Yellow has always been a colour associated with sunshine, happiness and joy. When it comes to pairing it with one of the most precious stones in the world, it’s sure to bring about absolute beauty.
Yellow diamonds, or canary diamonds, are highly coveted, and their colour is quite obvious when viewed in a ‘face-up’ position. Join us as we learn more about the stones that are sure to put a smile on your face!
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What Is A Yellow Diamond?
Diamonds are perhaps the world’s most beloved precious gemstone. They’re valuable, sparkly and make a great addition to any piece of jewellery. These stones are also available in a variety of different colours, including yellow. Yellow diamonds occur naturally and have become increasingly popular over the last few years.
Interestingly, white diamonds graded at the bottom of the colourless grading scale contain traces of yellow. On the other hand, the more vivid the yellow is in a stone, the more valuable it becomes. Yellow diamond stones form part of a subcategory of diamonds known as ‘fancy colour diamonds’. These rare specimens come in every colour of the spectrum, including green, pink, red, and blue diamonds.
How Are Yellow Diamonds Made?
Yellow diamond stones form in the same way that other natural diamonds do. These precious jewels form over millions and millions of years. Diamonds all form far below the earth’s surface in extremely high temperatures and under immense pressure.
What makes canary diamonds naturally yellow is the presence of nitrogen. When yellow diamond stones are formed, nitrogen is present within the stone’s compound element. Their colour ranges from very light yellow to vivid yellow, which is also referred to as canary yellow.
What Makes A Yellow Diamond Yellow?
Yellow diamonds’ unique colouring is a result of the presence of nitrogen during their composition. These nitrogen molecules absorb blue light, resulting in the stone taking on a yellowy hue.
Depending on how much nitrogen is present, a canary diamond could range from having a very light hue to having a brighter, more intense and vivid colouring. The latter is a lot rarer and as a result, more expensive.
Are Yellow Diamonds More Expensive?
Yellow diamonds prices are perhaps the most interesting of all the other coloured diamonds. If a white diamond has any natural yellow inclusions, it is generally graded at a lower scale, which makes it more affordable.
In general, canary diamonds prices can be quite affordable and sometimes even cost less than a colourless diamond of the same quality. Similar to white diamonds with any yellow inclusions, a bottom-graded yellow diamond with lighter yellow colouring will be less expensive than other diamonds.
However, the more intense or fancy the shade of yellow the diamond is, the more valuable it will be. Depending on the cut, clarity, colour and carat size of the diamond, yellow diamonds can fetch up to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
How Much Are Yellow Diamonds Worth?
There are several factors that impact yellow diamond prices. Technically, yellow diamond stones are classified as fancy colour diamonds, and as a result, most of us just assume that they’re worth more than white or colourless diamonds. However, the truth is that this all depends on the various factors and scales against which diamonds are assessed.
The value of any diamond is assessed according to the different characteristics of the stone. Even if two diamonds that look identical were compared, their value could be quite different. As natural fancy coloured diamonds are more difficult to find, the larger stones are likely to yield a higher price per carat than a white diamond, purely because they are so unique.
The most expensive canary diamond ever sold was in May 2014. The Graff Vivid Yellow diamond, weighing in at an incredible 100.09 carats, was bought for an impressive US $16.3 million at a Sotheby’s auction.
What Is The Meaning Of A Yellow Diamond?
The popularity of yellow diamonds has skyrocketed in recent years as they gained popularity in the media and entertainment worlds. Celebrities like Heidi Klum and Kourtney Kardashian are massive fans of these stones and have been seen sporting them on several occasions.
These precious stones have been used to create some of the world’s most iconic jewellery. Just like the colour itself, yellow stones are thought of as a symbol of humility, hope, friendship and happiness.
The colour yellow is also connected to the third chakra, which is your solar plexus. Yellow stones are believed to help the bearer find their inner sense of power and creativity to express themselves and find their confidence and willpower.
Are Yellow Diamonds Bad?
There are pros and cons to yellow diamond stones, but the former far outweighs the latter. The cons to yellow diamonds include the fact that if the diamond is a very light shade, it could make the stone seem a bit aged.
Secondly, the yellow tinge may make the facets and cut seem a bit less crisp than a white diamond would.
Finally, yellow could make a diamond appear smaller in size than if it was white or transparent.
However, the pros of yellow diamonds include the fact that you could find a beautiful stone of great quality at a more affordable price point. Furthermore, a yellow hue can add a welcome sense of warmth to jewellery, especially when placed in yellow gold setting.
Finally, canary diamonds have been known to fetch very high prices, which means that these stones can serve as great investment pieces.
How Can You Tell If A Yellow Diamond Is Real?
In recent years, fake diamonds have become more widely available. However, there are easy ways to tell if yellow diamond stones are fake or real:
Put them in a glass of water. Genuine diamonds are incredibly dense, so if they sink straight to the bottom, it’s a strong indication that the stone is real.
Place the stone in front of your mouth and fog it up like a mirror with your breath. If the fog remains for a few seconds, the stone is not a yellow diamond. Condensation doesn’t stick to the surface of real diamonds.
Yellow diamond stones make an excellent addition to any jewel or jewellery collection. They add dazzle to any outfit, have positive, happy meanings attached to them, and are an excellent display of the wonder and beauty of nature.
Do you love yellow coloured gems? Have a look at our List of Yellow Gemstones for other brightly coloured gems and what they symbolise.