It’s Time to Rethink Yellow Diamond Jewels
Diamonds may be one of Earth’s oldest stones, but designers are still finding stylish new ways to show them off.
One of the hottest diamond trends is in yellow diamonds, but it’s not what you expect. Designers are turning to a range of yellow diamonds—soft pale yellow, warm brownish-yellow, bright sunny hues—to create a new diamond aesthetic. It turns out that yellow diamonds are versatile in style—and price, too.
Meet the Experts
Prena Sethi is the co-founder and designer behind Sethi Couture, a fine jewelry brand known for its intricate stacking rings, antique diamond cuts, and heirloom-inspired designs.
Paul Schneider, co-founder of Twist, is a jewelry expert known for his discerning eye, decades-long support of independent designers, and influential role in shaping the landscape of contemporary fine jewelry.
When some people hear yellow diamonds, they often think of super rare, high-priced jewels, like Graff’s famous big yellow diamond rocks or the legendary Tiffany’s Diamond, a 129.54-carat yellow diamond worn by Lady Gaga and Beyoncé in recent years. But there’s much to yellow diamonds than rare, high-ticket jewels.
How Yellow Diamonds Get Their Color
Yellow diamonds can lend a sophisticated neutral palette, an earthy vibe, or a pop of vibrant color. These fancy-colored diamonds are valued based on their color intensity, which the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) classifies as light, intense and vivid. The deeper the color, the higher the price, so pale tones are often more affordable than white diamonds.
The diamond’s yellow hue is the result of nitrogen impurities within the stone’s carbon crystal structure. Nitrogen atoms effect how the stone interacts with light; the stone absorbs the blue part of the visible spectrum and allows the yellow color to dominate.
Why Designers Are Loving Yellow Diamonds
“As designers we are drawn to the distinctive warmth of yellow diamonds,” said Prerna Sethi, who with her sister Pratima own Sethi diamond jewelry company. “We find the diamond’s golden radiance captivating and lets us tells a more complex story.”
In a different mood, Japanese artist Ryo Katori shows yellow diamonds in moody dark metal designs in his Rusty Thought collection sold at Twist. “It is a little goth and has the feeling of being dug up treasure,” said Paul Schneider, an owner of Twist. The yellow diamonds contribute a mysterious glow to his designs. While Lebanese designer Rosa Maria, also at Twist, features cloudy yellow diamonds to frame a topaz in an edgy sterling silver ring. And legendary American designer Cathy Waterman uses yellow diamonds in her signature floral pieces as bright points of light among white diamonds.
“A lot of artists find yellow diamonds work well with what they are trying to express, and conveniently they are often well priced,” said Schneider, who said some yellow diamonds at Twist start as low at $300 per carat. “Artists can go as crazy as they want in design with yellow diamonds and not worry about price, and they love that.”
Schneider says some clients are gravitating to yellow diamonds because it’s obvious they are natural, not lab grown. “The lab grown thing is inspiring some to look for pieces that stand out a little, that feel more natural and organic,” he said.
How To Wear Yellow Diamonds
Once you have the diamond classics—white diamond bangles, line necklace, hoop earrings or stacking rings— you can introduce color by layering your stack with yellow diamond pieces. Whether you go for bright yellow bangles and stacking rings, or something more subtle, like Sethi’s neutral color palette created with confetti mix of pale-yellow and Champagne diamonds, there are many options.
“Yellow diamond stacking rings are beautiful, accessible luxury they you wear every day,” said Sethi. Sethi’s yellow diamond bands range from $2,200 to $2,700 and a yellow diamond bangle with 2.5 carats of diamonds is $6,800.
Yellow Diamonds Are The Next Wave of Engagement Rings
Soft yellow diamonds in paler or earthy shades offer a more subtle engagement ring style, something more people increasingly want in their bridal jewelry.
It takes a visionary artist, like George Inaki Root, founder of Milamore, to show yellow diamonds in new ways, using their color in a painterly way to showcase their beauty. “I like more pale-yellow diamonds with a hint of color, more like a gradation instead of a sharp contrast,” he says.
That reflects his more subdued yet artistic style. His rings, for instance, feature different shape and colored diamonds offset in jagged lines to create a rhythmic pattern.
Root’s clients come to him for fashionable wedding jewelry, not the cookie cutter designs. A client brought him a family heirloom, a pear-shaped yellow diamond, which he paired with a similar size and shape white diamond to create a heart shape for her engagement ring. At first, he said people were hesitant to buy yellow diamonds because they didn’t consider it as precious, but that has changed.
Designer Bliss Lau recently made a client a custom yellow diamond ring paired with a white diamond for her 20th wedding anniversary. “I wanted a yellow diamond because it signifies, joy, happiness, and a positive outlook on life,” said the client.
It’s a sentiment shared by Lau, who sees the definition of what makes a high-quality diamond opening to more options. “As we evolve in how we perceive diamonds, I find myself looking for stones in warmer tones and even a little misshapen,” said Lau. “They feel more special and natural.”
Yellow diamonds “bring sunlight and joy, and are increasingly interesting to all of us designers,” said Lau. She expects the desire for yellow diamond engagement rings, in all hues, will continue to increase. Because who can say no to a sunny, joyful jewel?
Shop for the Perfect Yellow Diamond Ring
Get inspired by yellow diamond sparklers from some of our favorite designers.
Rachel Boston Aurora Ring, Price Upon Request, rachelboston.co.uk.
Jemma Wynne Bespoke Canary Marquise Diamond Ring, Price Upon Request, jemmawynne.com.
Uniform Object Major Impact Ring, Price Upon Request, uniformobject.com.
Tomfoolery London Trio Radiant Cut Yellow Diamond Asymmetrical Three Stone Ring, Price Upon Request, tomfoolerylondon.co.uk.
Sethi Couture Aurelia Yellow Diamond Band, $3,520, sethicouture.com.
Porter Lyons Le Soleil Band, $7,500, porterlyons.com.
Nikos Koulis White Gold Ring with Yellow Damond, Price Upon Request, nikoskoulis.com.
Bernard James 1.02-CARAT FANCY LIGHT YELLOW DIAMOND RING IN 20K WHITE GOLD, $9,500, bernardjames.com.
De Beers Talisman Cocktail Ring In Yellow Gold, $28,000, debeers.com.
ELLIS MHAIRI CAMERON ARMACH 3CT OVAL LEMON DIAMOND ORGANIC ENGAGEMENT SIGNET RING, $47,877, ellismhairicameron.com.
Hamilton Jewelers PRIVATE RESERVE 18K GOLD AND FANCY YELLOW DIAMOND 6.29 TOTAL WEIGHT RING, $90,000, hamiltonjewelers.com.
