FANCY COLOURED YELLOW DIAMONDS

WHERE DO FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMONDS COME FROM?

Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds are found in South Africa, Angola, Borneo, Central Africa, Brazil, Democratic Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone.

Light yellow diamonds originated in South Africa's Cape Province and they have a quite unusual yellow hue which means that many consider these not to be coloured diamonds. This distinctive colouration led to the creation of a special category called ‘Cape Stones’. This means diamonds featuring this distinctive yellow hue which are not sufficiently yellow to be placed in the ‘fancy’ colour category.

Angola is renowned for low graded white colourless diamonds and cape diamonds but pure yellow diamonds (aka canary diamonds) are also to be found in Angola’s diamond mines. Borneo produces mainly yellow and brown diamonds. Central Africa has a relatively small production of diamonds but among the colours that can be found is yellow diamond and natural black diamonds.

Brazil is an interesting location as the majority of Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds that are found there are yellow and brown. These diamonds are also known to have strong fluorescence which gives them a greenish appeal.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is renowned for a strong diamond producer but many of the diamonds that are mined there are low grade industrial diamonds. Occasionally discovered are strong yellows, orange and cognac browns as well as combinations of these colours - yellow orange diamonds.

The Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds that are mined in Sierra Leon's Zimmi mine are extremely rare and have practically invented a category of their own - Zimmi Yellow Diamonds. These stunningly vivid yellow diamonds have a strong saturation that does not resemble any other Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamond. In fact, it has been said by experts that regular vivid yellow diamonds seem pale next to the ones from the Zimmi mine. They are of course priced accordingly being approximately 1.5 - 2 times the price of "regular" vivid yellow diamond.

WHAT IS A FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMOND AND WHAT GIVES THEMTHEIR COLOUR?

For colourless diamonds the colour scale as defined by the GIA ranges from D to Z. As the letter is closer to Z, it means that the diamond is less colourless and begins to appear a little yellowish in tone looking like a feint, light or very light yellow shade and so the price of the diamond decreases (faint, very light and light yellows are not considered Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds).

Carrying on beyond the ‘Z -range’ into the colour scale the colour does not look as a faded yellow and instead becomes a beautiful yellow shade - this is the point when the price increases again and the diamond is considered a yellow diamond.

Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds belong to the family of Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds which are regular diamonds that due to natural impurities caused by a fluke of nature, changes the colour of the diamond during formation. This makes them into a very special diamond with a stunning vibrant burst of colour.

The cause for each colour of Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds is different. For example, green diamonds obtain their colour through natural radiation, blue through the presence of boron. Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds get their colour due to the existence of nitrogen molecules that take the place of carbon in the formation process and easily absorb blue light. This makes the diamond appear yellow (yellow being the complimentary colour to blue).

WHAT SHADES OF YELLOW ARE FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMONDS AVAILABLE?

Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds can be found in the full spectrum of colour intensity as shown on the GIA grading scale. These colours show in the U-V - X-Y-Z range, fancy light yellow, fancy yellow, fancy intense yellow, fancy vivid yellow and fancy deep yellow. There are also ‘Cape diamonds’ which are faint, very light and light yellow diamonds. These appear at the lower end of the D-Z colour scale (U-V and Y-Z) and are considered by some to be replacements to the light yellow diamonds. The name "Cape Diamonds" originated as these diamonds originated from Cape Province in South Africa.

The first colour intensity level at which a yellow diamond is considered a Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamond is at fancy light yellow. There is also no such thing as a pure fancy dark yellow diamond but there is in combination with overtone combinations such as Pink, Pinkish, Blue, Bluish, Red, Reddish, Green, Greenish, Purple, Purplish, Orange, Orangey, Violet, Gray, Grayish, Black, Brown, Brownish, Champagne, Cognac and Chameleon.

I HAVE HEARD OF CANARY YELLOW DIAMONDS, WHAT ARE THEY?

The term Canary Yellow Diamond or Canary Diamond refers to the strongest shade of intense pure yellow within the family of Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds. However whilst Canary Yellow Diamonds is a commonly used descriptive term it is not recognised by the GIA within its colour grading and these diamonds would officially be termed fancy yellow in the colour description and not canary.

DOES THE APPEARANCE OF A SECONDARY COLOUR AFFECT THE VALUE OF FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMONDS?

When pricing Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds the most important factor is the colour of the diamond. Colour not only means colour intensity but also the ‘actual’ colour.

Colour can be divided into two areas, the first being strength and intensity as defined by the GIA grading scale and the second the existence or nonexistence of secondary colour overtones and which colours are included.

When referring to Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds this usually means pure yellow diamonds. However, as with many other Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds, Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds are often found with secondary colours also known as overtone combinations. As stated above these colour combinations include Pink, Pinkish, Blue, Bluish, Red, Reddish, Green, Greenish, Purple, Purplish, Orange, Orangey, Violet, Gray, Grayish, Black, Brown, Brownish, Champagne, Cognac and Chameleon.

It is very difficult to compare prices of Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds that have an overtone colour combination. The general rule of thumb is that if the secondary colour is one of a more expensive coloured diamond then the price will increase i.e. orange yellow and green yellow diamonds are more expensive than pure yellows. However, if the secondary overtone colour is of a more common diamond then the price will naturally decrease.

For example, Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds graded as brown yellow or brownish yellow are the least expensive forms of yellow diamonds. It must be noted that colour intensity does play a part in the value of a Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamond a good example being that intense orange yellow will be a more valuable diamond than one of fancy orange yellow.

DOES FLUORESCENCE AFFECT THE PRICE OF FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMONDS?

As with Colourless Diamonds, Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds are graded according to the 4Cs - Colour, Clarity, Cut, and Carat Weight. One of the other attributes that is taken into consideration when grading a Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamond to evaluate its value is the factor of fluorescence.

Fluorescence refers to a diamond's natural tendency to emit a soft coloured glow when subjected to ultraviolet light (such as a "black light"). Approximately 30% of all diamonds exhibit some degree of fluorescence. In Colourless Diamonds fluorescence is considered a flaw and can reduce diamond prices. However in Natural Fancy Coloured Diamonds this does not wholly apply with one exception ….. Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds whereby fluorescence does reduce the value of yellow diamonds quite dramatically.

The reason for this is not exactly known but it is thought that diamonds with no fluorescence are rarer and therefore will be valued more highly. Secondly, fluorescence in yellow diamonds is usually seen as a blue colour therefore if you look at a Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamond with strong blue fluorescence it does generally seem to affect the colour (although not always).

However with faint blue fluorescence unless you look at the diamond under a UV lamp the difference cannot be immediately seen and this therefore only reduces the value marginally (up to 10%). Historically a change in the pure yellow colour of a diamond has not been favoured so the value has been dramatically reduced for those diamonds with medium or strong fluorescence (as far as 15%- 30%).

ARE NATURAL FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMONDS EXPENSIVE?

The nature of the economy follows the laws of supply and demand. However Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds are a phenomenon which defies these laws as the problem is that the most valued, and therefore in demand, Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds are also the rarest in supply. This means that the price differentials between the levels of the GIA grading scale are exceedingly high. The pricing of Natural Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds is in compliance with the intensity level of the colour - the stronger the yellow colour, the higher the diamonds value.

Fancy light yellow diamonds make a good buy as they tend to be priced equivalently to Colourless Diamonds. Fancy yellow diamonds (one step above fancy light) are the most commonly known of Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds. They have a very clear yellow hue and are priced on average similar to a good quality Colourless diamond (F-G colours). Fancy intense loose yellow diamonds are probably the most sought after yellows. Their yellow shade is extremely pure and clear which is the reason that they are often referred to as ‘Canary Diamonds’. These diamonds hold a value of 25%-50% more than fancy yellows which makes them more expensive than their colourless counterparts.

At the other end of the scale are fancy vivid yellow diamonds which are extremely rare and exhibit a stunning shine and lustre. The GIA does not specify degrees within the various intensities of colour grading, but in fancy vivid yellow diamonds this causes a high deviation in prices and can make them twice the price of an intense yellow and three times the price of a fancy yellow. There is a small group of vivid yellow diamonds that is even more valuable – the vivid yellow diamonds that come from the Zimmi in Sierra Leone. These absolutely exquisite yellow diamonds are priced $20,000-$30,000 per carat.

ARE FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMONDS AN INVESTMENT?

As a prospective investment Fancy Natural Coloured Diamonds have an advantage in that by their nature they are far rarer than Colourless Diamonds due to the fact that only 0.01% of all diamonds are Natural Coloured Diamonds.

Unlike Colourless Diamonds that can be found in every shape, size and colour, each Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamond is unique as even a small change in the pavilion angles and the colour of the diamond will alter the diamonds appearance. In addition, when considering the 4Cs of diamond grading, an extra weighting is given to the factor of colour. Also in their favour, the popularity of Fancy Natural Coloured Diamonds is on the ascendant with many A List celebrities wearing coloured diamonds.

So all this taken into consideration when the time comes to sell your investment if you have a good quality Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamond someone will no doubt want to buy it because it cannot be found elsewhere being unique.

Fancy intense yellow diamonds and fancy vivid yellow diamonds are the experts choice of Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds as an investment option as historically diamond collectors and investors opt for intense yellow diamonds.

DO FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMONDS LOOK GOOD AS JEWELLERY?

Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds are a fabulous compliment to jewellery and can be found as settings within bracelets, earrings, wedding bands, engagement rings. The vibrant colour of Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds will add a beautiful touch of colour to any piece of jewellery and will look particularly fabulous against a holiday tan. Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds are as versatile as any other Colourless Diamond within jewellery and can be found in all cuts, such as Princes, Round, Oval, Radiant, Heart, Cushion, Asscher, Marquise and Pear.

CAN I WEAR A FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMOND AS MY ENGAGEMENT RING?

The popularity of Fancy Coloured Diamonds is on the increase and that includes Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds. If you are looking for an engagement ring with a unique modern twist then opting for a centre stone of a stunning Fancy Coloured Yellow Diamonds will be a great choice due to its rarity and beauty.

An engagement ring featuring Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds has the ability to be far more attractive and appealing to the eye than the everyday Colourless diamonds and will speak volumes to your friends of your individuality and appreciation of the unique quality of these gemstones.

ARE THERE ANY FAMOUS FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMONDS?

Perhaps the most famous yellow diamond is ‘The Incomparable’. The Incomparable was found in in the town of Mbuji Mayi in the Democratic Republic of Congo in the 1980s. In its rough state this amazing diamond weighed 890 carats. It is the third largest diamond in the world (polished diamond) and the largest Internally Flawless diamond. Unbelievably this magnificent diamond was found by a young girl playing within the wastes of the nearby MIBA Diamond Mine near to her uncle's house. It was discovered within a rubble pile that had been discarded because it was considered to be too bulky to possess any diamonds!

The cutting of ‘The Incomparable’ was undertaken by an entire team lead by Marvin Samuels who owned the diamond together with Donald Zale of "Zales Jewellers" and Louis Glick who bought it from De-Beers. They decided to cut ‘The Incomparable’ into one main big diamond with high clarity and 14 smaller diamonds. The final weight of the main diamond is 407.78 carat.

The ‘Incomparable Diamond’ was graded by the GIA as Shield Step Cut (trilliant), Fancy Deep Brownish Yellow Diamond, Internally Flawless. This impressive stone was finally unveiled in November, 1984 and was put on display at the Natural History wing of the Smithsonian Institute in Washington DC.

Other famous Fancy Yellow Diamonds include ‘The Tiffany Yellow’. The carat weight of this diamond is a magnificent 287.42 carats. It was discovered in the rough in 1878 in the Kimberley mine in South Africa. To maximise its brilliance it was cut into a cushion shape of 128.54 carats with 82 facets—24 more than a traditional round brilliant. The Florentine which originated in India but its exact location is disputed. It is light yellow in colour with very slight green overtones and was cut in the form of an irregular yet nine-sided 126-facet double rose cut, with a weight of 137.27 carats.

The Allnatt is graded in colour by the GIA as Fancy Vivid Yellow and measures 101.29 carats with a cushion cut. This diamond is named after one of its holders, Major Alfred Ernest Allnatt, a soldier, sportsman, art patron and benefactor. Its origins are unknown prior to Major Allnatt's purchase. He commissioned Cartier to make a setting for it which was an exquisite platinum flower with five petals, a stem and two leaves, all set with diamonds.

WHICH FAMOUS CELEBRITIES HAVE WORN FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMONDS?

Many famous celebrities have embraced the beauty of Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds. One of the largest yellow diamonds that has ever discovered is the famous Tiffany Yellow Diamond which as rough diamond weighed in at a very impressive 287.42 carats. This stunning diamond was cut into a 128.53 carats Cushion Cut which was worn only by the famous iconic actress Audrey Hepburn and U.S politicians wife and socialite Mrs. Sheldon Whitehouse.

In more modern times fashion icon Paris Hilton wore an exquisite Yellow Diamond engagement given to her by her fiancé, the billionaire Paris Lastis.

Academy award winner Natalie Portman wore Fancy Coloured Yellow Diamonds on the red carpet as did English actress and Academy award winner Kate Winslet. Kate chose an entire set of stunning yellow diamonds consisting of a yellow diamond necklace, a 10 carat fancy intense yellow earrings and yellow diamonds bracelets worth $2.5M. Topping that comic actress Whoopi Goldberg wore an 80 carat canary yellow diamond pendant which was rumoured to be worth circa $5m. Hillary Clinton has also been seen wearing a 4.23 carat yellow diamond ring on various occasions.

HOW DO I CARE FOR MY FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMOND JEWELLERY?

As with any precious items of jewellery, it is always preferable to have your Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamond jewellery professionally checked and cleaned by a specialist jeweller. They will have the expertise to check and repair any loose mountings and power steam your jewellery to remove the natural build-up of dirt, dirt, hairs etc. If you do wish to clean your Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamond jewellery at home then use a gentle brush and soap and thoroughly rinse under warm water after cleaning. It is essential that you dry the cleaned item carefully with a soft polishing cloth afterwards.

WHERE CAN I BUY FANCY COLOURED LOOSE YELLOW DIAMOND JEWELLERY?

If you have decided to invest in a piece of exquisite jewellery featuring Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds then you would be well advised to choose a reputable and well respected specialist jeweller who specialises in Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds.

Rêve Diamonds of Hatton Garden, London offer a wide selection of breath-taking jewellery featuring the very finest Fancy Coloured Loose Yellow Diamonds. We specialise in providing GIA certified Fancy Coloured Loose Diamonds in all shapes, sizes and carat weights.