A Guide to Yellow Diamond Engagement Rings

buying guide fancy yellow diamond engagement ring

Does the love of your life fancy a yellow diamond? If so, you may have a lot of questions, such as, “Is it really a diamond if it’s yellow?” The traditional image of a diamond tells us that diamonds are clear, like glass. While these white diamonds are more common, diamonds come in hues of brown, blue, red, and more, all in varying rarities.

Yellow diamonds are more common than other colors, but rarer than white diamonds, so they can be harder to find and are a little more costly. However, there are tricks to getting around that and getting a gorgeous yellow diamond at a low cost to you! All it takes is a little information and a grasp of what you are looking for. Here’s a primer on yellow diamonds.

What is a Fancy Yellow Diamond?

The Gemological Institute of America is a nonprofit institute that is the world’s foremost authority on gems and pearls. Their “4 Cs” are the industry standard for diamonds—cut, carat, color and quality. The color of a diamond is rated on a scale from D to Z, with D being the most white and Z being a light yellow. While a diamond with an M rating might be considered “discolored” and sold for less, a diamond that goes beyond the Z rating has a color so intense that it is considered “fancy” and is valued at a much higher price. These fancy diamonds can come in many colors, including yellow, orange, brown or black; chocolate diamonds also fall into this category.

How Do Yellow Diamonds Differ From Other Diamonds?

Although a diamond’s price is based on the criteria of the 4Cs, a diamond’s chemical composition and molecular structure is what makes it a diamond. Diamond colors may differ because of higher or lower amounts of certain base chemicals in them. However, all diamonds have the same structure. Yellow diamonds are yellow because they have a higher concentration of nitrogen in them than other diamonds.

Intensity of Yellow

Yellow diamonds are also known as “canary diamonds” because of their distinctive color. They even have their own color scale, but it’s a little more complicated than the D-Z system. The takeaway from the rating system for yellow diamonds is that they are measured by the intensity of the shade of yellow - fancy, fancy intense, fancy vivid, and fancy deep, to name a few. The shade of the gem and the intensity of the shade will both figure into the overall price of the ring.

Putting It All Together

The rules of thumb for buying yellow diamonds are:

Overall, yellow diamonds will have a higher price-point than more common white diamonds, but will be less expensive than diamonds of other colors such as red or blue.
The larger the diamond, the more expensive it will be.
The more yellow the diamond, the more expensive it will be.

This does not disqualify yellow diamonds from your price range, it just means that you may have to adjust your expectations. If you want a large yellow diamond, a less intense one will make up for the size.

You can also make a gem with a lighter intensity seem deeper with your choice of metal or setting. If the size of the diamond doesn’t matter, you can use less expensive accent stones to enhance a smaller stone. A diamond expert will be able to help you pick or even design the right engagement ring for your desires and budget.

Yellow diamonds may be rarer than white diamonds, but they can be affordable and beautiful if you are willing to work with your jeweler. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a yellow diamond for your true love. With some ingenuity and craftsmanship, anyone can afford a beautiful yellow diamond engagement ring!