Natural fancy yellow diamonds are rare. Estimates are that only one in every 10,000 diamonds possesses natural color. They're interchangeably referred to as fancy color diamonds or, for short, “fancies.” More often than not, when you purchase an engagement ring or wedding band featuring them, they'll be in platinum, since platinum is the rarest of all noble metals. But, if you want your natural color yellow diamonds set in high-karat yellow or white gold, just tell the jeweler, who can usually arrange that.


You can also find fancy yellows set in some of the alternative metals, for instance, palladium, particularly when you're looking for men’s wedding bands.

 

Are there lots of different shades of yellow?

Gem analysis laboratories have developed the "fancy color diamond scale" to classify the strength of intensity of a diamond’s color. So, it’s like this: Vivid Yellow is the rarest and, after that, there's Intense Yellow, Fancy Yellow, and Light Yellow. They may have what is known as a modifying color, and that can be orange, green, or brown. So a jeweler may refer to a particular yellow diamond he’s showing you as “brownish yellow” if it has a brown modifier. (If you’re researching these online and trying to figure out what some descriptions mean, the yellow diamond’s primary color is listed last, with the stone’s modifying color--or colors--before it.)

 

Are fancy yellows more expensive than colorless diamonds?

It depends. When you buy a natural diamond for your engagement ring, color will have the most impact on how high a price you pay.

As a rule-of-thumb, expect to pay more for a stone that's "Vivid Yellow" or "Intense Yellow," as they are the most rare. After that, of course, it will be the diamond’s size (known as its carat weight, as that’s how their size is referred to). Clarity matters in the price but, sometimes color can mask an inclusion in a way it can’t with a colorless diamond.

 

What shapes and cuts can you get natural yellow diamonds in?

Pretty much, you can find them in any shape you want: round, cushion, radiant, emerald cut, marquise, Asscher, pear, etc. And some high-end jewelry manufacturers even offer natural yellow diamonds in some of their propriety premium brand cuts, which have different faceting than standard diamond cuts.

 

For engagement rings, can I get natural yellow diamond halos around my yellow center stone, or fancy yellow accent and side stones?

Many, many yellow diamond designs come with halos—and, for the most part, around any of the cuts. The majority of engagement ring designs, however, have halos of small round colorless diamonds, not yellow. As for side stones to complement, you can find some engagement rings with smaller fancy yellow diamond pave or side stones. Yellow trapezoids are popular, as are triangles and half-moons.

 

Will all jewelers carry them?

Because natural color diamonds are special, I recommend you go to a reputable jeweler to buy—either someone you know or who's been recommended. It's also important that the jeweler be knowledgeable about natural color diamonds, so I suggest beginning by locating a retail jeweler, who’s also a member of the Natural Color Diamond Association (NCDIA). Over the years, I’ve spoken with many such jewelers, and they tend to have a real passion for the spectrum of colored diamonds. Many collect them, too. They'll also have great access to stones, should you desire something in particular in terms of size, color, cut, or clarity that the jeweler does not necessarily have in the store. If you go to the Natural Color Diamond Association website, there's a list of its retail members, many in the U.S. and a few in other countries such as China and Australia. The site also has a Design Gallery, where you’ll see a few interesting rings featuring yellow diamonds.