How to Buy Loose Yellow Diamonds

You may think of diamonds as being only clear. They are the most common. But these stones actually come in a variety of colors, including yellow. Loose yellow diamonds are also called canary diamonds. Faint yellow stones cost less than the more deeply-colored ones. Very yellow diamonds are rare and quite costly. There are several famous yellow diamonds, including the Allnatt, Oppenheimer, Star of Peace, Hope of Africa, Florentine and Kimberley Octahedron, a 616-carat yellow diamond that was found in South Africa. Read on to find out how to buy loose yellow diamonds.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Determine how much money you can spend on loose yellow diamonds. There are several factors that will determine the price for each stone. To get an idea of prices, fancydiamonds.net has a 0.11 carat yellow diamond for $185; a 0.27 carat fancy intense yellow diamond for $540, and a 1.36 carat natural fancy vivid yellow diamond for $17,000.

2. Decide on the color gradings you want for the diamonds. Light yellow diamonds start at a grading of U-V. They get progressively more colorful all the way up to a grading of Fancy Vivid Yellow. Diamonds by Lauren has a color chart with pictures (see resources).

3. Choose the cut of the loose yellow diamonds you want to buy. The "cut" can be rated "poor" all the way to "ideal." The better the cut, the more expensive the diamond and the more brilliance and sparkle the diamonds will have.

4. Choose the weights of the carats. The smallest you can choose is about 0.25, while the largest is about 10.00. Don't confuse "carats" with "points." One carat equals 100 points.

5. Pick the clarity you want each loose yellow diamond to have. The clarity pertains to the flaws in a stone. A perfect diamond, which has a clarity of "FL," contains no imperfections, but these stones are rare. Stones that have minor inclusions are graded as "VVS1" or "VVS2." Yellow diamonds that have flaws you can see without magnification are graded "SI1," "SI2," or "I1," "I2," and "I3."

6. Choose the shape of the loose yellow diamonds you want. Common diamond shapes include: round, triangle, heart, pear, oval, marquise, princess, cushion, emerald, radiant and asscher.

Tips & Warnings

• Loose yellow diamonds on the Internet usually cost about a third less than what you would pay at a brick-and-mortar jewelry store. Just make sure you're dealing with a reputable seller before you buy.
• Make sure the loose yellow diamonds you buy come with diamond grading certificates from a recognized laboratory. Two of these are the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Gem Society (AGS).

Resources

• Diamonds by Lauren Color Chart