Color is generally considered the second most important attribute when selecting a diamond. This is because it’s usually the most noticeable characteristic, aside from size. A diamond’s color grade refers to the presence or lack of “tint” in the diamond. In a white diamond, this would be a presence or lack of yellow. 

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grades diamond color on a scale from D to Z. While most diamonds appear to have no color to the untrained eye, most stones usually contain slight tones of yellow. The rule of thumb is that you need to jump two color grades to see a noticeable difference in color.