Yellow Diamond Engagement Rings
The thing that distinguishes diamonds marketed as “yellow diamonds,” or other variations such as “canary diamonds,” is the unusually high prevalence of yellowish coloration. White or colorless can sometimes have slight internal coloration, although in some cases this requires magnification in order to be visible.
All diamonds are graded on a number of criteria, including color. For regular, the less color is present, the more desirable the diamond is. The best possible color grade in this case is “D,” which denotes a completely colorless, while letters further down indicate increasing degrees of coloration. All other things being equal, a diamond with a “D” color grade will be more expensive than one with a color grade of “J,” for example.
Yellow diamond engagement rings – How color grading works
With yellow, though, more coloration is preferable, and therefore yellow with a color grade that surpasses “Z” are the most expensive. Yellow within this color grade range are given the “fancy” designation, while the N-Z range represents what is considered “light” coloration.
Yellow diamond engagement rings – Different types
Among yellow in the “fancy” category, there are a range of different hues which carry different standard names within the diamond industry. Fancy yellow diamonds with relatively low color saturation may be considered “fancy light yellow,” “fancy yellow,” or “fancy dark yellow” depending on how dark the color is. For diamonds with high color saturation and a darker tone, the term “fancy deep yellow” is applied, while for lighter-colored diamonds with high saturation, “fancy intense yellow” is used. Finally, “fancy vivid yellow” is the name applied to yellow diamonds with the highest degree of color saturation.
Yellow diamond engagement rings – Finding the best value
Due to their rarity, yellow are more expensive than colorless, so if you’re interested in purchasing yellow diamonds, understand that you are paying a bit of a premium for the coloration. That being said, there can be significant price differences even among different types of yellow diamonds. The “fancy vivid yellow” designation is particularly rare and highly sought after among collectors, and as such it is one of the most expensive varieties of diamond on the market.
