Yellow Diamond Alternatives

This necklace of yellow diamonds is beautiful, but costly.

Although white or colorless diamonds predominate in jewelry stores, diamonds naturally occur in other colors as well. Yellow diamonds range in hue from champagne to straw to a brilliant canary yellow. Because of their rarity, these colorful diamonds cost more than white diamonds of a similar quality. Jewelers refer to colored diamonds as " fancy diamonds," but other stones offer the fancy look without the high price.

Cubic Zirconia

Clear cubic zirconia resembles diamond and comes in every color.

The synthetic gem cubic zirconia shares many of natural diamond's properties. Both gems display fire, the pinpoints of spectral color that appear in the heart of a gem with high dispersion. Cubic zirconia also exhibits a diamond-like sparkle. As the stone is synthetic, cubic zirconia is always clear and free of the inclusions that can mar a natural gem. Cubic zirconia is easily accessible in every color, including a range of vibrant yellow and amber hues. Investing in a quality setting for a yellow cubic zirconia gem will improve the illusion that it is a costly yellow diamond.

Yellow Sapphire

Sapphires are not always blue.

Although it lacks a diamond's fire and brilliance, a high-quality yellow sapphire can readily match a yellow diamond's vivid color. These corundum gemstones are almost as durable as diamond. Unlike cubic zirconia, sapphires occur in nature. For buyers who want a natural gemstone that can substitute for yellow diamond, a clear, well-cut yellow sapphire can fit the bill. An emerald-cut yellow sapphire will more closely resemble a diamond, as the stepped cut hides the gem's lack of fire while emphasizing its clarity and color.

Golden Topaz

Golden or imperial topaz ranges from pale yellow to a deep, rich amber. A well-shaped imperial topaz has a higher refractive index than other yellow gems. Refractive index measures how light moves through a substance; gems with a higher refractive index have greater sparkle. Diamonds have a high refractive index of 2.4; imperial topaz has a refractive index of 1.6, notably higher than that of yellow beryls or citrines. Genuine imperial topaz fetches a higher price than the more common blue topaz, but still costs less per carat than yellow diamonds.

Citrine

Citrine is a yellow variety of quartz. It's a common and colorful gem that occurs less frequently in nature than it does in jewelry stores; most of the citrine in jewelry cases derives its vivid hue from heat treatment. Quartz is significantly softer than diamond and lends itself to unusual cuts and shapes that a lapidary would be unable to achieve with a diamond. For casual jewelry, the bright yellow stone in a contemporary setting can resemble a yellow diamond in color if not in fire.

References

• Gemological Institute of America: The World's Fascination with Fancy Colored Diamonds
• Gem Select; Refractive Index Chart; Dec. 2007
• Gem Society; Topaz Information; Barbara Smigel
• The Mineral and Gemstone Kingdom; The Gemstone Citrine; Hershel Friedman; 2011