What are Fancy Colored Diamonds?

It comes as a surprise to many people that diamonds come in colors other than white or clear. Diamonds actually come in a variety of colors. The primary colors that are seen most commonly are yellow and brown. The yellow diamonds are also called Canary or Champagne while the brown diamonds are also known as Cognac. Other available colors are black, gray, pink, purple, orange, green, red. Among all of the colors - red is the rarest.

Fancy Yellow Color Canary Diamond

The yellow color of diamonds is caused by the color nitrogen. During the growth process of diamonds in the ground, nitrogen gases get mixed in the crystal lattice. The concentration of nitrogen along with the heat and pressure during the growth process determines the depth of color in the diamond. Fancy yellow diamonds are classified into Fancy Light Yellow, Fancy Yellow, Fancy Vivid Yellow and Fancy Intense Yellow. These classifications of yellow diamonds come afterthey cross the natural grading scale of D-Z.

Fancy Yellow Canary Diamond Shapes & Cuts

Small yellow diamonds under 0.50 ie 1/2 carats, come in all shapes. The larger yellow canary diamonds over 0.50 (1/2) carats come primarily in fancy shapes and cuts such as princess, radiants, cushions, ovals, pears etc. They are not easily found in round, heart or marquise shaped diamonds. The biggest reason for this is that retention of color. The diamond cutter when cutting a fancy colored diamond needs to save the color and the weight while trying to bring out maximum brilliance and fire. This forces him to choose the shape that svaes the color center which disperses throughout the diamond giving it the fancy color. A wrong cut here or a missed facet there could change the entire look of the diamond and might even cause it to loose it's precious color. The square princess cuts, the radiant cuts, oval cut and the cushion cut give maximum flexibility to the diamond cutter.

Fancy Yellow Color Canary Diamond Prices

Most of the yellow canary fancy colored diamonds are more expensive than white diamonds of the same clarity. Although the more inexpensive of the fancy colored diamond family, the yellow diamonds do not come cheap. They range in prices anywhere from 500.00 for a 0.10 carat single small diamond to millions of dollars. For the common man a 1 carat to 2 carat fancy yellow diamond with no eye-visible inclusion would run anywhere from $ 5,500.00 to $ 15,000.00. The difference in price can be significant when other factors such as clarity, diamond cuts and the intensity of color are added.