What does Characteristic Color refer to in diamond grading?

• A. The basic face-up color of a colored diamond.
• B. The hue of a diamond's girdle
• C. The intensity of fluorescence
• D. The brightness of the gem's table

Answer: (A)

Characteristic Color is the color you primarily see when the diamond is viewed face-up in its normal orientation. It describes the dominant hue that defines the stone’s appearance and is the basis for how color is perceived and graded. It isn’t about the girdle’s hue, the intensity of fluorescence, or how bright the table appears. The girdle color is not used in color grading, fluorescence is a separate property describing UV reactions, and table brightness relates to cut, not color. So, the basic face-up color you observe is the concept captured by Characteristic Color.