The Difference Between Yellow Diamonds and Canary Diamonds

Although rarer than white diamonds, the yellow diamond is fairly common among fancy colored diamonds. It is a common false impression that anatural yellow diamond is less valuable than a clear diamonds. Nevertheless, Intense and vivid fancy yellow diamonds happen to be really quite valuable although very light or slightly yellow stones are fairly common and are worth much less.



Natural yellow diamonds with secondary brown tones are worth considerably less than pure yellow stones. However, secondary colors of green-yellow or orange-yellow can significantly raise the value of the stone because these colors are even scarcer than fancy yellow diamonds.



Natural fancy yellow diamonds are rated 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, followed by the Fancy Yellow. Several shades of Vivid Yellow diamonds plus the rarer Intense Yellow diamonds are called Canary Diamonds. Canary diamonds are the rarest among yellow diamonds and as a result they are the most costly and are desirable both by investors and classy customers. The canary diamond has a very unique tone of yellow, even if you have never seen a Canary Yellow before, if you were to see one, you will realize that it is a Canary Diamond.



Yellow diamonds are typically set in yellow gold. When it comes to setting, yellow diamonds look magnificent if they are mixed with white ones, as the white diamonds create a strong color contrast. If you happen to 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 make an ideal match.



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



Natural fancy color diamonds are mostly found in the Radiant cut, as this is considered the ideal shape for increasing 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). The price of these shapes are substantially higher and not just when it comes to the yellow diamonds. This is true for all fancy color diamonds..



Fancy colored diamonds are held to an entirely different standard in regards to cut quality. The objective when cutting a color diamond should be to intensify the depth and saturation of the diamond's color while, at the same time, managing to strike a balance between the carat weight and brilliance. It is essential that the diamond is purchased with a grading report from a trustworthy diamond lab such as GIA, HRD, IGI or EGL. This report should state that the color is "Natural". The report should also describe the intensity of color, plus the color distribution throughout the diamond.



The Kimberley Octahedron is the biggest naturally formed actohedral diamond in the world. The owner of the mine prefers not to cut this diamond , but to keep it in its original condition. Due to this the color and distribution grades are not able to be applied to this spectacular diamond.