E Color Diamonds

Bottom Line Recommendations…

• E color diamonds are only one step away from the D color grade. This means they are almost perfectly colorless. Take a look at a D color princess diamond here and compare it with an E color princess diamond here. The price may be high but is not as high as the D color diamonds. For brilliant cuts, you can compromise on clarity as the fire and brilliance will hide the imperfections. If you are going for step cuts such as the emerald, you can get a stone with amazing luster in the E color scale.
• Since the naked eye will not be able to tell the difference between the E color grade and the D color grade, you can save money on your purchase and still get a stone with amazing brilliance and fire.
• The E color appears white, making white gold or platinum the ideal setting.
• When dealing with step cuts, such as the Emerald cut and the Asscher cut, the E color grade is a great choice. They have large tables that draw the eye to any tint of color or any imperfections. Because of this, never compromise on the cut quality and clarity. Take a look here.
• You can tell all about the cut quality of the diamond by reading the diamond certificate. You will know where the inclusions are as well as the dimensions of the stone. However, this doesn’t tell you how the diamond will look on your finger. Factors such as the appearance of the bowtie cannot be determined through the certificate. For that, you need to view close up 360-degree videos of the diamond.
• You can get quality videos of your E color diamond from our best diamond sellers—James Allen and the Blue Nile.

A question that is often in the minds of many diamond buyers, especially when constrained by the budget is whether the E color diamonds are a good engagement ring choice.

Buyers will also wonder about the difference between an E color diamond and a D color diamond. Is the E color is worth the money?

This diamond guide teaches you everything you need to know about E color diamonds to help you make the best buying decision.

Let’s find out!

What exactly is an E color diamond?

Diamonds are placed on a color scale that judges the stones based on the absence of color. While there are different grading labs, the GIA color scale is the most widely accepted. It ranks diamonds from D-Z as shown below.

The E color grade is one step from the D color grade. Diamonds in the D, E, and F category are referred to as colorless diamonds. The less the color a diamond has, the greater its value and the higher its price.

E color diamonds have tiny tints of color which are only visible under the right magnification and lighting conditions. Many diamond buyers who do not want to pay the price of a D color diamond are attracted to the E color diamonds as they still offer an icy appearance.

How an E color diamond looks on an engagement ring

Only the trained eye can pick out minute differences between a D and an E color diamond under magnification.

However, their differences in price can be huge. For most diamond buyers, this means that you can get the fire, brilliance, and scintillation of a D court diamond at a much lower price.

E color diamonds price

The more colorless a diamond is the higher its price. This means that E color diamonds are costlier than all the other stones lower on the color scale.

Compared to a D color diamond, note that there will be a larger difference in price as you move higher in carat weight. As the stone gets smaller and smaller, the price difference also reduces.

The cause of these skyrocketing prices per carat weight is due to the disproportionate effect of the carat weight. Consider that a 2-carat diamond in the E color scale could be 3 times as expensive as a 2-carat diamond in the K color scale.

The main difference between D and E color diamonds

Looking down at the diamond from above it is very difficult to tell the difference between a D color diamond and an E color diamond.

You may argue that the main reason people go for the D color diamond is due to its psychological value. The knowledge that it is the most colorless stone and therefore the rarest makes it appealing to buyers who do not have budget constraints.

However, if you are looking to get a diamond with amazing sparkle and brilliance but still save some money, you can go for the E color diamond.

The art of diamond grading

One of the main challenges that graders face is telling the difference between color grades. The tint in some diamonds is too minuscule that a lot of practice and time is needed to become good at it. The E color diamond not only looks similar to the D color grade, but it also looks similar to the F color diamond grade.

E color diamonds are arrived at by comparing with master stones held at the diamond labs. A diamond can only be given the E color grade if its tint is darker than the master stone but lighter than the F master stone.

This is done by only the most experienced diamond graders.

The cut quality and color grade

The diamonds cut quality is perhaps the biggest factor affecting the appearance of a diamond. If the diamond has an ideal cut, it will have plenty of fire and brilliance and may appear as white as a higher-grade diamond.

The savvy diamond shoppers know this and take advantage of it allowing them to get great deals on their diamonds.

Since the E color grade diamond is considered a colorless diamond, a buyer will get plenty of fire and brilliance from the stone.

E color diamonds setting

The setting can influence the appearance of the E color diamond. A yellow gold setting will shine the yellow hue through the diamond making it appear less colorless.

On the other hand, white gold or platinum setting will not be able to hide any tint of color on a diamond that is much lower on the color scale.

The trick is to find the middle ground and use a setting that is white but not too white such as 14k gold. This will mask any tint in the E color diamonds.

That said, the diamonds will still look icy and white when placed in a platinum setting. The choice comes down to personal preference.

Tips for buying an E color diamond

When buying an E color diamond, make sure you choose a seller who can provide you with the diamond certificate and 360-degree videos of the stone. Close up images are also highly beneficial.

While you can go lower on the clarity scale with E color diamonds, it’s not a good idea to compromise on cut quality. You want to make sure that you focus more on the fire and brilliance as this will hide the tint and the inclusions.