Friday, September 19, 2008

Yellow Diamonds: An Overview

Yellow diamonds are showing up on the cover of celebrity magazines and the red carpet like splashes of nitrogen sunshine. Of all colored diamonds, yellow diamonds are most commonly encountered. Between 1998 and 2006 the GIA graded more than 100,000 yellow diamonds. Because they are more abundant they are also more affordable that other colored diamonds ranging from $1,500 per carat to $70,000 per carat depending on cut, color and clarity.

Although more common than the rarer fancy diamonds, today's yellow diamonds have an opulent and dazzling ancestry loaded with rich history.

Descriptions of sighting of yellow diamonds date back to 1676 by French traveler and gem-dealer Jean-Baptiste Tavernier while in India, but the first major discovery of yellows diamonds was in South Africa in the late 1860s. The earliest record was of a yellow crystal, which was cut into what is now the Eureka diamond. In 1878 a 287.45 rough piece was discovered in the Kimberly mine and subsequently cut into the world-famous Tiffany diamond.

Today yellow diamonds are found in mines throughout the world, and findings are so widespread that no one mine stands out as particularity plenteous, although the largest pieces of rough still originate in South Africa.

The cut of a diamond is very important and significantly affects the color and this is especially true for yellow diamonds. The cut of a yellow diamond often makes the difference between a colorless D-to-Z scale grading or a Fancy Yellow grading. The cut enhances the color making it appear darker and richer and therefore increasing the grading and value of the diamond. Square or near square shapes such as radiant and cushion yield the best color retention in yellow diamonds. The cut also effects the perceived distribution of color throughout the diamond. The yellow color may appear only in certain areas of the diamond and the GIA grading would describe the color as "uneven".

Yellow diamonds have gained public attention through the notoriety of a few historic diamonds including the 128.54 ct Tiffany, the 101.29ct Allnat or the 407.48 ct Incomparable Diamond.

The Tiffany diamond is perhaps the most famous yellow diamond. Discovered in South America, the 128.54 ct diamond has been in the Tiffany collection since 1879 and is now displayed at Tiffany & Co. in New York as part of the Jean Schlumberger's jewel, "Bird on a Rock". It was graded by the GIA in 1984.

The 101.29 Allnat(t) a Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond, named after one of its previous owners Alfred Ernest Allnatt, origins are unclear, but it is presumed that it was found in what is now De Beers Premier Diamond mine. Allnatt purchased the diamond in the early 1950, commissioned a setting made of platinum and diamonds and sold it at a Christie's auction for $3,043,496 US in 1996.

Found in Mbuji Mayi in the Democratic Republic of Congo by a young girl in 1980, the 407.48 ct Incomparable Diamond is the third largest gem-quality faceted diamond in the world. The diamond passed through many hands and took over four years in the cutting process before it was graded by the GIA in 1988 as Internally Flawless. Strangely, the giant gem was put on eBay in November of 2002 at at starting bid of 15 pounds sterling. The gem was never sold and it is believed to still be owned by Louis Glick, one of the original owners.

The Moon of Baroda is a 24.04 Canary yellow diamond from India. It was part of the Maharajah of Borado lineage and was last displayed in 1944. The diamond was lent to Marilyn Monroe to promote "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". Recently the diamond was part of a 2008 Diamond Divas exhibit.

Yellow diamonds may not command the sky-high prices of the rarer colored diamonds, but their significance in the world of fancy diamonds is marked by some of the most distinguished diamonds in the world.

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Yellow Diamonds: An Overview
posted by Rare Colored Diamonds on Friday, September 19, 2008