Sunny and bright, yellow diamonds, sometimes called canary diamonds, are a joyful addition to any jewelry collection. Part of the colored diamond family that includes pink, blue, green, red, brown and orange, yellow diamonds are one of the more accessible colors in terms of availability and affordability, even though they are still very rare. According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), only one in every 10,000 diamonds found has a color. When a diamond has a noticeable color, it is called a fancy color diamond.
How Do Yellow Diamonds Get Their Color?
Over the course of billions of years, high heat and high pressure conditions deep within the earth naturally form diamonds. During the time that the diamonds are growing, tiny amounts of nitrogen find their way into the gem creating a yellow hue. The higher the nitrogen content, the more yellow the diamond becomes.
When a colored diamond is cut, it is fashioned in a way that brings out the best color in the gem, which is why many colored diamonds are a shape other than round. One thing to note is that yellow diamonds are not all the same shade and there are a variety of elements that effect its hue.
Colored diamonds frequently have a secondary color that modifies the hue of the gem, shifting its value. Green, orange and brown are modifying colors often found in yellow diamonds. How do you know if there is a modifying color? The description of the stone will tell you. A diamond may be described as greenish-yellow, which translates to the diamond is predominantly yellow with a green secondary or modifying color. The modifying color, which impacts the price, is always mentioned first, while the second color is the main color.
Grading Yellow Diamonds
Colored diamonds are graded a bit differently than white diamonds. To understand the difference, let’s take a look at how colorless, sometimes called white diamonds, are graded. The diamond grading scale for color starts at D and goes all the way through to Z. A diamond with a D color grade means that it is colorless, remaining so, until a gem is graded in the J range, which is when there is a noticeable tinge of color, the closer to Z the more noticeable the color. Yellow diamonds in this color range are generally very pale without enough color to be considered a “fancy color” diamond. These very lightly tinted diamonds are called “Cape” diamonds because historically they were from South Africa’s Cape Province.
Fancy Yellow Diamonds
When a diamond displays more color then they fall into the category of “fancy”. Yellow and other colored diamonds are categorized to explain the amount of color saturation. The categories are Fancy Light Yellow, Fancy Yellow, Fancy Intense Yellow, Fancy Vivid Yellow, Fancy Dark Yellow and Fancy Deep Yellow. What’s important when looking at colored diamonds is that the color is balanced, it shouldn’t be too light or too dark, which will impact both the gem’s beauty and value.
Color preference is very personal. Some people prefer a pastel hue, while others prefer something more vibrant or darker. The color saturation is a big factor in pricing the diamond. If a gem is either very light, or very dark, it will be less expensive. The most desirable color saturations are in the middle where the color is not too light, or too dark, these include fancy yellow, fancy intense yellow and fancy vivid yellow.
Historic Yellow Diamonds
The Tiffany Diamond is one of the most famous yellow diamonds in the world. In 1877 miners working in the renowned Kimberley Mine in South Africa found the 287.42-carat rough yellow diamond. It was purchased a year later in Paris for $18,000 by Charles Lewis Tiffany founder of the luxury emporium Tiffany & Co. The gem expert at Tiffany & Co., George Frederick Kunz, presided over the cutting process in 1879, after he and his associates studied the gem for about a year before touching it. The rough gem was transformed into a 128.55-carat cushion diamond with 82 facets. That is 24 more facets than the standard 56 facets, which is why the stone has its splendid sparkle and depth of color. The Tiffany Diamond is on permanent display at the landmark Tiffany & Co. store on Fifth Avenue in New York City.
In 2017, Sotheby’s auction house in Geneva, sold the Donnersmarck diamonds, a duo of yellow diamonds, one an 82.48 pear shape and the other, a 102.54-carat cushion shape. These two diamonds are part of one of the great love stories of all time. The diamonds were gifted to the famous courtesan La Païva by one of the world’s wealthiest men at the time, Count Guido Henckel von Donnersmarck when they married in 1871. The couple built a home in Paris, where allegedly La Païva matched the color of the marble used in the house to that of her diamonds. After her death, the Count remarried and the jewels were given to his new wife. The Donnersmarck diamonds are now in a private collection.
With their sunny color and scintillating sparkle, yellow diamonds are a beautiful addition to any jewelry collection. And if you choose a yellow diamond engagement ring it’s sure to set you apart from the pack.
Top of Page: 5.88-carat vivid yellow diamond, white diamond and platinum ring.
Art Deco fancy intense yellow diamond, white diamond and platinum brooch; Fancy yellow old mine cut diamond, white diamonds, 18-karat gold and platinum ring, circa 1960s; Fancy intense yellow diamond, white diamond, 18-karat gold and platinum earrings; Fancy intense yellow diamond, white diamond, 18-karat gold and platinum twin ring.
Authored by Amber Michelle