Chinchilla colors are divided into two categories: those that have white bellies and those that don't have white bellies. In genetic terms, you have the agouti patterns (classic chinchilla Standard, Black Velvet, Violet, Sapphire and Beige) and the non-agouti patterns (White or Albino, Piebalds and self-colored animals).

The term "agouti" color pattern refers to the small Latin American rodent, the agouti which demonstrates this distinctive patterning on each hair of its fur.

The color pattern is a grizzled color of fur resulting from alternating bands of light and dark pigment on each hair. Usually 3 bars of color on a strand is commonly considered to be the "wild color" or "standard".  The Abyssinian cat, the Syrian Golden Hamster, and the "Standard" chinchilla are good examples of the agouti pattern. [Also the agouti pattern on the agouti –of course] All of the chinchilla agouti patterns/colors are diluted colors. The "Standard" chinchilla, Beige and Violet are dilutions of a much darker color that, oddly, is not demonstrated in the chinchilla breeding programs. This raises the question of "What happened to the color?"

The Standard and the Violet are all dilutions of black that has been modified by other genes (the agouti gene being one) to produce the color that you see. The Beige is a dilution of a brown color modified by the ruby-eye dilution and the agouti color pattern.

We do not know what happened to the primary colors that should be a Black with a white tummy and Brown with a white tummy.

Standard
The "Standard" chinchilla color is actually a color pattern too. The agouti color pattern is what creates the "chinchilla" coat color. This color is a diluted black modified by the agouti color pattern. The color should be have a "blue-ish" hue with no muddy, reddish or yellow tones to it. The belly should be very white –gray or yellow bellies allowed. The Grotzen line that goes down the center of the back should be well defined. The new show standards (Empress National Meeting, Nov. 2001) now states that the Grotzen line defines the veiling of the coat and that total veiling is no longer desirable for pelts (and therefore the show table). If you want to see Grotzen lines on pelts, take a look at the movies made in the 1940s and 1950s.  The chinchilla coats and collars all have Grotzen lines and are not totally veiled.

Beige
Beige is a dilution of the brown or red pigment controlled by the agouti color pattern. This means that, at one time, or at some place out there in the chinchilla herds, there is a true brown chinchilla –worthy of being called a Burmese, Sable or Havanna brown. The ruby-eye gene controls the dilution of the pigment. A good beige has a lovely white belly with no gray or yellowish tint. The eye color varies from blood red, ruby red and deep garnet to pink. The basic beige color  varies from pinkish tones to a smoky blue cast. The blue cast is considered more desirable on the show table and pelt market. Therefore, if showing is your objective, breed your beiges to have a blue cast (no reds, muddies or yellow casts). Freckles on the ears do not matter, nor does the color of the eyes.

Black Velvet
Black Velvets are a mixture of two color patterns and a fur texture gene. The "velvet" fur texture used to look like the REX rabbit fur. You don't see too many velvets with the real "velvet" texture.  It does make it easier to match pelts though.  The black spot (Along the majority of the back and head) is a spotting gene color pattern. The animal is born with a "dirty face" that gradually spreads over the head, shoulders, back and down the sides (similar to the points on a Siamese Cat) . There should be clear silver Standard sides and a very white belly. The highly desired black velvet should have an intensive blue–black spot with no halos (ring around the collar). You do not want to produce a completely wrapped (veiled) black velvet. That is not desirable on the show table or the pelt market. Animals with red casts to the black will not place on the show table. Always strive for blue–black, silver and white.

Violet
Violets are a dilution of black pigments influenced by the agouti color pattern but have lost most of the obvious ticking of the agouti pattern. Most have light or white tips at the end of the fur shaft. Again clear white bellies are essential for winning on the show table as well as a very "blue" tone the the fur. Most violets are not the same quality as Standards, Beiges or Black Velvets. Breeders need to work on producing large, heavily furred and deeply pigmented animals.