Talk to me about yellow diamonds!

[Avondale]

I plan to be in the market for a yellow diamond sometime in the relatively near future, but the problem is - I know next to nothing about them. So I'm turning to you. Supposedly all the diamond know-it-alls are gathered here and I'm relying on you to help me learn the things I need to know in order to select a lovely diamond for myself.

Originally I was planning on doing this sometime in the second half of 2025 as a way to mark a special occasion that's expected to happen in the first half of 2025. But when I told my husband about my ideas and my plan he said, "I'm gonna give you a budget for the diamond and it can be the engagement ring I never got to buy for you." (We had to quickly throw a wedding together when a close family member got very sick and we were worried they might not make it to the wedding if we did it later in time as we were originally planning. So, no time for engagement. No regrets, though.)

Anyway, it's not like I'm in a hurry to buy something tomorrow, but, you know, it's never too early to learn anyway.

So, talk to me about yellow diamonds. Throw resources and reading materials in my general direction. Show me yours! Show me how they look in different light so that I know how the colour changes and behaves.

I've been combing through PS on the subject, and I have a vague idea that I prefer lighter, gentler shades of yellow. Brighter, more saturated yellows are too sharp for my eyes, I don't like them. But then again, I want the stone to always be unmistakably yellow, I don't want it to ever look like a white diamond with a yellow tint. From what I've seen here, I understand I should stick to the fancy grades, fancy light yellow and fancy yellow.

Here are a couple of inspo photos:

1. From https://loupetroop.com/listings/rin...ia-fly-fancy-yellow-diamond-18k-yg-ring;15961


2. From https://www.pricescope.com/communit...-yellow-diamond-thoughts.277310/#post-5221663

Vendor video for that particular stone

3.

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram

Another factor that's important to me is the sparkle. This is the reason I'm going after a diamond in particular and not just a yellow sapphire.

So, considering the above, am I correct in my estimation of the colour I should be after? What qualities of the diamond do I need to take into consideration to ensure it's a sparkly one? How do I judge the cut? Everyone says clarity is less important, but just how much can I compromise with it, and will a more included diamond have less sparkle? What about fluorescence? How do I approach that beast?

Currently my budget for the stone is 6k$ if I'm buying from within the EU, or 5k if I'm buying from outside (VAT is 20%). I will probably try to work with my local jeweller first and if that doesn't yield good results, I might attempt to reach some US vendors. The issue with that is insured shipping from the US to where I live turned out to be... problematic. For example, I've already contacted DBL and they just can't ship to me. Sad. In any case, I'm also taking advice on pricing and what my budget might get me.

Oh, here's another thing. I know GIA is considered the absolute authority on coloured diamonds, but where I live we don't have easy access to GIA. Diamonds here go through IGI. Is there a difference in how IGI colour grades diamonds compared to GIA?

I'll probably find more questions to ask as time goes on. Please be patient with me.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Hi!
I hope you can find a way to ship to your country from a US vendor.
Based on the manner of insured shipping we do, only certain countries qualify for insured FedEx shipping. Sadly, I suspect other vendors in the US will all face the same restrictions.
To touch on the subject- you asked about IGI. Yes a huge difference in the way IGI grades colors compared to GIA. I know this because of all the fancy colored lab diamonds I’ve seen graded by IGI.
In general- on colorless stones- I find IGI to be quite close to GIA. But not on fancy colors.
Here in the US IGI won’t be considered near IGI for grading of natural fancy colored diamonds.

I really hope you can find what you want!

 

[Roselina]

Depending on where you are in Europe (are you?) there are reputable labs other than GIA and possibilities to buy stones from non-US vendors. Start local and go from there.

 

[Avondale]

Based on the manner of insured shipping we do, only certain countries qualify for insured FedEx shipping. Sadly, I suspect other vendors in the US will all face the same restrictions.

Yes, this is my suspicion as well. It is what it is. Gotta work with what we have and maybe things will get easier in the future. Wish DHL were more popular across the pond, they ship here without any issues.

Yes a huge difference in the way IGI grades colors compared to GIA.

In your experience, how great of a difference can I expect? Say a diamond is graded FLY by GIA, what colour grade can I expect that same diamond might receive from IGI? Knowing this will be very important for gauging adequate price for the stones I’m offered.

Depending on where you are in Europe (are you?) there are reputable labs other than GIA and possibilities to buy stones from non-US vendors. Start local and go from there.

Yep, I’m in the EU! I’m also accepting recommendations for EU vendors if anyone here has had a positive experience with anyone on the continent. I’ll definitely start local, I just need to know what I’m looking for first, you know? An uneducated buyer is easy to take advantage of.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Have you seen a crushed ice cushion in person like the examples you posted? This cut style used because it maximizes body color for FCD. But from a diamond optics POV it's not very good compared to other cut styles IMO. I say this bc you said you wanted a diamond for the sparkle factor. Maybe some people who own FCDs can comment on the light play. Or maybe you can find some videos showing how they look in normal lighting conditions. BC yellow diamonds are obviously $$$ compared to other yellow gems, but if the light show/dispersion is not maximized by the cut, I just wonder how that might affect the plus/minuses of choosing diamond over another gem with, say, a precision cut aimed at maximizing sparkle.

 

[Mreader]

I have a FLY ring and alphabet yellow earrings from @Rockdiamond in radiant “crushed iced” cut and they are very sparkly. There is a thread on yellow diamonds - you should check it out! One thing I love about yellows is that they also look awesome in direct sunlight.

 

[Rockdiamond]

In your experience, how great of a difference can I expect? Say a diamond is graded FLY by GIA, what colour grade can I expect that same diamond might receive from IGI? Knowing this will be very important for gauging adequate price for the stones I’m offered.

That’s the issue. Consistency. Related is how IGI has graded “Boron Blue” diamonds. I took a stone IGI had graded H (faint blue) and submitted to GIA who graded it “Fancy Light Blue”.
When it comes to lab grown yellows…..that vast majority don’t really look like earth mined natural yellow diamonds. Generally they’ve got orangey undertones. IGI fails to note that in a majority of cases I’ve seen.
In cases of stones that did look like natural yellows IGI is all over the board. Some stones graded Fancy Yellow looked like Vivid. In other cases the Fancy Yellow grading seemed equivalent to GIA’s.
Thats the issue. Inconsistency.

Have you seen a crushed ice cushion in person like the examples you posted? This cut style used because it maximizes body color for FCD. But from a diamond optics POV it's not very good compared to other cut styles IMO

First …. I really love the stone in your avatar! Looks like it shoots off tons of rainbows
And if someone is looking for a stone with fire, those large, chunky facets are just the ticket!
If someone wants to see sparkly yellow, large chunky facets don’t work nearly as well as smaller ones.
The term “bottomless bucket of crushed ice” sounded so appealing to me. Till it got totally trashed here on PS.
Think about it- you gaze into a bottomless pit of sparkle.
For those who weren’t around back then……it got really nasty.
I was accused of advocating “bad cut”
Even now I’m “gun shy” to use the term. And people sometimes ask for it!
I think it’s a case of judging different styles of diamond cuts- each designed for different purposes….and judging them by a scale that values fire instead if scintillation and sparkle…and color retention.
It really comes down to different strokes for different folks. I don’t think either style deserves to be judged on the basis of the other.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I just want @Avondale to know what she's getting, and what she's not.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

I have a FLY ring and alphabet yellow earrings from @Rockdiamond in radiant “crushed iced” cut and they are very sparkly. There is a thread on yellow diamonds - you should check it out! One thing I love about yellows is that they also look awesome in direct sunlight.

Mreader, those are both lovely pieces! I can't believe the earrings are alphabet yellow, they look vivid or deep. And that ring is just wonderful.

 

[Avondale]

Have you seen a crushed ice cushion in person like the examples you posted? This cut style used because it maximizes body color for FCD. But from a diamond optics POV it's not very good compared to other cut styles IMO. I say this bc you said you wanted a diamond for the sparkle factor. Maybe some people who own FCDs can comment on the light play. Or maybe you can find some videos showing how they look in normal lighting conditions. BC yellow diamonds are obviously $$$ compared to other yellow gems, but if the light show/dispersion is not maximized by the cut, I just wonder how that might affect the plus/minuses of choosing diamond over another gem with, say, a precision cut aimed at maximizing sparkle.

So far I've only seen one yellow diamond in person when I visited my jeweller. It was the only one he had on the premises, said to show me the rest he'd need to bring them in. And I haven't been yet to any other diamond jewellery stores - it's too cold outside.



I only took a couple of pictures because the diamond itself was 1. not available, and 2. very included. Like a large inclusion in the middle of it. But I'm pretty sure it was a crushed ice cut. I took the photo so that I could use it as colour reference with the same jeweller.

Curious thing, the phone gave it a bit sharper and a greenish tinge. In reality the colour is milder, more buttery. But it's still right on the border of how saturated I'd be willing to go, and considering yellow gold enhances the colour, I'd probably be looking for something a bit paler.

Got carried away. Back to cut. Most of the cuts I've seen have been in photos and videos. And, to be fully honest, whenever I see a crushed ice cut, it just... draws my eye in, whatever colour the diamond is. It's a bit hypnotising. "Bottomless bucket" isn't a bad way to describe it. I'll definitely take my time and see as many yellow diamonds in person as I can physically find and I'll try to pay attention to how pleasing different cuts are to my eye.

 

[Avondale]

I have a FLY ring and alphabet yellow earrings from @Rockdiamond in radiant “crushed iced” cut and they are very sparkly.

They're lovely! Are there any lighting conditions in which they lose a bit of their yellow and look more washed out?

There is a thread on yellow diamonds - you should check it out!

Already plowed through it! Through a lot of yellow diamond threads, to be honest. I have a bookmarks tag with over a dozen posts in it already. It's how I figured I should probably stick with the fancy grades. On one hand, that was the universal advice people received. On the other, I did come across a post with photos where a PSer showed how her alphabet yellows can definitely look like yellowish whites depending on the ambient light.

That’s the issue. Consistency. Related is how IGI has graded “Boron Blue” diamonds. I took a stone IGI had graded H (faint blue) and submitted to GIA who graded it “Fancy Light Blue”.
When it comes to lab grown yellows…..that vast majority don’t really look like earth mined natural yellow diamonds. Generally they’ve got orangey undertones. IGI fails to note that in a majority of cases I’ve seen.
In cases of stones that did look like natural yellows IGI is all over the board. Some stones graded Fancy Yellow looked like Vivid. In other cases the Fancy Yellow grading seemed equivalent to GIA’s.
Thats the issue. Inconsistency.

So the short of it is, I'll need to trust the eye of the person I'm buying from in terms of diamonds with IGI reports. That's limiting my options. Oh well, I'll figure it out. I'll do a crash course on yellows if I have to.

I will say, though, that in your examples IGI has graded more... conservatively? That's the thing I didn't expect. I expected you to say, yeah, GIA will give it FLY, but IGI will say it's FY. Not the other way around.

 

[Starstruck8]

I've never tried to buy yellow diamonds, so I can't help you with your choice.

But I've seen a few, and this resonated with me:

And, to be fully honest, whenever I see a crushed ice cut, it just... draws my eye in, whatever colour the diamond is. It's a bit hypnotising. "Bottomless bucket" isn't a bad way to describe it.

Crushed ice yellow diamonds are just magical - they seem not solid at all, just pure weightless floating yellowness.

 

[0-0-0]

If you want a more consistent face up color across different lighting environments, I think a more glittery crushed ice look with longer light paths within the diamond is what you want. Bigger facets with shorter light paths would be more brilliant and give bigger bolder flashes of fire, but the face up color would also be more reactive to the surrounding lighting environment.

GIA has helpful color reference charts

https://www.gia.edu/doc/ColDiaChartBklt.pdf

 

[Rfisher]

Agree with 000 about crushed ice appearance vs bigger facets.

I have a EGL fancy yellow radiant. (from DBL many years ago)

I wouldn’t say I’d like one over the other tho. I just think they are different flavors.

I think fluorescence is a wild card in how it changes looks in different lights, as well.

 

[Avondale]

If you want a more consistent face up color across different lighting environments, I think a more glittery crushed ice look with longer light paths within the diamond is what you want. Bigger facets with shorter light paths would be more brilliant and give bigger bolder flashes of fire, but the face up color would also be more reactive to the surrounding lighting environment.

GIA has helpful color reference charts

https://www.gia.edu/doc/ColDiaChartBklt.pdf

Ohmygod, this is soooooo helpful! Thank you so much for this link. They've published not just one, but two detailed and comprehensive charts on different grades of fancy yellows. I understand the colours I like so much better now, and it's going to be crazy useful to just show it to whoever I want to buy from and just point to what I want.

Here's a question that just popped in my mind - if longer light paths within the stone help with more consistent colour, does that mean that, similarly to coloured stones, fat bottoms are popular in yellow diamonds, and are those fat bottoms actually contributing to colour, or should I try to avoid them for the sake of face up size instead?

I have a EGL fancy yellow radiant. (from DBL many years ago)

I wouldn't mind seeing it in the slightest. Pretty please?

I think fluorescence is a wild card in how it changes looks in different lights, as well.

Yeah, I read a bit about that as well. In about half a dozen different posts in the past @Rockdiamond wrote it can either affect the stone or not, and just the documented presence of fluorescence doesn't give enough information. So now I'm thinking, since I'm not in a hurry, I can just try to wait around for the right stone that has fluorescence which doesn't negatively impact the colour. On one hand, cheaper diamond, yay. On the other, fluorescence as a phenomenon is cool is hell.

 

[Rfisher]

Thank you!
no thread, tho. I got it from DBL in 2004, three stone radiant fancy yellow .54 w/ .62tcw G sides
size 6.5 ring for reference
ive thought about resetting it, but do appreciate the 14k sturdy setting it’s in , so probably won’t.

Click on them for clearer pics

 

[0-0-0]

Here's a question that just popped in my mind - if longer light paths within the stone help with more consistent colour, does that mean that, similarly to coloured stones, fat bottoms are popular in yellow diamonds, and are those fat bottoms actually contributing to colour, or should I try to avoid them for the sake of face up size instead?

Did you see this recent post?

The Impact of Diamond Cut and Size on Color

Often, not only consumers but also professional sellers do not fully understand how much the diamond cut and size affect the diamond's color. There is a widespread belief that the diamond's color has the most significant impact on its overall appearance. To allow everyone to see the...

www.pricescope.com

I find the face up color difference between the cushions even more stark than the oval examples. The fancy optimized cuts trade face up size for fat bottoms and more visible color.

Spectrum Demo

spectrum.cutwise.com

 

[Avondale]

Did you see this recent post?

I find the face up color difference between the cushions even more stark than the oval examples. The fancy optimized cuts trade face up size for fat bottoms and more visible color.

I did, I even have it bookmarked! I didn't know what the fancy optimized cuts were, though, and now that you point it out, I can see that their face up size is noticeably a bit smaller than the traditional shapes.

Rotating the 3d image I'm noticing how the bottoms are differently shaped, and I'm also seeing thicker girdles? Meaning I probably shouldn't be bothered by them either.

@Rfisher It's beautiful! If I end up with a stone similar to yours, I'd consider myself lucky.

 

[Mreader]

They're lovely! Are there any lighting conditions in which they lose a bit of their yellow and look more washed out?

Not so much the ring. the earrings I honestly don't know since I cannot see them hahaha when I am wearing them.

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

Watching this thread. Someday I would like a yellow diamond. I do not know whether it would be lab grown or earth grown. From browsing online, it seems yellow diamonds are not particularly hard to come by these days, especially if you are looking for less intense colors. Good luck!

 

[Dreamer_D]

Setting an FCD with white diamonds as side stones or as a halo seems to be common practice and helpful for heightening the perceived color of the FCD! Is that something you are considering too?

 

[Avondale]

Setting an FCD with white diamonds as side stones or as a halo seems to be common practice and helpful for heightening the perceived color of the FCD! Is that something you are considering too?

I haven't seriously started thinking about setting it. Mostly, I'm open to various shapes and will be equally happy with an oval, a cushion, a radiant, even a chubby pear. For rounded shapes I really like the look of a simple bezel. For a square or rectangular stone I'm drawn to side stones. One of the inspos has a beautiful halo as well. So it's very much undecided.

 

[kenny]

... Another factor that's important to me is the sparkle. This is the reason I'm going after a diamond in particular and not just a yellow sapphire. ...

About a dozen years ago I started collecting Fancy Colored Diamonds.
I bought over 20 (kept some & returned some) as I learned the complex and nuanced world of FCDs and zeroed in on my preference.

Besides tip-top color (I had to give up on carat weight ) like you I also wanted the best light performance possible.
I was spoiled from owning some fine branded ideals like Whiteflash's ACA, Solasfera, and Octavia Asschers from our own diamond-designing genius @Karl_K.

Here on PS we know that the light performance of D-Z diamonds is not from high grades of clarity or color (within reason) only the cut.
But with rough material of even D-Zs being so valuable, and few buyers having a clue about cut's effect on light performance, the vast majority of D-Zs are cut to maximize profit, which means maximizing carat weight, cut be dammed.
As they say, follow the money.

Same with FCDs, but in spades.
Again, max profit is the main force driving FCD cutting, with the sky-high value of every point of FCD material.

But I've noticed that rough diamonds naturally come in many shapes.
That means it's remotely possible one could come from the earth in a shape that is a rare but happy accident.
By accident I mean that the shape of the natural rough happens to be similar to whatever shape results in good light performance for, say, a round, or a cushion, etc.
Then, when they cut for weight, good light performance is a leftover.
I have a Fancy Vivid Yellow asscher like that.

Shopping for FCDs (with no consideration given to sparkle) is already like looking for a needle in a haystack, especially after gaining FCD knowledge, preferences, and researching vendors.

The only solution I've found is to be very patient.
Oh, and check online inventory daily.
Exceptional ones can go fast.

Oh, and a big shout out to my very favorite (actually exclusive) FCD vendor, www.leibish.com.

Good luck!

 

[Avondale]

@kenny Thank you for taking the time to weigh in! I'll be honest though, although for the most part I understand the things you're saying on a logical and reasonable level, in practice I have no idea how one evaluates cut quality based on photos. Maybe when you have videos? I don't know.

At some point in the somewhat near future I'll probably start posting random stones that have grabbed my attention in pictures and video. Not to buy (at least at first), but to get PSers opinions of them, ask questions, gain a better understanding of what the images are showing and what they mean. It's a proven way to learn. When that happens, I hope you'll be able to lend me your experience and knowledge again.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

I know you're probably familiar but TStar sometimes has fancies. I don't know if they're heated but they are certified and have some lovely colors.

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[Avondale]

I know you're probably familiar but TStar sometimes has fancies. I don't know if they're heated but they are certified and have some lovely colors.

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I did not even know they existed, so that's a very welcome recommendation. Their website states they only sell "natural, untreated, and unenhanced" diamonds, so that makes things easier. And, most importantly, they're not in the US!

 

[Catmom]

I have a "crushed ice" FLY diamond ring that I absolutely love. It is very sparkly and throws off fire like no other. It's like looking into all the stars in the universe. It has a depth to it that's hard to describe.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

Catmom, that's it, No More Bashing Crushed Ice. Your incredible ring has settled this issue for all time.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Your incredible ring has settled this issue for all time.

If only……
This thread dredged up some old memories

 

[Avondale]

I have a "crushed ice" FLY diamond ring that I absolutely love. It is very sparkly and throws off fire like no other. It's like looking into all the stars in the universe. It has a depth to it that's hard to describe.