What Makes a Diamond Yellow?
Fancy yellows are the most popular of all colored diamonds; they are also by far the most
commonly produced of fancy color diamonds. It is estimated that around 60% of all natural
colored diamonds belong to the “fancy yellow” category. The contradiction of being a
“common” colored diamond and, simultaneously, a “rare” gem, has led to a myriad of
misconceptions regarding just what a “fancy yellow” diamond is.
A diamond’s yellow color is the result of nitrogen molecules absorbing blue light, making
the diamond appear yellow (yellow is the complement of the color blue). While in rough
form, a natural yellow crystal is usually cut into a large and a small stone. Larger stones
feature a much more intense yellow than smaller cuts
Faint, very light and light yellows are not considered fancy color diamonds; they are graded
on the “D-Z” color grading scale, generally at the lower end of the scale.
The category of light yellow diamonds originated in South Africa's Cape Province, while
not considered colored diamonds, have a quite unusual yellow hue. Their color has led to
the creation of a subcategory of diamonds called Cape Stones, meaning diamonds featuring
this distinctive yellow hue yet not sufficiently yellow to be placed in the fancy color
category.
Yellow rough diamonds are found mainly in Australia, South Africa and occasionally in
Russia. The larger more notable diamonds are known to be found in South Africa.
Source: The Fancy Color Diamond Book; Eden Rachminov. All Rights Reserved.
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