Can All Yellow Diamonds Be Called Canary Diamonds?

Although much rarer than white diamonds, yellow diamonds are quite common among fancy colored diamonds. It is a common false belief that anatural yellow diamond is less valuable than a clear diamonds. However, Intense and vivid fancy yellow diamonds are really quite valuable although very light or slightly yellow stones are fairly standard 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 boost the value of the stone due to the fact that these diamond colors are even scarcer than yellow diamonds.



Natural 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 natural yellow diamond is the Light Yellow diamond, followed by the Fancy Yellow. Some shades of Vivid Yellow diamonds plus the rarer Intense Yellow diamonds are called Canary Diamonds. Canary diamonds are the rarest among yellow diamonds and for that reason they cost much more and are desirable by both investors and sophisticated buyers. The canary diamond has a very special shade of yellow, and even if you have never seen a Canary Yellow, if you were to see one, you will “recognize” it immediately!



Yellow diamonds look remarkable when they are combined with white diamonds and typically yellow diamonds are set in yellow gold. A 3-stone ring should include white stones and the yellow diamond should be set in the center. A beautiful setting is a yellow diamond with trapeze, triangle or oval white diamonds..



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



The ideal cut for fancy colored diamonds is the Radiant cut. This is the ideal shape in order to take full advantage of the color. Yellow diamonds can be also in the Cushion cut, Oval cut, and Pear and Heart shapes. The rarest are the Emerald, Square Emerald and the Brilliant cuts (round shape). The price for these shapes are substantially higher for all fancy diamonds and not just for yellow diamonds.



Colored diamonds are held to an entirely different standard in regards to cut quality. The objective when cutting a color diamond is to emphasize the depth and saturation of color while striking a balance between carat weight and brilliance. If you plan to purchase a natural yellow diamond or any other fancy color diamond, it is very important to check that the stone is accompanied by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grading report, or other trustworthy laboratories like HRD, IGI, EGL, stating that the color is natural. The report should also describe the intensity of color, together with how the color is distributed throughout the diamond.



The biggest naturally formed octahedral diamond in the world is the Kimberley Octahedron and this is a Canary Diamond weighing 616 carats. This natural stone was discovered in 1964 in the Dutoitspan mine, located in the Kimberley region of South Africa. The Kimberley Octahedron continues to be uncut, which means that the color and distribution grades cannot be given to this diamond. The owners of the mine choose to preserve the diamond in the condition is as found. The Kimberley Octahedron is on display at the visitor’s center at the Kimberely Big Hole mine.