Are Yellow Diamonds More Valuable Than Traditional White Diamonds?

Natural yellow diamonds are relatively common among fancy colored diamonds, although significantly more rare than white diamonds. There is a frequent false belief that anatural yellow diamond is less valuable than a clear diamonds. However, Intense and vivid yellow diamonds happen to be really quite valuable although very light or slightly yellow stones are fairly standard and are worth much less.



Natural yellow diamonds with secondary brown hues are worth considerably less than pure yellow stones. However, secondary colors of green-yellow or orange-yellow can significantly raise the value of the diamond due to the fact that these colors are even scarcer than yellow diamonds.



Yellow diamonds are graded by their strength and intensity of color. The highest-quality grade is the Vivid Yellow, closely followed by the Intense Yellow diamond. The lowest quality of yellow diamond is the Light Yellow diamond, closely followed by the Fancy Yellow. A number of tones of Vivid Yellow diamonds as well as the rarer Intense Yellow diamonds are called Canary Diamonds. Canary yellow diamonds are the rarest among yellow diamonds and as a result they are the most expensive and are desirable by both investors and sophisticated customers. The canary diamond has a very special shade of yellow, even if you have never seen a Canary Yellow, once you see it, you will “recognize” it immediately!



Yellow diamonds are normally set in yellow gold. When it comes to setting, yellow diamonds look magnificent if they are combined with white stones, as the white ones create a strong color contrast. If you choose a yellow diamond to be a center stone for a three stone ring, then it is a good idea to add white side stones and trapeze, triangle or oval shapes can be a fantastic match.



Similar to other natural fancy color diamonds the color remains the main thing that has a bearing on how much the diamond is worth, then comes size and clarity. Clarity is also important in evaluation of yellow diamonds, though much less than in traditional white diamonds.



Fancy color diamonds are most often found in a Radiant cut, as this is considered the ideal shape for maximizing the color. Yellow diamonds, however, can also be found in Oval Cut an Cushion cut and in Heart and Pear shapes. The rarest are the Emerald, Square Emerald and the Brilliant cuts (round shape). Prices for these shapes are considerably higher for all fancy diamonds and not just for yellow diamonds.



Fancy colored diamonds have completely different standards to white diamonds in regards to cut quality. The goal when cutting a color diamond is to intensify the depth and saturation of color while, at the same time, managing to strike a balance between the carat weight and brilliance. When choosing a yellow diamond or any other natural fancy color diamond, it’s extremely important to verify that the stone is accompanied by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grading report, or other trustworthy laboratories like HRD, IGI, EGL, stating that the color origin is natural. The report should also describe the intensity of color, together with how the color is distributed throughout the diamond.



The Kimberley Octahedron is the biggest naturally formed actohedral diamond in the world. The owner of the mine has decided against cutting this diamond at alland wishes to leave it in its original statetherefore the color and distribution grades cannot be applied to this spectacular diamond.