In search of a Fancy Yellow Diamond! Any Advice?

[The Joker]

Kate:

It is very important as to "who called the diamond" a fancy light yellow diamond. If it has a GIA Gem Trade Laboratory Color report, then you are ok. If it happens to be an "in house" report, or an IGI report, I would be a little leary. The diamond might not be as yellow as you would like. Have you personally seen this diamond?

Would like to hear more about what you found. It sounds good so far.

Joker....

 

[maxspinel]

Date: 10/12/2005 3:41:58 PM
Author: diamondsbylauren

3) Ain''t nobody buying nicely cut, eye clean 3 carat Fancy Intense Yellows for $28k today- maybe you''ve seen prices like that in the past, but there''s been tremendous ( upward) movement in the price if Fancy Colored Diamonds over the past 18 months.

Maxspinel- that really sucks- what happened to you......

Wow, the price of the fancies have skyrocketed. I really haven''t looked for a while and I just checked the internet and the price for a 3 ct fancy yellow is now > $25k.

I stopped buying diamonds after that dealer friend fiasco. I got more interested in colored gemstones since mistakes are not as costly and they set me back not as much

. I am also taking gemology classes so I can be a little better educated.

 

[movie zombie]

congrats on the class, maxspinel! i look forward to more of your input..

peace, movie zombie

 

[Sagebrush]

All,
There is a very interesting article in the Summer 2005 Gems & Gemology. In it, King,et al goes over the approach used by GIA-GTL to grade fancy yellow diamonds.

The article includes the grades "fancy deep" and "fancy dark" for yellow. Would seem to me that fancy dark would have to be grayish or brownish.

David, regarding the deparity between what is called fancy in colors other than yellow and brown, GIA explains this by saying, regarding blue diamonds that a barely blue can be blue when a Y-Z is considered off color because the color blue occupies a more compressed area of 3-D color space. Huh?, well I go into this in some detail in my book so I won''t restate it here other than to say it is the result of an overly theoretical approach to grading.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 10/12/2005 6:43:35 PM
Author: KateV.V.


We are looking for a stone 3.0 + stone.

I am glad you like the light ones! You are not alone...


Also, any advice on how I can enhance the yellow (with the yellow gold) while only using minimal yellow gold?

I am not Richard, but 'thought I'd mention one idea anyway. It is not uncommon to have just the bezel (the ring of metal between the prongs of the basket) yellow and the prongs and everything else white. That bit of setting should be completely hidden under the stone and that is where most color is reflected from anyway. If the prongs are small (no fancy model with wide prongs or something), all for the better.

If the same principle is applied to bezel settings, than you really never see the colored gold (yellow or pink!) layer set inside the basket under the stone. 'Widget' had her yellow marquize set with such a yellow gold ring under the plaque settings. These bezels are not surprisingly used allot for small pinks and yellows - I've seen a lovely bit at Asprey's lately and this mean they are in!

Icestore practices this sort of setting too - who wouldn't.

This is an example the tiny prongs are pink and there should be pink gold on the inside of the bezel. For a large diamond like yours how well such a 'bucket' ring would work is a bit debatable - some like this, most don't. The use of colored metal to prop up diamond color is certainly reasonable and popular - it has always been.

Just a thought

 

[valeria101]

Date: 10/13/2005 8:34:00 AM
Author: Richard W. Wise

... GIA explains this by saying, regarding blue diamonds that a barely blue can be blue when a Y-Z is considered off color because the color blue occupies a more compressed area of 3-D color space. Huh?, well I go into this in some detail in my book so I won''t restate it here other than to say it is the result of an overly theoretical approach to grading.

Funny thing, no? ''Guess there are not enough fancy blues and pinks to go around so there is some positive discrimination there and some less convincing sorts got a promotion

That is good, I think (do I?) ... if you know what to expect.



For the record, GIA''s article is this

Characterization and Grading of Natural-Color Yellow Diamonds
John M. King, James E. Shigley, Thomas H. Gelb, Scott S. Guhin,
Matthew Hall, and Wuyi Wang
Gems & Gemology, Summer 2005, Volume 41, Issue 2

To better understand the yellow diamonds currently in the marketplace, as well as identify possible changes in their trends seen over a five-year period, researchers at the GIA Gem Laboratory analyzed gemological data collected on more than 24,000 natural-color yellow diamonds examined in the calendar years 1998 and 2003. These data included color grade, type of cut, clarity grade, weight, ultraviolet fluorescence, and UV-visible and infrared spectra. Among natural-color colored diamonds, those with a yellow hue are some of the most abundant; even so, they are much less common than the colorless to light yellow diamonds associated with GIA’s D-to-Z color grading scale. Since the yellow color is a continuation of the gradation of color associated with the D-to-Z scale, there can be misconceptions about the color grading, which involves different procedures from those used for D-to-Z grading. The grading and appearance aspects, as well as other characteristics of yellow diamonds, are discussed to clarify these differences. The authors have also identified five subgroups of type I yellow diamonds, which (with some overlap) are characterized by representative spectra and color appearances.

 

[KateV.V.]

Date: 10/12/2005 7:15:03 PM
Author: The Joker
Kate:

It is very important as to ''who called the diamond'' a fancy light yellow diamond. If it has a GIA Gem Trade Laboratory Color report, then you are ok. If it happens to be an ''in house'' report, or an IGI report, I would be a little leary. The diamond might not be as yellow as you would like. Have you personally seen this diamond?

Would like to hear more about what you found. It sounds good so far.

Joker....

Joker -- The stone I saw was GIA certified and is labeled as Fancy Light Yellow. I have seen the stone, but it was set in platinum, so the color was not as bright as it might be with a yellow gold basket/prongs.
I''m getting the cert # and specs later today so I can really take a good look at the stone specifics!

 

[KateV.V.]

Thanks for the ideas, Valeria101!
I was thinking that I would have a ''line'' (don''t know the terminology) of yellow gold on all four sides of the yellow diamond, located about halfway down the diamond (sort of like the ''brace'' on most settings). The extra gold will help bring out the yellow color rather than just having the colorless side stones flush up against the center stone (which don''t necessarily help bring out the yellow color, other than providing a side-by-side comparison). Know what I mean?!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 10/13/2005 11:34:34 AM
Author: KateV.V.

I was thinking that I would have a 'line' (don't know the terminology) of yellow gold on all four sides of the yellow diamond, located about halfway down the diamond (sort of like the 'brace' on most settings).

That's what I was trying to describe too. Don't have a picture - just made the one below up. If you really do not want any yellow gold showing on the ring, perhaps the inside of the basket could be made yellow. 'Plating' douesn't soud good for some reason (instinct, mostly), but there are better ways.

Will you have colorless sides?

Looking for a picture to draw on... I found this. Obviously some radical design meant to improve the depth of color of that yellow diamond. That, I have not seen before for better or worse. What do you guys think ?

 

[widget]

Kate: Here's a picture of my ring mentioned by Ana previously. (GIA ColorID: Fancy Light Brownish Yellow)

Interestingly, it was originally mounted exactly like that "bar" in Ana's picture above...only in platinum. It was completely out of sight...hidden underneath the "box". (Sorry about my untechnical terms...)

I took it to have it redone in YG to enhance the color. and to my surprise it came back as shown below: YG prongs, a "plate" underneath, and no "bar"!

I think this treatment is sort of radical, and in my opinion didn't really do too much to enhance the color of the stone....it just made it harder to clean! I suspect that a "bar" or "low collar" like Ana posted would do a better job..

widget

 

[Gemklctr]

Widget, actually the plate you show is not uncommon. Sometimes it is even solid underneath the stone and is typically made of 18 or even 22kt YG to enhance the stone''s color. I''ve seen it make a dramatic difference in the appearance of a fancy/fancy light diamond. On the other hand, I''ve resisted it for my Fancy Yellow because of the cleaning concerns you raise and what I would think could be an impact on brightness, although I guess one''s finger cuts off most backlight anyway.

 

[widget]

Thanks, GK! Interesting!

Actually I took care of the cleaning problem when I recently got an ultra-sonic jewelry cleaner...but that''s another (very long) thread...

widget

 

[Gemklctr]

FYI, here is a mediocre photo of my 3.25 Fancy Yellow. It is somewhat on the deep side at 10x8mm.

 

[widget]

Beautiful! It sure is yellower looking than my brownish one!!

 

[Gemklctr]

I should have added it has a GIA color-only report but under the loupe appears to be an eye clean SI1. It is set in a platinum ring with an 18kt YG basket.

 

[Gemklctr]

Date: 10/13/2005 4:21:12 PM
Author: widget
Beautiful! It sure is yellower looking than my brownish one!!

Thanks. At the time, I wanted a pure yellow, but I''ve always been partial to the more golden hues like yours and traded a 1.66tcw pair of fancy intense slightly brownish yellow ovals for it. (Wish I still had those, but the dealer really wanted them for another customer so he gave me a great deal on the 3.25.) I still have a number of champagnes in my collection as they were my first love in diamonds.

It''s not the most intense "fancy yellow" I''ve seen, probably on the lower end of the fancy class, but it looked better to me than the 3.50ct fancy light yellow I was offered at the same time (which spread almost 12x9mm). Given what I''ve read here about price increases, I now wish I had bought them both!

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Widget- The key to your diamond look more colorful in that ring would be a bezel- The diamond is suspended in the air, syou are correct, the bar undernearth does not really do all that much.
Fancy Color Marquises present unique challenges.


Richard, We have had quite a few Fancy Deep Yellows over the years- but I''ve never seen a Fancy Dark Yellow

Kate- The usage of yellow gold together with platinum is rather delicate in terms of getting it exactly correct.
So, you are likely going to want someone who knows exactly how to set such stones doing the setting. There''s an "underbezel" on the head, when done properly.
Another critical aspect is getting the icy white side stones right next to the yellow center, with no gaps.

The price you were quoted for the 3.30 could be quite good- if it''s a desirable stone with no excuses. Was there no clarity on the GIA report?

 

[maxspinel]

When I first purchased the yellow diamond, I did not want to enhance the color. I orginally mounted it in a cast platinum setting with two side princess cut stones (picture in the far right). Even though it was a fancy yellow, the color looked washed out especially during day time.

This year, I reset it in a more antique look with pave diamond bezel around the stone and on the shank. The setting is customer made platinum with a 18k basket underneath to help bring out the yellow color.

The effect was dramatic. Most of my friends thought it was a different stone. The ring now gets noticed wherever I go and I receive rav compliments all the time.

 

[KateV.V.]

Date: 10/15/2005 8:05:17 PM
Author: maxspinel

This year, I reset it in a more antique look with pave diamond bezel around the stone and on the shank. The setting is customer made platinum with a 18k basket underneath to help bring out the yellow color.

The effect was dramatic. Most of my friends thought it was a different stone. The ring now gets noticed wherever I go and I receive rav compliments all the time.

Wow - what a difference a setting will make! Your ring is beautiful! The stone really does look larger with the bezel! Good decision!

I have finally found a beautiful Fancy Light Yellow 3.0 ct stone and now think we have a winner! We''re having it appraised before it will be set and they''s putting together a wax mold for the setting now. When its all complete, I will be sure to post photos.
Thank you all for your help! I greatly appreciate it!
Best,
Kate

 

[widget]

I have finally found a beautiful Fancy Light Yellow 3.0 ct stone and now think we have a winner! Kate

Congratulations, Kate! Can''t wait to see it!

widget

 

[AGBF]

Date: 10/19/2005 11:56:16 AM
Author: widget
Can''t wait to see it!

Ditto. I was very disappointed not to see it in this thread! I love pale yellow, but dislike orange, so canary diamonds are not for me. It has only been since I have seen lemon colored ones (and lighter) in these Colored Stones threads that yellow diamonds have even made me look up!

Deb

 

[Gemklctr]

Maxspinel, that''s a gorgeous ring and a great example of the impact of the right setting on a fancy yellow.

Kate, congratulations, good luck with the appraisal, and hope to see your new stone/ring here soon.

 

[maxspinel]

Date: 10/19/2005 3:31:39 PM
Author: GemKlctr
Maxspinel, that''s a gorgeous ring and a great example of the impact of the right setting on a fancy yellow.

I used to skim and tried to save money by using ready made cast setting. I did not want to invest money in good craftsmanship and design. I thought setting will end up selling as scrap metal when the fashion is out and with the same money, I would rather buy larger side diamonds.

It was another lesson learnt. A good setting brings out the best of the stone and makes it shine. Craftsmanship is an art and is priceless; a nice piece of jewelry, just like a valued painting, can stand the test of time and will be appreciated by all ages. I ended up resetting most of my stones so instead of saving money, I actually spent more.

 

[KateV.V.]

Here''s the final version!
Thanks for the help!

 

[KateV.V.]

And here''s a (very) close up

 

[monarch64]

Kate V.V,
Have you looked at C.D. Peacock downtown or Merry Richards in Oakbrook or Glen Ellen? I live in the west burbs and those are two places I can think of in the Chicagoland area who carry fancy yellow stones. We personally go to a jeweler in Oak Lawn (Martin and Martin) but I''ve never looked for fancy yellow there and don''t know if he carries them or not. My SIL tutors the Richards children and I''ve been in their Oakbrook location...they are a really wonderful husband and wife team who will treat you well. Good luck!!!

 

[maxspinel]

Date: 11/9/2005 12:17:48 PM
Author: KateV.V.
Here''s the final version!
Thanks for the help!

Kate,
So you got the ring. It looks gorgeous.