Lusting after yellow diamonds? You are in celebrated company. Diamond collectors, celebrities and connoisseurs love yellow diamonds alike and don’t hesitate to spend a fortune on them.
Fancy Colored Diamonds
Yellow diamonds belong to the weird and wonderful world of “fancy colored diamonds”. These are diamonds that are naturally imbued with colors such as pink, red, purple, blue, gray, green etc.
Since fancy colored diamonds are very rare, they are valued much higher and sold at record prices at various auctions.
How do colored diamonds come about? Scientists have long been fascinated by the phenomenon of colored diamonds.
It seems that other impurities, elements or some structural changes cause diamonds to have their unique color. So, yellow diamonds get their beautiful color because of the presence of nitrogen in them.
Among all the colored diamonds, yellow is the most commonly found even if still rare compared to white diamonds. Pricing of yellow diamonds depends largely on the brightness and intensity of the yellow color.
Yellow Diamond Color Grading
You might probably be aware that colorless diamonds are graded from D-Z where D is completely colorless and Z has a brown tint. Fancy colored diamonds have their own color grading and yellow has a unique system
For yellow diamonds, it is the intensity of the color that matters. GIA, which is one of the most widely recognized scales assigns the following grades for yellow diamonds.
- Fancy Light: light yellow color
- Fancy Yellow: clear, brighter yellow hue
- Fancy Intense: pure, bright yellow hue
- Fancy Vivid: extremely vibrant yellow color, also known as Canary diamonds
- Fancy Deep: darkest yellow to brownish tones
As you can see, the more intense the yellow, the higher its price. Fancy Vivid and Fancy Intense are some of the priciest yellow diamonds for sale because of their beautiful color.
Secondary Color
Another important factor that decides the value of your yellow diamond is the diamond’s secondary color also known as hue modifier.
Typically, in diamond listings the modifier is listed first and then its intensity. So for example, a color may be listed as “Fancy Light Orange Yellow” This would mean the diamond’s primary color is light yellow with an orange hue.
Generally, yellow diamonds that have a brown secondary colour are the most affordable. Even slight tints of brown can drop the price of yellow diamonds significantly.
In the same way, the ones with a vibrant green hue are some of the priciest yellow diamonds on sale along with those with a bright orange tint.
Yellow Diamond Cuts
In case of colorless diamonds, the cut is very important because it plays a role in the way the diamond reflects light. Proportion and symmetry are also very important and therefore round diamonds are the most dazzling and popular ones.
However, for fancy colored diamonds the cut is used differently. It is used to optimize the diamond’s color. Proportion and symmetry take a back seat and it is color that outshines all parameters.
Fancy colored diamonds show a more vivid color if they are cut into different shapes like oval, pear, emerald, radiant or cushion. This is why you will find such amazing variety in colored diamond engagement rings.
What about pricing?
Yellow diamonds are known to be the more affordable option and yet, you will find they are sold off at record prices at auctions.
This depends on the weight of the diamond and the intensity.
Finally, remember to buy your yellow diamond from a reliable vendor who can offer you the right guidance and a fair price.
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