Buying Guide for H Diamond: Is it a Great Value for Money?

When you’re reading about color grades for diamonds, a favorite amongst many is H diamond. Not only is it stunning but near colorless. When you’re looking for a diamond h color is hard to come by since it resembles D color diamonds. The premium price you pay for the highest grade diamonds can cost you a lot. This is why most consumers prefer h color diamonds since they come under the ‘near colorless’ range and can be great value for money – when you choose the right cut. They offer almost identical looks similar to D grade diamonds. Here’s everything you need to know about h diamonds. 

What is H Color Diamond?

Before you consider h diamonds for an engagement ring, you need to understand their worth. These diamonds are free of color, and will appear white even in large sizes when they’re viewed from different angles. You’ll only come across a minute amount of body color. The imperfections are visible if the diamond is large in size but only to an astute diamond expert. When you’re viewing a diamond’s profile, there are many things to consider. For e.g. in a four prong setting, even a low grade H diamond is a considerate choice. 

H color in actuality is the second-highest color grade with G being the highest followed by D, E and F that comprise the colorless range. When you’re on the lookout for a budget friendly diamond ring, H color diamonds are often considered; however if the diamond is too yellow, it loses its value. If the H diamond is well cut, you won’t be able to detect color tints even if you have a sensitive eye. Even under magnification in a properly lit room, it is hard to differentiate between diamonds that come under the colorless range. 

Is H Color Diamond Good & Affordable?

As a whole h grade diamonds are good value for money and introduce options to people who want to experiment with different cuts – especially if it’s a small budget. Unlike a D color diamond that is a premium pick, h diamonds have a white looking appearance with minimum inclusions for a lower cost. While shopping for h diamond, you need to keep certain things in mind:

Cut Quality

This is an important factor while buying diamonds of colorless grading. The cut quality ensures your diamond has great brilliance and fire. All these factors give us diamonds that have a wonderful sparkle and can compliment certain settings. While understanding the cut quality, you’re trying to identify how much light transmission is taking place. This means you need to know how much light is being reflected back successfully. For a H grade diamond, you will notice a yellowish tint but with a good cut quality, this is negligible almost. When you opt for a rose gold setting for a H diamond, the yellowish tint is nullified making this type of diamond identical to a D grade diamond in gold setting. 

Type of Cut

H color diamonds are great value for money for many kinds of cuts like the emerald cut, oval, pear shaped diamonds. Basically diamond cuts that are unique and elegant work perfectly with h colored stones. We would not recommend a princess cut since its squarish body can easily expose the yellow tint you find. If the h grade diamond is poorly cut, these inclusions become visible to the naked eye. If you still want to go for a princess cut h color diamond, you’ll need to consider clarity. In such a case clarity of SI2 works best for oval, pear and princess cut diamonds.

Diamond Imaging

This is a term that includes a number of tools and techniques diamond experts use to assess the quality of a well cut diamond. This also includes understanding the color grading of the diamond. If you’re shaping a loose diamond with h color, you’ll want to pick clarity and cut that reduces its yellowish tint. Diamond imaging allows vendors to compare h color diamonds of distinct carat weights, so that you get the possible value. To study the spectroscopic properties of treated diamonds, experts may use high energy irradiation or annealing to improve the color grading of the stone. 

Diamond Color H – How To Evaluate Cost?

Before you study the price of a h color diamond, it is important to know its cut quality and clarity. These factors play a huge role in deciding the overall quality and cost of the diamond as per its carat weight. For e.g. a 1 carat, VS2 clarity D color diamond having a princess cut costs anywhere between $4000 to $6000. However a 1 carat princess cut diamond with SI2 clarity and H color grade costs between $2000 to $4000. This reduction is on the basis of its clarity and quality of cut. 

H Color Diamond Cuts

Almost all diamonds that come in the near colorless range possess some kind of yellow which is due to the nitrogen impurities prevalent within them. G & H color diamonds are a popular choice for consumers who’re looking for quality, transparency and cut versatility. When you set these diamonds in gold, the aesthetic value improves even more. Using rose gold or yellow gold for a colorless diamond is not ideal therefore better color grades are G or H diamonds. Here’s an in-depth view into how you can choose h diamonds for different cuts:

Round Cut

H color for round diamonds is a good choice, not great. The brilliant round cut allows better light transmission but it is also costly. It reflects light seamlessly so any kind of inclusions remain hidden. It isn’t easy to spot these imperfections unless you’re viewing them under heavy magnification. You can go for a D color diamond when choosing a round cut but this’ll weigh heavy on you when you’re a small budget. 

Therefore h diamonds are perfect choices for a round cut especially when it hides away imperfections easily. You don’t want to be paying extra for a diamond that is transparent since a round cut while leaving it transparent with a milky white appearance. But the metal you choose for a round cut diamond should not affect the visual aspects and brilliance of the diamond. We commend white gold or platinum for a round solitaire diamond having H color grading. 

Princess Cut

If you have a H diamond with a princess cut, we recommend going for a cut quality that is Very Good. The clarity of such a piece can be VVS/VS that is great for a small budget especially if the diamond weighs less than a carat. But for a 1 carat diamond with a princess cut, you’ll want clarity of VVS2 when your budget is very low. If you choose clarity of SI2 for a 1.5 carat H diamond of Very Good cut quality, expect your budget to be anywhere between $2000 to $3500. However if you are okay with a Good cut quality for a 1.5 carat diamond with h color grading of clarity VVS2, you should extend your budget between $5000 to $6000. 

Oval Cut

Oval cut diamonds have excellent brilliance, symmetry and fire. If you’re opting for this cut and want H color grading, you should focus on clarity SI1 and SI2 for such diamonds. The oval cut is a fancy shape, both exquisite and appealing to the eye. The slender oval shaped body has an elongated look which is why H color diamonds are a preferred choice when your budget is low or medium ranged. You can choose h diamonds of higher clarity since this near colorless grading hides imperfections like a bow tie easily without increasing your budget. 

You can easily opt for a platinum or white gold band setting for an oval cut diamond. A white gold halo setting for h color diamonds appears white and sparkling to the eye. For a 1 carat G color diamond of this cut with clarity SI1, the price ranges anywhere between $3500 to $4000. If you opt for a H color diamond of the same cut, you can choose a higher clarity diamond under the same price range. 

Pear Cut

With a pear shaped diamond, you’ll realize this cut doesn’t hide imperfections as well as a round cut. The best color grading that works for pear shaped diamond is H since this near colorless diamond allows for more light transmission. This hides away imperfections easily. A 1 carat pear cut diamond with H color should cost you anywhere between $3500 to $4000 if it has a clarity of SI2.

This gives consumers a brilliantly cut style that has a more visible surface area. But when the color grading is H, it helps hide away common imperfections with this cut like bow-ties and flat backs. This also means you can add accent diamonds to a prong or halo setting and experiment with metals like yellow gold and silver to further improve the diamond’s brilliance. 

H Color Diamonds & Settings

The type of setting you opt for has somewhat of a remedial effect if you know the right kind of setting for colorless diamonds. While white gold and platinum compliment h diamonds tremendously, yellow and rose gold would suit cuts like emerald and marquise. This is to limit the visibility of those yellow tints. While talking about a setting, you can choose from halo diamonds to side stone settings for H diamond rings. 

In such a case you don’t want your diamond to get overshadowed by halo or pave diamonds that encircle the central stone. To avoid this, choose halo diamonds having the same color grading so that any possible yellowness can be hidden away. A halo diamond engagement ring with color grading H should have tiny diamonds of the same color grading. But with a side stone setting or pave styles, you may want to consider I color diamonds versus H. With a prong setting that focuses on a solitaire, h color diamonds of round cuts look fabulous and premium. 

When Do H Color Diamonds Appear Yellow?

There’s one answer for this – when the diamond cut quality is poor. You don’t want to be in this predicament. H color diamonds are amazing in general but if they’re not polished well or lack craftsmanship, it’ll reflect yellow tints. While it isn’t easy to catch these hints of yellow in this kind of diamond, it’s still prevalent. Certain diamond cuts and metals can diminish the color while anything that’s poorly done will elevate the yellowish appearance. 

So if you’re stuck with a poorly cut h diamond, we recommend yellow gold as a lifesaving metal. The yellowish tinge on the diamond will appear more white in contrast to the body of the ring. When you’re deciding on shape, round cuts are usually a premium choice. But to mask the color better, you’ll want to go for a princess cut. 

If you want to have higher clarity diamonds, we don’t suggest fancy cuts like pear or oval. The worst cut you can consider for h color diamonds is the cushion cut. The faceting style of the cushion cut amplifies the yellow tint and with a poorly cut diamond, it’s worse off. Avoid it at all costs! 

Are H Diamonds Great Value for Money?

Absolutely!

If you’re careful about picking your diamond’s cut and clarity, the H color is a blessing in disguise for consumers who want quality and cost effectiveness. You can choose a beautiful setting for your h diamond engagement ring depending on the quality, inclusions and carat weight. One you have a budget in place, you’ll want to start off with selecting the right clarity and cut for your h diamond. 

H vs G Color Diamond

For most diamond shapes, h color is a great stone to go for. It is versatile and luxuriant. Since both G & H diamonds fall in the same near colorless category, with G being the higher quality choice. But when you’re shopping on a budget, and want something that sits well with both a traditional ring style and an unconventional look, h color diamonds are your safest pick.