Diamond Grading and Color

Author: Sarai McCartney

General criteria for diamond appraisal changes when it comes to opting for the colored varieties. Yellow diamonds are the most popular ones, so this article discusses them above all other colored diamonds. Buying yellow diamonds requires some expertise in color and diamond grading.

The discussion below will help you chose the yellow diamond color for its best intent. Get ready as some useful insights about this startling gem are coming your way.

What Are Yellow Diamonds?The colour scale for white diamonds ranges from D to Z. As the diamond color scale moves closer to the letter Z, the diamond gradually becomes less colourless and grades towards a yellowish tone, and takes a bit of pale yellow tint. This is considered as degradation of the diamond color and as a result, the prices tend to decrease.

Nonetheless, as you "move further on the colour scale", the shade becomes a brilliant yellow and at this point, the diamond becomes an expensive and luxurious variety called the yellow diamond.

Yellow diamonds come from an exquisite family of natural colour diamonds. Because of the nature’s stroke of luck, these regular diamonds, while undergoing extreme pressure during their formation, experience a color change. The result is something which can’t be described as regular, but absolutely astounding.

The cause for these diamonds to develop a yellowish tint is due the presence of nitrogen molecules during their formation. Nitrogen has a tendency to absorb blue light, thus imparting a yellow color to the gemstone.

Are yellow diamonds rare?Yes, indeed they are! As a matter of fact, only one among roughly 10,000 carats is a natural colored diamond. Amid the multihued of variety of colors, you may come across the dreamy purples, romantic pinks, the glittering blue, the fascinating green, the lively orange and the glistening yellows.

Among the spectrum of coloured diamonds, the yellow diamond color is the most prominent. It is believed that the yellow diamonds enjoy the highest occurrence of up to 60%. Still, if you think about it, this means that only 1 in about 16,500 carats mined is a yellow diamond. 1 in 16,500, wow that is rare!

Shades of Yellow DiamondsThe yellow diamonds are further available in a huge variety of different shades of their own colour. Coloured diamonds generally aren’t available in an untainted variety but slightly as a blend of colours.

Apart from the most dominant Orange yellow variety, other colour combinations include brown yellow, and green yellow.

Let’s understand diamond grading in terms of shades. If graded as green yellow, it means the base color of diamond is yellow with a green tone. On the other hand, a yellow green diamond grading would mean the diamond is green with a tone of yellow colour. These two grades may sound similar, but it is vital to understand that the two diamonds colour in question here will have a huge difference in their appearance. The rarity of the colour grading will hugely influence the pricing.

When it comes to natural coloured diamonds, the yellow ones are the most sought after variety. These rare specimens of sheer brilliance and magnificence add a different kind of charm to the persona of person wearing it. Loose yellow diamonds and yellow diamond rings can be easily found at jewelry and diamond stores across the localities of Panama.