The Yellow diamond is the most popular and well-known of the Fancy family. It's warm and bright color is a perfect choice for engagement rings as it vibrates with energy and joy.
Diamonds are filled with color when other elements get involved in the formation process. In the case of the yellow diamond, just like the brown and orange, the element responsible for its color is the nitrogen particles that absorb the blue light, which is reflected in yellow shades with a hundred different tones.
They are found in mines of Brazil, Angola, South Africa, Australia, and other parts of the world. For this reason, they are considered “common” within this series. But it is important to remember that for every 10.000 carats of colorless diamonds, there is 1 ct of fancy color diamonds. So a Fancy Yellow, even in a light tone, will be more valuable than any colorless diamond.
Its cost is linked to the intensity of its color. Grades like Fancy Vivid and Fancy Dark are scarce pieces and are usually very expensive ones.
Endless Shades of Yellow
We can find an endless amount of yellow shades in diamonds. Even at the end of the colorless scale are stones tinted with yellows, but to be graded as a Fancy Diamond, the color intensity must be beyond that scale.
The yellow hue in diamonds can have hundreds of tones and subtones, giving as a result, a broad pallet of different nuances. The mixes and possibilities are such, that even two stones can be classified in the same grade and appear different at plain sight.
In the Fancy family, the “C” that is more often taken into account is the color. Diamonds with a pure Yellow color, also known as Canary Diamonds, are outstanding pieces, very hard to find and very high-priced.
Among the most prominent Fancy Vivids are the Zimmy Diamonds, mined in Sierra Leone. They stand out for having a much higher color saturation than any other Canary Diamond. These stones are quite rare and their beauty is out of the ordinary.
The Yellow Fancy is graded with different names, such as: Light Yellow, Fancy Light Yellow, Fancy Yellow, Fancy Intense Yellow, Fancy Dark Yellow, Fancy Deep Yellow, and Fancy Vivid Yellow.
Secondary Hues
The color in Fancy diamonds is usually made up by the combination of two or more colors, where the primary will be the predominant and the secondary will add the hue.
In Yellow diamonds the most common secondary tones are Brown, Green and Orange. Its proportion can also vary, resulting in an endless range of nuances.
Its value is also tied to the color combination. If its secondary color is a rare, out of the ordinary color like, for example, orange (orangy-yellow), the cost will considerably go up.
Incomparably Famous
The Incomparable Diamond is the biggest and most costly yellow fancy ever seen. It was discovered in 1984 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Its story is as peculiar and special as the stone itself. It was found by a little girl while playing among a pile of waste from mine adjacent to her house. Its weight was of 809 carats, winning a place as the fourth world’s biggest rough diamond.
It was later reduced to 407.78 carats in the cutting process and graded Fancy Deep Brownish-Yellow Diamond, Internally Flawless.
Now, the Incomparable Diamond is the centerpiece of the Incomparable Necklace, the world’s most expensive necklace, with the exorbitant price of 55 million dollars.
Golden Engagements
Due to its shine and singular color, the Fancy Yellow diamond rings often break with patterns, reflecting personality and style. Celebrities such as Adele, Paris Hilton, and Kelly Clarkson, show off amazing rings with this stunning gem.
Besides, an engagement ring with golden tones is charged with meaning. Its rareness represents the uniqueness of the relationship and its color and brightness represent the happiness of starting a new journey with the one you love.
Take a look at our selection of engagement ring settings with this wonderful bright stone.