Everything You Need To Know About Yellow Diamonds
Yellow diamonds are particularly desirable, mostly due to their rarity though Tiffany also played a part.
Tiffany and Co.
's emblem is a 125.
51 carat cushion cut yellow diamond.
It was cut in 1878 under the supervision of the respected and brilliant gemologist, George Kunz.
The stone stayed on display at Tiffany's 5th avenue store for 70 years, where it was admired by millions.
When it was first cut, there was some uncertainty as to its rarity as there were a good number of examples coming out of South Africa at the time.
Only after a number of years of comparison with inferior diamonds was the emblem stone confirmed as being extremely rare and valuable.
What causes a diamond to be yellow? Well, here's the scientific bit.
The primary component of a diamond is carbon and the less other compounds are present, the clearer the stone is.
The other most common element found is nitrogen.
Nitrogen atoms have a different number of electrons to carbon, which means that when they bond, one of the nitrogen electrons remains unattached.
These free electrons partially absorb blue and violet light wavelengths.
The wavelengths not absorbed give the diamond its yellow colouration.
How are yellow diamonds graded? White diamonds are graded by their purity, the whitest 'clearest' being the highest grade.
The GIA colour grading scale begins with D, the purest white and ends with Z, being tinted.
Beyond Z the colour of the diamond will be strong enough to be rated as a fancy coloured diamond.
These have their own colour scale, for yellow diamonds this is: fancy light yellow, fancy yellow, fancy intense yellow and fancy vivid yellow (otherwise known as canary yellow).
Why are most yellow diamonds radiant or cushion cut? Both radiant and cushion cut work very well with large, yellow diamonds because of their propensity to hold colour well.
Using one of the round cuts has been known to lower the intensity of colour by a full grade.
Buying yellow diamonds Like buying white diamonds, the 4C's (colour, cut, clarity and carat) are still the factors you need to consider, but rather than the pale colours being more valuable, it is the more vivid colours that are more rare and expensive.
It's worth considering the yellow diamond for unusual engagement rings.
Like with all diamonds, choose a reputable jeweller, ask to see lots of samples, ask the jeweller's advice and you won't far wrong.
Tiffany and Co.
's emblem is a 125.
51 carat cushion cut yellow diamond.
It was cut in 1878 under the supervision of the respected and brilliant gemologist, George Kunz.
The stone stayed on display at Tiffany's 5th avenue store for 70 years, where it was admired by millions.
When it was first cut, there was some uncertainty as to its rarity as there were a good number of examples coming out of South Africa at the time.
Only after a number of years of comparison with inferior diamonds was the emblem stone confirmed as being extremely rare and valuable.
What causes a diamond to be yellow? Well, here's the scientific bit.
The primary component of a diamond is carbon and the less other compounds are present, the clearer the stone is.
The other most common element found is nitrogen.
Nitrogen atoms have a different number of electrons to carbon, which means that when they bond, one of the nitrogen electrons remains unattached.
These free electrons partially absorb blue and violet light wavelengths.
The wavelengths not absorbed give the diamond its yellow colouration.
How are yellow diamonds graded? White diamonds are graded by their purity, the whitest 'clearest' being the highest grade.
The GIA colour grading scale begins with D, the purest white and ends with Z, being tinted.
Beyond Z the colour of the diamond will be strong enough to be rated as a fancy coloured diamond.
These have their own colour scale, for yellow diamonds this is: fancy light yellow, fancy yellow, fancy intense yellow and fancy vivid yellow (otherwise known as canary yellow).
Why are most yellow diamonds radiant or cushion cut? Both radiant and cushion cut work very well with large, yellow diamonds because of their propensity to hold colour well.
Using one of the round cuts has been known to lower the intensity of colour by a full grade.
Buying yellow diamonds Like buying white diamonds, the 4C's (colour, cut, clarity and carat) are still the factors you need to consider, but rather than the pale colours being more valuable, it is the more vivid colours that are more rare and expensive.
It's worth considering the yellow diamond for unusual engagement rings.
Like with all diamonds, choose a reputable jeweller, ask to see lots of samples, ask the jeweller's advice and you won't far wrong.
