Can All Yellow Diamonds Be Called Canary Diamonds?

Although rarer than traditional white diamonds, yellow diamonds are fairly common among fancy colored diamonds. There is a frequent misconception that anatural yellow diamond is less valuable than a clear diamonds. While very light or slightly yellow diamonds are thought to be quite typical and not of great value, yellow diamonds such as intense and vivid are really quite valuable.



The pure yellow stones are worth much more than yellow diamonds with secondary brown hues, however, if the diamond happens to have secondary colors of green-yellow or orange yellow, this may raise the value of the diamond quite considerably. This is because these diamonds are much rarer than yellow diamonds.



Natural yellow diamonds are graded by their strength and intensity of color. The highest-quality grade is the Vivid Yellow, followed by the Intense Yellow diamond. The lowest quality of natural yellow diamond is the Light Yellow diamond, closely followed by the Fancy Yellow. Some tones of Vivid Yellow diamonds plus the more rare Intense Yellow diamonds are called Canary Diamonds. Canary diamonds are the most rare among yellow diamonds and for that reason they are the most costly and are desirable by both collectors and classy clients. The canary diamond has a very specific tone of yellow, even if you have never observed a Canary Yellow, once you see it, you will “recognize” it immediately!



Yellow diamonds look fantastic when they are mixed with white diamonds and generally yellow diamonds are set in yellow gold. A 3-stone ring should include white stones and the yellow diamond should be set in the middle. White stones in trapeze, oval or triangle shapes will make a beautiful setting.



Like in other fancy color diamonds the color remains the main thing that affects the value of the diamond, after this comes the size and clarity of the stone. Clarity is also important in the evaluation of fancy yellow diamonds, though this is much less than in white diamonds.



The ideal cut for fancy colored diamonds is the Radiant cut. This is the ideal shape so that it is possible to maximize 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 of these shapes are considerably higher for all fancy diamonds and not just for yellow diamonds.



The cut quality of a colored diamond is very different to the traditional white diamond. The objective when cutting a color diamond is to emphasize the depth and saturation of color while striking a balance between the carat weight and brilliance. When buying a natural yellow diamond or any other fancy color diamond, it is very important to verify that the diamond is accompanied by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grading report, or other trustworthy laboratories like HRD, IGI, EGL, stating that the color origin is natural. The report should also describe the intensity of color, together with the color distribution throughout the diamond.



The largest naturally formed octahedral diamond in the world is the Kimberley Octahedron and this is a Canary Diamond weighing 616 carats. This stone was discovered in 1964 in the Dutoitspan mine, situated 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 magnificent diamond. The owners of the mine prefer to maintain the diamond in the state that it was found. This diamond is on display at the visitor’s center at the Kimberely Big Hole mine.