I Colour
Live pricing and availability for I colour diamonds across natural and lab-grown origins.
What I Colour Means for Buyers
I sits on the GIA colour scale that runs from D (colourless) at the top through to Z (faint yellow or brown). The higher up you go toward D, the rarer the stone and the steeper the price curve. But a huge number of buyers never tell the difference between two adjacent grades in a finished ring, especially once the diamond is mounted in yellow or rose gold.
Right now we're tracking 1,260,102 active I colour listings across our retailer network. The typical natural I diamond trades around HK$16,923/ct while the lab-grown equivalent sits at HK$10,712/ct. Roughly a 37% gap that reflects the broader natural-vs-lab pricing gap, not a quality difference at this grade.
I commands a modest 8.6% premium over the neighboring J grade. For buyers who prioritise face-up appearance over spec sheets, J delivers almost all of the visual quality for noticeably less. Pay for I only if you care about the grade showing on the cert.
I shows up most often in ROUND. About 571,725 listings at this moment. Followed by OVAL. Most of the supply clusters around the 0.5-0.99ct carat range, where demand is strongest and retailers keep the deepest inventory. If you're shopping an unusual shape or carat, expect thinner selection.
For most engagement-ring buyers, the practical sweet spot for colour is G or H. Colourless-appearing face-up, still a near-colourless grade on paper, and priced 30 to 50% below the D-E tier. If you're setting the stone in yellow or rose gold, you can comfortably go down to I or J without the stone looking warm. Save the money for a better cut grade; cut drives sparkle far more than the last step of colour.
Breakdown by Shape
| Shape | Origin | Listings | Median (HKD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ROUND | natural | 571,725 | HK$15,654/ct |
| OVAL | natural | 131,086 | HK$19,829/ct |
| EMERALD | natural | 101,830 | HK$18,050/ct |
| PEAR | natural | 98,451 | HK$17,326/ct |
| ROUND | lab grown | 76,767 | HK$11,679/ct |
| CUSHION | natural | 56,786 | HK$20,793/ct |
| PRINCESS | natural | 50,906 | HK$17,519/ct |
| HEART | natural | 44,717 | HK$16,780/ct |
| RADIANT | natural | 28,723 | HK$18,769/ct |
| ASSCHER | natural | 24,465 | HK$17,860/ct |
| MARQUISE | natural | 22,253 | HK$17,041/ct |
| OVAL | lab grown | 14,169 | HK$11,519/ct |
| PEAR | lab grown | 13,887 | HK$9,568/ct |
| EMERALD | lab grown | 7,799 | HK$6,795/ct |
| PRINCESS | lab grown | 3,665 | HK$9,657/ct |
| CUSHION | lab grown | 3,408 | HK$7,651/ct |
| RADIANT | lab grown | 2,993 | HK$7,158/ct |
| MARQUISE | lab grown | 1,842 | HK$10,148/ct |
| HEART | lab grown | 1,709 | HK$8,439/ct |
| OTHER | natural | 1,164 | HK$23,233/ct |
| ASSCHER | lab grown | 888 | HK$6,813/ct |
| TRILLION | natural | 452 | HK$26,914/ct |
| OTHER | lab grown | 204 | HK$3,596/ct |
| BAGUETTE | natural | 135 | HK$27,942/ct |
| ROUND | unknown | 43 | HK$11,894/ct |
| BAGUETTE | lab grown | 37 | HK$3,918/ct |
| SQ_RADIANT | natural | 25 | HK$9,354/ct |
| TRILLION | lab grown | 18 | HK$4,269/ct |
Breakdown by Carat
| Carat | Origin | Listings | Median (HKD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5-0.99ct | natural | 398,605 | HK$12,573/ct |
| 0.5-0.99ct | lab grown | 32,344 | HK$12,722/ct |
| 0.5-0.99ct | unknown | 2 | HK$17,071/ct |
| 1.0-1.49ct | natural | 266,120 | HK$21,606/ct |
| 1.0-1.49ct | lab grown | 18,850 | HK$11,400/ct |
| 1.0-1.49ct | unknown | 6 | HK$25,057/ct |
| 1.5-1.99ct | natural | 138,268 | HK$32,929/ct |
| 1.5-1.99ct | lab grown | 24,939 | HK$8,754/ct |
| 1.5-1.99ct | unknown | 4 | HK$45,374/ct |
| 2.0-2.99ct | natural | 83,074 | HK$50,997/ct |
| 2.0-2.99ct | lab grown | 22,826 | HK$10,057/ct |
| 2.0-2.99ct | unknown | 1 | HK$50,419/ct |
| 3.0ct+ | natural | 39,008 | HK$95,379/ct |
| 3.0ct+ | lab grown | 15,955 | HK$9,632/ct |
| 3.0ct+ | unknown | 1 | HK$123,582/ct |
| under-0.5ct | natural | 207,707 | HK$11,279/ct |
| under-0.5ct | lab grown | 12,474 | HK$12,017/ct |
| under-0.5ct | unknown | 34 | HK$10,713/ct |
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