Already well beyond the D-Z color scale of colorless diamonds, Fancy Light Yellow diamonds have an unmistakable yet delicate yellow color.

The identification and grade assignment of color in any fancy color diamond is not an exact science. There is no single color that represents every diamond within a color grade. Instead there is a range of saturation levels and tonalities for any given color grade.

In the case of Fancy Yellow as represented above, the very lowest saturation Fancy Yellow would appear virtually identical to the highest saturation Fancy Light Yellow while the highest saturation Fancy Yellow would be indistinguishable from the lowest saturation Fancy Intense Yellow diamond. This will hold true at all saturation levels.

COLOR:
The valuation of a yellow diamond is based primarily on the color of the diamond. This is first and foremost. As the saturation level increases in intensity, so too does the rarity and value of the diamond. A Fancy Light Yellow is more common and less valuable than a Fancy Yellow which is more common and less valuable than an Intense Yellow and so on.

Fancy Light Yellow < Fancy Yellow < Intense Yellow < Vivid Yellow

The purity of the color is also an important factor to consider. Yellow diamonds with secondary colors (Brownish-Yellow) are considered less desirable and should be priced substantially lower than single color diamonds. Green-Yellow diamonds however are considerably more rare and are priced accordingly.

CARAT WEIGHT:
The second factor is the size or weight of the diamond. A one carat Fancy Yellow is more common than a five carat Fancy Yellow and will therefore command a lower price per carat. At major carat weight marks there is an increase in the price per carat which reflects the inherent rarity of the diamond.

CLARITY:
Clarity plays no role in the valuation of a yellow diamond for any yellow diamond with a clarity level that is within the range of FL (Flawless) through SI1 (Slightly Included 1) by GIA grading standards.

SHAPE:
The ideal cut or shape for any fancy color diamond is the Radiant cut and perusing our stock of yellow diamonds you will quickly see that this shape is representative of roughly 90% of the available diamonds. Other attractive shapes for yellow diamonds are the Emerald Cut, the Cushion cut, the Oval Brilliant as well as the Pear Brilliant cut diamonds.

CUT QUALITY:
In this respect fancy color diamonds are very different from colorless diamonds. The desired goal when cutting a fancy color diamond is quite simply to maximize the saturation of color in the stone while maintaining a balance between retaining the maximum carat weight and creating a brilliant diamond. The ideal cut for any fancy color diamond is any combination of proportions that maximize the saturation of color in the diamond. Do not try to hold fancy color diamonds to the same set of proportions that you would look for in a colorless diamond as the nature of the diamond is innately different.

First, it should be acknowledged that the only diamond grading report worth mentioning when it comes to natural fancy color diamonds is a GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Colored Diamond Grading Report. This report is available in two versions.

The first version is the Colored Diamond Grading Report. This document gives you full and complete information regarding the diamond's characteristics including everything you would find on a colorless diamond grading report and additionally three subcategories under the 'Color' grade which will include, 'Origin', 'Grade' and 'Distribution'.

Origin refers to the source of the color in the diamond.

Grade will describe first the intensity of the color and then the color itself.

Distribution describes how evenly distributed the color is throughout the body of the diamond.

The second type of report is the Colored Diamond Identification and Origin Report aka the 'Color Only' certificate. This report does not disclose the clarity level of the diamond nor the Depth or Table. In fact, the only information on this type of report would be the shape of the diamond, the measurements and the color grade.

GIA FANCY COLOR DIAMOND GRADING REPORT COLORED DIAMOND IDENTIFICATION AND ORIGIN REPORT (COLOR ONLY)

We offer only GIA certified Natural Yellow Diamonds with colors ranging from Fancy Light Yellow to Fancy Yellow to Fancy Intense Yellow to Fancy Vivid Yellow and with clarities ranging from FL-SI1. Our yellow diamonds may be viewed by vitising out fancy yellow diamond section.

If you have questions that remain unanswered by this section please feel free to contact a Client Services Representative via e-mail at service@icestore.com or via phone at 800-276-5301 Monday to Friday 10:00am-6:00pm PST.