Basic Color Genetics: Chocolate and Lilac

Lilac is the dilute of Chocolate, in the "brown/chocolate bb family". 

We have seen this photo on blog yesterday.  This is a pretty typical chocolate color for an English Angora.   Her name is Chu's Chocolate Kiss.  

Chocolate color genes are: aabbC-D-E-

In translation:  non-agouti, brown (chocolate) family, full color, dense color, extended color.   
Chocolate has brown eyes due to the D gene.  

This is also a Chocolate English Angora but looks darker, the color genes are the same as the above: aabbC-D-E-.       This photo was taken in 1988, his name is Chu's Chocoholic.     It's darker possibly due to lighting or due to grooming.   As we learned in previous posts that the blower was not a part of grooming tools until the end of 1989, Chocoholic was groomed by brushes and combs.  The wool was a lot shorter and possibly a bit lumpy.   This photo is posted to be a comparison to the next photo showing a Lilac English Angora.  

This is Chu's Mona Lisa, the only lilac English Angora that I have ever had. This photo was also taken in 1988.   The lilac color here looks almost as dark as the chocolate in the first photo.   Thus I posted a photo of a Chocoholic in 1988 to make a comparison.   
Lilac color genes are:  aabbC-ddE-
In translation: non-agouti, brown (chocolate) family, full color, dilute color, extended color.  
Lilac has gray eyes due to the dd gene.
Visually Chocolate is brownish on top and grayish underneath, the Lilac is more of a dovey pinkish gray.    If in doubt, the best way is to look at the eyes, Chocolate has brown eyes and Lilac has gray eyes.