Pink or Yellow Diamonds, Which Fancy Color Diamond Should I Buy?
If you are on the hunt for fancy colored diamond jewelry, you are probably thinking about either yellow or pink diamonds, as these are the two most popular fancy diamond colors. Not only do they make a powerful statement, but they are also incredibly valuable and rare.
For those who want to learn more about both of these exquisite, highly sought after fancy color diamonds, you’ve come to right place. We are going to go over what you need to know about pink diamonds and yellow diamonds. That way, you can make an informed purchase when you are ready.
PINK DIAMONDS
Pink diamonds are nothing short of fascinating. The sheer beauty of a pink diamond makes you wonder how a rock so stunningly pink could be real…
What is a Pink Diamond?
A natural pink diamond is a type of diamond with a pink hue. It is categorized as a fancy colored diamond.
It is one of the rarest colored diamonds that exists, only second to red and blue diamonds, which are the rarest of all colored diamonds.
While certain areas of the world are known to produce pink diamonds, such as India, South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Canada, the vast, vast majority of the world’s pink diamond supply comes from Western Australia.
The famous Argyle Mine in Western Australia was the main producer of diamonds. But, the keyword is “was”, as the mine is now closed (as of 2020). This has made both the value and demand of pink diamonds rise drastically, albeit, the value has already been consistently increasing for over two decades.
Even when the Argyle mine was open, the output was less than 1% for pink diamonds. Again, pink diamonds are the rarest of rare diamonds, so even where they were known to be found, they were hard to find. For every one million carats of rough diamonds mined at Argyle, only one carat was a pink diamond worthy of selling.
Note: Pink diamonds are sourced from a volcanic lamproite pipe rather than a kimberlite pipe like most of the world’s diamonds. Kimberlite and lamproite are two of the deepest sourced igneous volcanic rocks. Both occur in the Earth’s crust in vertical structures known as pipes and sometimes contain diamonds. The difference between the two is kimberlite is produced in low-heat flow regions, whereas lamproites occur in high-heat flow region. Moreover, kimberlite is exclusively found in Archaean cratons, but lamproites are found in terrains of varying age.
What makes a pink diamond pink?
Unlike all other fancy colored diamonds, which have a unique color that is caused by chemical impurities that occur during the formation of the diamond, pink diamonds are not caused by chemical impurities and the exact reason for their pink color is still unknown by gemologists.
With other fancy colored diamonds, it is easy to determine how they got their color by simply looking at the chemical impurities. But, since pink diamonds don’t have any, all gemologists can do is theorize.
Some theories suggest that pink diamonds get their pink color due to the enormous pressure undergone during formation. However, others believe it is related to a seismic shock that impacted the stone’s molecular structure.
While it would be wonderful to know how pink diamonds get their color, the mystery behind it makes pink diamonds all the more intriguing. It is no doubt one of the most beautiful and most intriguing gemstones on the planet.
Colors and Intensity Levels of Pink Diamonds
Not all pink diamonds are created equal in terms of beauty. As such, the value of pink diamonds will vary.
Firstly, you have color. Most pink diamonds come with a secondary hue (or overtone), such as purple, brown or orange. This is why some pink diamonds are described as purple-pink or orange-pink, with the first color describing the secondary color. The most valuable among pink diamonds are the ones with the most intense and purest colors of pink. Although orangish-pink and purplish-pink are very popular as well.
Next you have intensity. In terms of intensity, you have grades from Faint, Very Light, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, Fancy Deep and Fancy Dark. It can be difficult for gemologists to determine a grade because each grade has a range itself. There is not just a simply point along a line with each grade.
Among the most valuable are Fancy, Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, and Fancy Deep. Overall, the richer and more saturated the color, the more expensive the pink diamond will be.
18k White/Rose Gold GIA 1.01ct Pink Pear Shape Diamond Engagement Ring
YELLOW DIAMONDS
While less rare than pink diamonds, yellow diamonds hold the strongest market demand of all colored diamonds. They are more than just a beautiful diamond of yellow color, they are one of the biggest diamond jewelry statements of the decade.
What is a Yellow Diamond?
A yellow diamond is a kind of diamond with a yellow hue. However, it is not to be confused with a low quality colorless diamond, which can have a yellow tinge. When we refer to yellow diamonds, we mean a natural diamond with a rich yellow color. These vivid, beautiful yellow diamonds belong to the family of fancy colored diamonds.
While diamonds with yellow color are very common, as low grade diamonds have a pale yellow color, a diamond with a rich yellow color is quite rare, albeit not as rare as orange, green, pink, blue and red diamonds.
Fancy yellow diamonds make up 60% of colored diamonds. However, in terms of diamonds as a whole, only 1 out of 16,5000 carats are yellow diamonds. Thus, they are not as common as colorless diamonds.
Yellow diamonds, like other colored diamonds, are found all over the world. Any diamond mine can produce a yellow diamond. Yet, they are most commonly found in Australia, Central Africa, Angola, Brazil, Borneo, Sierra Leone, and Congo.
What makes a yellow diamond yellow?
Diamonds become yellow due to impurities occurring during the formation process. It’s like a fluke of nature. Impurities are common among diamonds. This is why diamonds vary so much in color grades and fancy colored diamonds exist with different color combinations. However, a diamond with the right amount of impurity that leads to a beautiful saturated color is rare. With yellow diamonds, it is the existence of nitrogen molecules that absorb blue light.
Note: The same is true for orange diamonds, but with a different degree of nitrogen and blue light absorption.
Color and Intensity Levels of Pink Diamonds
Not all yellow diamonds are “fancy” yellow diamonds, and fancy yellow diamonds are what you want as they are rare and valuable. Here’s why…
The diamond color scale (for colorless diamonds) ranges from D to Z. As the color grade gets closer to Z, the less colorless the diamond is and the more yellowish in tone it becomes (like a pale yellow shade). With that, the price decreases as well. So, a Z color diamond, which no one really buys as jewelers won’t even carry them, is like a pale yellow diamond. Again, this is not a fancy yellow diamond, this is a low grade white diamond.
Now, once you get past Z, at a certain point, if you continue on the color scale, the yellow color doesn’t look like a faded yellow, it starts to become a beautiful yellow hue. This is when the price starts to increase again.
Once you go past X, Y, Z, you have a new scale, which goes Faint, Light, Fancy Light, Fancy, Fancy Dark, Fancy Intense, Fancy Deep, and Fancy Vivid. Needless to say, a yellow diamond becomes “fancy” (and thus the value rises significantly) with Fancy Light. Among the Fancy grades, Fancy Intense and Fancy Vivid are the most valuable and desirable.
A 1-2 carat Fancy Light and even Fancy yellow diamond will often be about the same price as a G color white diamond, while the Fancy Intense and Fancy Vivid yellow are considerably more expensive than a G color diamond. However, prices change as the carat sizes get bigger, as G color white diamonds of a large carat weight are also very rare. So, a 3-5 carat Fancy Vivid and Fancy Intense yellow will be similar in price to a G color white diamond of the same size.
As for secondary colors, like all other fancy colored diamonds, yellow diamonds can have a secondary hue. The most common color combinations for yellow diamonds are brown-yellow, green-yellow and orange-yellow. The Fancy gradings remain the same no matter the color overtone.
Color combinations are a complex matter, but to put it simply, the most sought after yellow diamonds are pure yellow diamonds or orange-yellow diamonds. These are the most valuable. Today, we are simply talking about pure fancy yellow diamonds. So, we won’t go into secondary hues any further.
Now, let’s go over some important comparisons between fancy pink diamonds and fancy yellow diamonds.
14.33ct Fancy Light Yellow Pear Shaped Diamond Engagement Ring
PINK VS YELLOW DIAMOND – RARITY
Pink diamonds are far more rare than yellow diamonds. First of all, 90% of the world’s supply of real pink diamonds came from a mine that is now closed. Secondly, that mine, which was called the Argyle Mine, only had a pink diamond output of 1%. In other words, only 1 out of 1,000,000 carats mined were pink diamonds.
As for fancy yellow diamonds, they are found in many different mines around the world. Although they are still rare, with around 1 out of 16,500 carats being categorized as a fancy yellow diamond, this makes them considerably more common than pink diamonds.
PINK VS YELLOW DIAMOND – DEMAND & POPULARITY
Yellow diamonds have the highest market demand of any fancy colored diamond. However, among other colored diamonds, pink diamonds are the only one that come close to matching the demand of yellow diamonds.
But here’s the thing, popularity, demand and price don’t necessarily line up. Yellow diamonds have a higher supply and they are priced similarly to white diamonds, which makes them more accessible to the average person. Because of this, yellow diamonds have become extremely popular. With celebrities and influential people around the world (both men and women alike) showing off their yellow diamonds, more and more people want yellow diamond jewelry. Yellow diamonds have become the diamond fashion trend of the 21st century.
On the flip side, you have pink diamonds, which are becoming more and more scarce due to the closure of the Argyle mine (the main producer of pink diamonds). The value of pink diamonds is sky-rocketing as the supply is decreasing. This has, of course, made the demand increase drastically. With prices increasing month over month, it’s no wonder why the demand is so incredibly high. So, while not as popular (or better yet, commonly seen) as yellow diamonds, the demand is just as strong.
18k White Gold GIA 1.01ct Pink Pearshape Diamond Engagement Ring
PINK VS YELLOW DIAMOND – PRICE
A lot of people ask us if pink diamonds are more expensive than yellow diamonds, and the answer is a resounding yes. Pink diamonds are far more rare. This allows them to be priced at a very high premium.
Vivid pink diamonds can range from $30,000 to $100,000 per carat, which is 20 times the price of a white diamond. Whereas fancy yellow diamonds are priced similarly to a higher grade white diamond. This is especially true as the carat size increases. The opposite would be true with a pink diamond (the bigger it gets, it becomes even more valuable than a high grade colorless diamond of a similar size).
18k Two Tone GIA Certified 4.05ctw Radiant Diamond Ring
WHERE TO BUY PINK AND YELLOW DIAMOND JEWELRY?
If you are looking to buy fancy pink diamond or yellow diamond jewelry in Boca Raton or South Florida, come to either of our state-of-the-art jewelry showrooms – Diamonds By Raymond Lee in East Boca and Raymond Lee Jewelers in West Boca. We have an exquisite collection of both fancy pink diamond jewelry and yellow diamond jewelry for you to choose from.
Feel free to contact us if you have any questions before coming in.
See some of our pink diamond jewelry
See some of our yellow diamond jewelry
We have many of our finest pieces in the back. So, if you want to see some more fancy pink diamond and yellow diamond jewelry, just ask us. We will show you our private collection.
18k Two Tone Gold 9.68ctw White and Multi Shape Pink Diamond Tear Drop Cluster Earrings