If you’re out there looking for the best fancy yellow diamond for your money, then please contact me and let me know your budget and what you’re looking for. I’ll sift through the available inventory online and send you a list of 4 or 5 suggested stones to choose from that fit your needs the best. Unlike the other sites, I’m not looking to sell you anything – my advice is objective and in your best interest. The service is free, and there is absolutely no commitment to buy any of my suggestions. You have nothing to lose!

Yellow Diamonds – The Perfect Intro to Fancy Colors

For someone looking for an affordable introduction into the world of fancy color diamonds, fancy yellow diamonds, or canary diamonds as they are often called, are the perfect alternative.  As you probably already know, the color scale for white diamonds runs from D to Z.  But when you think about it, there is really a continual scale all the way from D color pure white all the way through to a Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond.  On one end of the spectrum you have completely white without any traces of yellow whatsoever, and on the other end of the spectrum you have a diamond fully saturated with yellow and no traces of whiteness whatsoever.

The reason I’m mentioning this is simply to drive home the point that yellow diamonds are quite common.  Other colors, such as pink diamonds, are so rare because they don’t fall within this color scale I described above which covers 99% of all the gem quality diamonds mined in the world.  Because of their commonality, relative to other fancy colors, yellow diamonds can be rather affordable.

1.21 Carats Fancy Light Yellow Diamond

Fancy Light Yellow diamonds, for example, will price out similar to a J color white diamond.  Take these two stones as examples:

1) 1.21 Carats, Fancy Light Yellow, VS2 Clarity, Radiant Cut, GIA Certified – $4460

1.16 Carat Fancy Yellow Diamond

2) 1.20 Carats, I Color, VS1 Clarity, Radiant Cut, GIA Certified – $4970

Fancy Yellow diamonds, on the other hand, will price out similar to G color white diamonds.  See these two examples:

1) 1.16 Carats, Fancy Yellow, VVS2 Clarity, Radiant Cut, GIA Certified – $5650

2) 1.12 Carats, G Color, VVS2 Clarity, Radiant Cut, GIA Certified – $5550

Similarly, its possible even to find a Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond that compares in price to an F or G color white diamond.

1.02 Carat Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond

At their strongest, though, fancy vivid yellow diamonds can become rather expensive.  A fancy vivid yellow diamond with a decent color and eye clean clarity will cost the same approximately as a similar sized D Color Flawless diamond of the same shape.  But a fancy vivid yellow diamond with a really special and uniquely strong and saturated color can go for much more than that.  As discussed in my article about fancy color diamonds in general, it’s all about the color!

See the diamond pictured to the right, for example.  It is a 1.02 carat, fancy vivid yellow, VS2 clarity, GIA Certified Cushion Cut.  This stone is priced at $19,850 due to its unusually strong and beautiful color.  A 1 carat cushion cut diamond with a D color and Flawless Clarity costs in the vacinity of $10,000 to $12,000.

Aside from the strength of the color, another factor that can have a major affect on the price of a yellow diamond is the modifying color on the certificate.  Brownish-Yellow diamonds, for example, will be heavily discounted from a pure Yellow diamond.  Orangey-Yellow diamonds and Greenish-Yellow diamonds, on the other hand, will be significantly more expensive then a pure yellow diamond.

How to Save Money Buying Fancy Color Diamonds

As you can see, there are many choices you will be faced with once you decide to buy a yellow diamond.  You need to consider your budget, how large of a stone you want, what kind of color intensity you’re hoping to buy, and finally you’ll have to decide what your tolerance is for modifying colors.

1.53 Carat Fancy Light Yellow Set in Yellow Gold Basket

But with yellow diamonds, as with anything else, there is a well known trick you can employ to really get your money’s worth.  Assuming you are buying a yellow diamond to set in jewelry, and not sit loose in a safe as part of a collection, you can have the diamond set by a professional who understands fancy yellow diamonds and have the diamond surrounded by bright yellow gold.

Even if you prefer white gold or platinum, it’s possible to have just the basket that holds the diamond in the setting made out of yellow gold.  I have personally seen many fancy light yellow diamonds set in this way that end up looking like very strong Fancy Yellow diamonds.  So one strategy you might want to employ would be to specifically look for one intensity grade lower (in order to save money, or use the money towards a larger diamond) and have it set in this way to maximize its color.

Take the ring to the right as an example.  This diamond is a 1.53 carat fancy light yellow diamond that, set in this ring, looks like a strong fancy yellow.  The trick is that the basket underneath the diamond is made from a bright yellow gold. You can see hints of this with the tiny yellow prongs on the corners of the diamond.

And, of course, the most obvious way to save money when buying a yellow diamond is to buy it from a source that is as high up on the diamond supply ladder as possible.  In most circumstances, people like you don’t really have access to high-level diamond wholesalers who trade on much lower margins than your typical retail store (which should be avoided at all costs when shopping for fancy color diamonds).

Luckily for the yellow diamonds shopper, one of the world’s largest and most respect fancy color wholesale dealers has opened the internet’s best destination to shop for fancy color diamonds.  I’m speaking of Leibish & Co Fancy Diamonds at FancyDiamonds.net.  Leibish Polnauer is known the world over as one of the top suppliers of fancy color diamonds to wholesalers and retail stores alike.  Many of the most expensive pieces at Graff and other ultra-high-end jewelry stores were sourced through Leibish & Co.

Leibish & Co. is higher on the supply ladder than any other online shop for fancy color diamonds.  And it’s because of this that they are able to offer the best prices on the internet for fancy color diamonds.  So take advantage of this fact, and shop there first before you go anywhere else.