamonds themselves are not radioactive.) Natural black diamonds get their color from numerous inclusions of hematite or magnetite. (Hematite and magnetite are dark metallic-looking minerals.)

In Lesson 9 you’ll learn more about diamond formation and how it relates to color as well as other diamond value factors.

EVALUATING COLORTo evaluate a diamond’s color, a skilled grader com-

pares it to diamonds of known color, called master stones. Grading conditions are carefully controlled. The work environment is darkened. The grading light is designed for accurate color perception. The viewing background has a neutral color.

Graders also use special techniques like turning the diamond and master stones face-down to minimize reflections. They grade for a limited time, usually in the morning (when vision is most acute). They work only when they’re in good health. All this enables them to make very accurate and precise color distinctions.

Diamonds of known color are called “master-stones.” They are used to evaluate other dia-monds’ color.

Photo courtesy JCK.

Diamonds are turned face down for color grading to minimize reflections.

Photo courtesy JCK.

Color


Procedures are similar for diamonds in the nor-mal range and for fancy colors. One difference is how the diamonds are positioned. Normal range dia-monds are graded face-down. This makes it easier to see slight color differences. Fancy color diamonds are graded face-up because that’s the only way to get an accurate visual impression of the color. Cut can affect the way a diamond’s color looks face-up, and this is especially important with fancy colors. (You’ll learn more about Cut in Lessons 5 and 6.)

There are also instruments that can measure dia-mond color in the normal market range. Most of these are known as colorimeters. Many diamond professionals and trade laboratories now use them in the grading process.

Grades and Descriptions When it comes to assigning grades or

descriptive terms for diamond color, there are two approaches – one for the normal range and one for fancy colors. Both are designed to help professionals communicate color to each other and to their customers.

In presentations, you only need to explain the approach that applies to the diamonds you’re showing. Extra information may sidetrack your discussion and confuse your customers.

Graders assess fancy colors from the face-up view because it’s the only way to obtain an accurate impression of the color.

Photo courtesy Argyle.

Many diamond professionals and trade laboratories now use colorimeters in the grading process.

Photo courtesy Gran.

Color



Normal market raNge To grade color in the normal market range, industry organiza-

tions and firms have developed a number of different scales. The scale developed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is the one that’s used most widely.

Many other color scales are based on GIA’s. For example, the American Gem Society (AGS) system parallels GIA’s, except the grades are expressed numerically – from 0 to 10, with 0 being highest.

Many customers have heard or read about GIA grades. If your firm uses some other scale, you may need to translate it into GIA terms for customers who are comparison-shopping. To avoid misunderstandings, work on this with your store’s owner or manager.

The GIA Diamond Color Grade Scale consists of 23 letter grades. It begins with D (colorless) and runs through Z (light yellow, brown, or gray). The grades are based on the amount or depth of color.

If customers ask why the first GIA grade is D, you can tell them it’s largely psychology. For many people, having an A grade would make any other grade seem inferior. B or C would also sound inferior if the cus-tomer assumed that A existed. Starting with D avoids these issues.

FanCy yElloW

ColorlEss nEar ColorlEss FaInT yElloW VEry lIGHT yElloW lIGHT yElloW

D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z00.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.05.56.06.57.07.58.08.59.09.510.0TO FanCy

yElloW The aGs Color Grading scale is numerical, while the GIa scale is alphabetical.

a diamond color grade isn’t one specific color - it defines a “range” of color.

Color


COLOR GRADE RANGES

IntheGIADiamondGradingSystem–oranyother–thecolorgradedoesn’tindicateonepinpointspecificcolor.Insteaditdescribesacloselydefinedrange.

Thismeans,forexample,thattwoG-colordiamondscanhaveslightlydifferentcolors(ordepthofcolor).Undergradingconditions,anexpertcoulddistinguishthemfromF-orH-colordiamonds,andfromeachother.Underconditionsofnormalviewingandwear,consumersarenotlikelytoseethedifferences.

Somediamondsfallonorneartheborderlinesbetweengrades.Forexpensivedia-monds–whereslightdifferencesinthecolorgradecanmakesignificantdifferencesincost–these“borderlinecalls”mightberesolvedbyatradelaboratory.

Thisisadvancedandspecializedknowledge.It’sprobablynotatopicyoushouldopenyourselfinsalespresentations.Savethiskindofinformationforcustomerswhoaskques-tionsthatrequireit.

This chart helps you understand the general appearance of the different color grades.

D

E

F*

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z+

Colorless to

Fancy yellow*Colorless for 0.50 ct or less Fa

nC

yCo

lorl

Ess

nEa

r Co

lorl

Ess

FaIn

T yE

llo

WVE

ry l

IGH

T yE

llo

WlIG

HT

yEll

oW

Colorless

Diamonds in these grades will ‘face up’ colorless (i.e. slight traces of color will not be apparent in mount-ed diamonds to other than the trained eye).

small diamonds in this range will ‘face up’ color-less when mounted but large ones will be tinted.

Mounted diamonds in these grades will display a yellowish tint even to the untrained eye.

With most customers, it helps to explain how grades relate to appearance. You can explain GIA grades like this:

• TheDgradeisabsolutely colorless.• Thenexttwogrades–E andF–areessentially col-

orless.ThedifferencesbetweenD,E,andFaresoslight,onlyexpertscanseethemevenwhendiamondsareunmountedandviewedunderstrictgradingcondi-tions.

• DiamondsintheG,H, Iand Jgradesareconsiderednear colorless.Theynormallyappearcolorlesswhenthey’remountedinjewelry.

• IngradesK, L,andM,diamondsareconsideredfaintly tinted.Thoseunder1/2caratusuallylookcolorlesswhenmounted,butlargerdiamondsmayshowaslighttint.

• IngradesNthrough Z thelight tintbecomesincreas-inglyvisible.DiamondsdarkerthanZarefancycolor.One thing this means is that most people won’t see color in

a diamond that falls in the first eight grades unless it weighs more than 1/2 carat and is unmounted.

Color



TRADITIONAL COLOR TERMS

Forcenturiesdiamondcolorsweredesignatedbysourcenames.Forexample,whenSouthAfrican

diamondsenteredthemarketinthelate1800s,manyofthemhadyellowishtints.Thesewerecalled“cape”coloraftertheCapeColonyfromwhichtheywereshippedtoEurope.(CapeColonybecamepartofSouthAfrica.)Youmayrunacrossreferencessuchas“lightcape”and“darkcape”inbooks.Someprofessionalsalsouse“cape”asagenerictermfortinteddiamondsinthenor-malmarketrange.

Anotheroldcolortermyoumighthearorreadis“bluewhite.”Strictlyspeaking,thisreferstoacolorlessdiamondwithablueovertone,usuallycausedbyfluo-rescence.Ithashadmanydifferentmeaningsovertheyears.FTCguidelinesnowlimititsuse.(ForspecificsseetheFTCentrylaterinthislesson.)Manyfirmsandindus-tryorganizationscompletelyprohibitthisterm.

near colorless diamonds - usually with a slight blue fluorescence - were formerly called “blue-whites.” The FTC guidelines limit the use of that term and many industry organi-zations prohibit it altogether.

Diamonds with yellowish tints were formerly called “capes”.

Color


FaNcy colors The colors of fancy color diamonds are ana-

lyzed in terms of three components – hue, tone, and saturation:

• Hueisthecolor’sbasiccategory–red,yellow,green,blue,andsoforth.Huesalsoincludemixturessuchasreddish-orangeandblue-green.

• Tone–sometimescalledlightnessorvalue–isthecolor’slightnessordark-ness.Examplesoftonedifferenceswithinthesamehueincludepinkandred,orskyblueandnavyblue

• Saturation(orintensity)isthecolor’sstrengthandpurity.Lowsaturationcolorsoftenappearbrownishorgrayish.Based on the combination of tone and satura-

tion, GIA uses the following terms for fancy color diamonds: Faint, Very Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Dark, Fancy Deep, Fancy Vivid.

This diagram shows the 3-dimensional relation-ship between hue, tone and saturation.

Courtesy Munsell Corporation.

(LIGHT)

(DARK)

(HIGH)(LOW)

Grade

FaintVerylightLightFancylightFancyFancyintenseFancyvividFancydarkFancydeep

Tone

extremelylightverylightverylightmediumlightmediumlighttomediumlighttomediumdarkmediumtodark

Saturation

lowlowmoderatelylowlowtomoderatelylowlowtomoderatehighveryhighlowtomoderatemoderatetohigh

................................................

..............................................

.........................................

..................

..................

..................

....................................

.......................................

..................................................

..........................................

These diamonds of different hues range from medium light to medium dark in tone.

Color



These grades are adjusted to reflect the natural rarity of different colors. Blue diamonds, for example, are much rarer than yellow ones. As a result, a pale blue diamond might be described as “fancy intense,” while a yellow diamond described the same way would have noticeably stronger color.

Yellow, brown, and gray diamonds aren’t considered fancy until the color is beyond the first three grades. In other words, a yellow, brown, or gray diamond must be at least “fancy light” to be classified as fancy color.

GIA first published its system for fancy color diamonds in the 1990s. The system reflects terminology that already existed, but it expanded and standardized meanings. Other organizations use similar terms.

From a historical viewpoint, objective description of fancy colors is a recent development. The traditional approach is more poetic. Intense yellow diamonds have long been called “canaries” after the brightly colored songbirds. Brown diamonds have been described as “coffee” or “cinna-mon” colored. Such terms are lively, spicy, and evocative, but they are often used inconsistently.

In your own presentations, a mix of science and romance will probably be most effective. For example, “This diamond is classified as fancy purplish pink. To me it looks like the color of a fresh rose.” That way you communicate with both head and heart.

You can be creative with the romance part of your color descriptions. Don’t limit yourself to traditional terms. In fact, they can cause problems. If you call a diamond “canary color,” someone else might feel you misrepresented it. If you say the color reminds you of a sunflower – and the customer agrees – who can argue?

Photo courtesy Siera.

Color


CHAMPAGNE DIAMONDS

Formanyyears,Australia’sArgyleMinewastheworld’sbiggestdiamondproducermeasuredincaratweight(notvalue).Itisstillasignificantsource.

Inadditiontodiamondsinthenormalmar-ketrange,Argyle’soutputincludesavarietyoffancycolors.Therarestarepinksandreds,whichareprizedbycollectorsandconnois-seursaroundtheworld.

AlargerpercentageofArgyle’sproductionismadeupofdiamondsinthecolorsequenceknownas champagne.Theserangefromlighttodarkbrownorpinkishbrown.

Inthe1990sstrongpromotionbyArgyleheightenedindustryandconsumerawarenessofchampagnediamonds.ThePRcampaigninvolvedjewelrydesignersandretailers,as

wellasmediacoverageandadvertising.Thisincreasedenthusiasmforchampagnes,andalsootherfancycolors.

Onefeatureofthecampaignwasanewcolorscalespecificallyforchampagnediamonds.Itconsistsofsevengrades–C1toC7–runningfromlight“champagne”todeep“cognac.”Thescaleiseasytounderstand,particularlyforexperienceddiamondcustom-erswhoarefamiliarwithothergradingsystems.IfyourfirmusestheC1-C7scale,practicestatingthegradesalongwitheffectivedescriptions.

The argyle mine in australia is one of today’s leading producers of diamond.



The “champagne” series - a sequence of pinkish brown to brown diamonds.


C-1 C-2 C-3 C-4 C-5 C-6

C-7

Color



Demonstrating Color Fancy color diamonds speak – or shine – for them-

selves and need only a little “word magic” from you. Customers may be a bit baffled by a verbal explana-tion of color grades for the normal range. An effective demonstration can help with this, and there are several good options:

CUSTOMERS AND COLORThe color part of a diamond presentation might start with a little background – for example,

describing the normal market range and answering questions about what causes color. In most cases, you should describe the grade scale and state the grade. In addition, it may help to provide a demon-stration and discuss how color relates to value. You might also need to assist the customer with making a decision about this value factor.

Customersmightbebaffledbyverbalexplanations,souseaninterestingdemonstration.

• Useachart.Thesimplestkindofdemonstrationinvolvesshowingthecustomerachartrepresentingthecolorgradescale.Explainthatthescalerunsfromcolorlesstolightyellow,brown,orgray.Thenindicatewherethediamondyou’reshowingfitsonthescale.

• Usecomparisonsfromeverydaylife.(Thisisactu-allya“mentaldemonstration.”)Youmightpointoutthatthepapersforcomputerprinters,magazines,andnews-papersareall“white,”yetthey’realsosignificantlydiffer-entincolor.Therearedozensofshadesofwhiteinteriorpaints.Youcansayit’sthesamewaywithdiamonds.

• Useunmounteddiamondsofdifferentgrades.Thisisthemostconvincingoption.Selecttwodiamondswithenoughcolordifferenceforthecustomertoseeeasi-ly.Placethemside-by-side(butnottouching)andthensaysomethinglike,“ThisdiamondisanF,andthisoneisanL.Thatmeansthere’sadifferenceofsixgrades.”

Showing a set of master stones would give the clearest picture of the entire normal range, but most stores don’t allow this for security reasons. Some stores have a set of synthetic cubic zirco-nia (CZ) masters, and you can use one of these with less risk.

The color part of a diamond presentation can involve a variety of topics.

Color


Intense pinks and reds are the rarest of fancy colors. Browns are among the most common.


Color, Rarity, and Value As with carat weight and clarity, you can tell customers that col-

or’s impact on value is linked to natural rarity.

Within the normal market range, less color equates with greater rarity and value. Only a tiny fraction of diamonds in the normal range are colorless – D, E, or F on the GIA scale. Many of the dia-monds sold in the US range from G to L. Depending on the dia-mond’s size and clarity, a difference of just one color grade may mean a cost difference of 10 to 20%.

Compared to diamonds in the normal market range, most fancy colors are rare. Each year, the world produces only a few thousand carats of all fancy colors combined.

In the normal range of diamonds, colorless diamonds are extremely rare.

Photo courtesy Diamond Trading Company.

In fancies, light to medium tones with very high saturation have the highest value.

There are big differences in the rarities of different colors. As you might expect, yellow, brown, and gray are least rare. Pink, green, and blue are very rare. Red is extremely rare. So are pure purple and orange.

Within fancy color categories, rarity and value increase with saturation. Tone is important too. A light to medium tone com-bined with very high saturation – in other words, a grade of Fancy Vivid – has highest value. If the color is too light or too dark, the value will be lower. Nuances of hue can also make a difference – whether the diamond is yellowish green or bluish green, for exam-ple.

Some fancy colors are quite affordable. The prices of fancy yellow and brown diamonds are typically about 50 to 80% of those for colorless diamonds (though intense yellows can be high-er). In contrast, the rarest fancy colors can be astronomical in cost – more than $1 million per carat!

When you present fancy diamonds you need to point out that color is the top concern. The other Cs aren’t nearly as important, especially for rarer colors.

Color



Some fancy colors occur only in small sizes. It’s true that the world’s largest polished dia-mond is a fancy color. This is the Golden Jubilee, which you read about in Lesson 1. For intense pinks, however, 3 carats is exceptional. For reds, even 1/2 carat qualifies as world class.

One factor that has a big impact on the pric-es of fancy colors is matching. A single fancy blue diamond is rare and expensive. Two that are matched for a pair of earrings – or several for a necklace – will be much, much rarer and more costly.

Personalizing Color The ability to see color is highly individual.

Psychological and emotional responses to color are even more personal. As a result, you have to adjust your color presentations to fit your customers.

Decisions about color in the normal market range can depend on a number of things – cost, per-sonal preference, concepts like quality and beauty, and notions of how a diamond “ought to look.”

To keep from clouding these issues, be objective and even-handed in your initial discussion of color. Avoid negative terms like “off-color” and “lower grade.” Instead say “more tinted” or “warmer grade.” Pay close attention to the customer’s responses and take your cues accordingly.

The “Incomparable Diamond”, formerly known as the “Zale Diamond”, and sometimes called the “Golden Triolette” is the largest internally flawless, fancy color diamond known - 407.48 carats.

Most diamonds have a yellowish tint. avoid negative terms like “off color” or “lower grade”.

Photo courtesy JCK.

Color


When price or size appears to be a primary concern, emphasize the precision of grading and downplay the color grade’s link to visual appeal. A diamond of any grade can be beautiful. By giving up a little in a factor where it’s difficult to see differences, the customer can save money or own a larger diamond.

If the customer finds a diamond with obvious tint attractive, reinforce this. You might say many people feel diamonds that show color have a warmer, richer beauty. Diamonds near the dark end of the normal range are almost fancy color.

With customers for whom quality is topmost, stress that color distinctions may be subtle, but they’re apparent to the expert eye. Truly colorless diamonds are very rare, and for centuries they’ve been regarded as the ultimate in diamond beauty.

Fancy color diamonds are great sugges-tions for customers who seek something differ-ent and unique. You can present them as the gem of choice among celebrities and diamond connoisseurs – the perfect gem for someone who wants to make a statement about who they are.

Just showing fancy color diamonds identi-fies your store as a source of rare and exotic beauty. Even if customers can’t afford a fancy color, they’ll feel flattered when you share a glimpse of such beauty.

Color



Specific Points Here are a few specific points to remember when you’re present-

ing color:

• Thelargerthediamond,themoreobviousanycolorwillbe.• Coloriseasiertoseeinsomecuttingstylesthaninothers.For

example,anH-coloremeraldcutdiamondwillusuallyshowmorecolorthananH-colorroundbrilliantcut.(You’lllearnmoreaboutCutinthenexttwolessons.)

• Poorcuttingcanmakeadiamondinthenormalrangelookmoretinted,butitmaymakeafancycolorlookpaler.

• Colortendstobescrutinizedmoreinringsthaninothertypesofjewelrysuchaspendantsorearrings.

• Yellowgoldmaskstracesofyelloworbrownandenhancesdarkershadesofthesecolors.Platinumandwhitegolddramatizecolorlessdiamondsandmostfancycolors,butcanmakefaintyelloworbrowntintsstandoutlessflatteringly.

• Menareoftenwillingtoacceptmorecolorinthenormalrangethanwomenare.Whenyou’rehelpingamanselectadiamondforawoman,becarefulnottolethimchooseonethatshe’llthinkis“tooyellow.”Color is a complex factor. It’s sometimes a challenge to present effectively. When you master this

C, you’ll be able to win customers’ confidence and provide them with one of the keys to diamond beauty and value.

Color tends to be scrutinized more in rings than in other types of jewelry.

Photo courtesy JCK.

The FTC strictly limits use of the term “blue-white.”

FTC GUIDE §23.14 Misuse of the term “blue white.”

Itisunfairordeceptivetousetheterm“bluewhite”oranyrepresentationofsimilarmeaningtodescribeanydia-mondthatundernormal,northdaylightoritsequivalentshowsanycolororanytraceofanycolorotherthanblueorbluish.

(TheFTCguidelinesonartificialcolortreatmentappearinLesson8.)

Color


THE HOPE DIAMOND

TheHopeDiamondisoneoftheworld’smostfamousgems,anditsmoststrikingfeatureisitsdarkbluecolor.

TheHope’searlyhistoryinvolvessomeeducatedguesswork.MostauthoritiesbelieveitwasminedinIndiaandcametoEuropeinthemid-1600s.Atthattimeitweighedabout110caratsandhadanirregularshapeandfaceting.

France’sKingLouisXIVpurchasedthediamondsometimearound1670.Hehaditrecuttoamoresymmetricalform,reducingtheweightto69carats.ItthenbecameknownastheFrenchBlueDiamond.In1792–duringtheFrenchRevolution–theFrenchBluewasstolen,alongwithmostoftheFrenchCrownJewels,andvanishedfromhistoricalrecords.

Earlyinthe1800s,aremarkablebluecushion-cutdiamondweighing45.52caratsappearedinLondon.HenryPhilipHopeboughtitin1830andnameditforhimself.Thisisthegemthathassincebecomesofamous.

FollowingHope’sdeath,thediamondpassedontoheirsandotherowners.Around1910,PierreCartierpurchaseditandthensoldittoEvalynWalshMcLean,aprominentAmericansocialite.Toaddalittle

darkromance,Cartiermayalsohaveinvent-edthelegendofacurse.

AfterMcLeandiedin1947,fameddia-monddealerHarryWinstonpurchasedtheHopefromherestate.In1958WinstondonatedittotheSmithsonianInstitutioninWashington,DC.TheretheHopeDiamondisnowafavoriteexhibit.

The Hope Diamond

Photo courtesy Smithsonian Institution.

Color



RECAP OF KEY POINTS

• Someofthefactsaboutcolorsurprisemanycustomers,butaneffectivepresentation of this C provides one of the keys to diamond beauty and value.

• Diamondsoccurinawiderangeofcolors.Thenormalmarketrangeincludes colorless to light yellow, brown, and gray. Diamonds with natural colors outside the normal range are classified as fancy colors.

• Diamondsarecoloredmostlybytraceelements,slightcrystalstructuredistortions, or a combination of both factors.

• Toevaluateadiamond’scolor,askilledgradercomparesittomasterstones under carefully controlled conditions. This makes accurate and pre-cise color distinctions possible. Colorimeters are also used to evaluate color in the normal range.

• Forthenormalmarketrange,theGIADiamondColorGradeScaleiswidely used. The scale has 23 letter grades starting at D (colorless) and ending at Z (light yellow, brown, or gray). Diamonds darker than Z are fancy colors.

• Thecolorsoffancydiamondsareanalyzedintermsofhue,tone,andsatu-ration. Grades for fancy colors are assigned on the basis of tone and satu-ration, and adjusted to reflect the rarity of different hues. For sales presen-tations, a combination of scientific and romantic color description is usu-ally most effective.

• Color’simpactonvalueisrelatedtorarity.Withinthenormalmarketrange, the less color the greater the rarity and value. For fancy diamonds value depends largely on the rarity of the color itself. Within fancy color categories, value tends to rise with the intensity of the color. In rarer fan-cies, color far outweighs all other Cs.

• It’simportanttopersonalizeyourcolorpresentations.Avoidnegativeterms and be responsive to individual customer concerns, motives, and priorities.

Color


LESSON 4 FOLLOW-UP CHECKLIST

____ Develop a simple explanation of the color ranges or classifications for diamonds you sell. Also practice explaining the causes of diamond color.

____ Ask your store manager or a qualified coworker to demonstrate color grading for you. Use your own observations and the lesson text to describe the process in your own words.

____ Learn the color grade system your firm uses. Practice stating and explaining the grades. If you don’t normally use the GIA scale, ask your manager about translating grades to GIA terms. Develop and prac-tice such explanations carefully to avoid misrepresentation.

____ If you sell fancy color diamonds, rehearse objective descriptions and brainstorm creative ways to describe the colors of diamonds in your inventory.

____ Develop and rehearse brief explanations of color and value for dia-monds in your inventory. With coworkers, role-play adapting your color presentations to individual customers.

Color



Lesson 4 Self-Test

This lesson also includes a Self-Test that’s designed to help you gauge your comprehension of the lesson material. The test is an important part of the learning process, so be sure to complete it.

When you’re ready to take the test, go to the Course Materials page (the one that lists all the les-sons) and click on “Self-Test.” Make certain you select the test for this lesson.

All questions in the test are based on Lesson 4. More than one answer for a question might seem correct, but you should select the one best answer based on the lesson discussion.

As you take the test, you may refer to the lesson. To do this, you’ll need to have the lesson loaded in a separate window of your browser.

If you feel certain about a question, try answering it without looking at the lesson. If you’re not sure, check the lesson before answering.

After you answer a question, you’ll receive immediate results and feedback. You’ll find out whether you answered correctly, what the correct answer was (in case you missed it), and also the page number in the lesson where the information can be found. Take time to review any material you’re not com-pletely clear on.

At the end of the test, you’ll receive your overall results. Then you’ll be able to continue to the next step in your coursework.

If you have questions or need help, please contact us. You can use this website – just click on “Help.” You can also email [email protected] or phone 615-385-5301 / toll free 877-283-5669.

Documents

The Diamond Coursedcec.diamondcouncil.org/.../DPC/Lessons/DPC_Lesson4.pdflight you see only the diamond’s bodycolor. Sunshine and fluorescent lights contain high amounts of UV. Under