Fancy Yellow Diamonds: An Investor’s Best Friend

Rare 10.02-Carat Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond Marquise Debuts

(Boston, MA)…Marilyn Monroe sizzled to super-stardom when she famously sang “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” in the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. She also made history when she arrived at the movie’s premiere wearing The Moon of Baroda, a dazzling 24-carat Fancy Yellow diamond, lent to her by a wealthy financier.

This pear-shaped Yellow stone helped spark a worldwide infatuation with Yellow diamonds that has grown with each passing decade. In fact, it is credited with inspiring a broad interest in Natural Colored Diamonds – or Fancy Color Diamonds – as they are alternately known in the industry.

Today, Yellow diamonds are the most popular of all Fancy Color Diamonds, and it is estimated that 60 percent of all colored diamonds are considered “Fancy Yellow.”

Investing in Color

Fancy Color Diamonds are far rarer than equivalent-size white or colorless diamonds, and they can be exponentially more valuable. Only one in 10,000 diamonds mined possesses enough color to be classified as a Fancy Color Diamond.

Colored Diamonds – including large Fancy Yellows sometimes called Canary diamonds — are fast becoming the long-term investment of choice among savvy investors seeking hard assets and luxury “statement pieces” to diversify their portfolios.

“More and more of our customers from around the world are requesting Fancy Color Diamonds, including Yellows,” said Gerard Riveron, Executive Director of Dorfman Jewelers in Boston. “Not only are these natural colored stones exquisite, their value has increased tremendously over the last 10 years,” he added.

• The top price per carat for a Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond was achieved by the 13.83-carat Marquise-cut “Burden Yellow” diamond, which sold at Sotheby’s New York in 1997 for $3.3 million, or $238,612 per carat.

• Last November, the 110.03-carat Cora Sun-Drop Diamond, the largest ever pear-shaped Fancy Vivid Yellow, sold for $12.3 million at Sotheby’s Geneva, a world record for Yellow diamonds.

• In October, at Christie’s Magnificent Jewels auction in New York, a pair of interchangeable ear pendants featuring a Fancy Yellow diamond of 52.78 carats and a pear-shaped white diamond of 50.3 carats sold for $4.5 million.

A Cut Above

The main consideration when plotting the cut of a colored diamond is the stone’s color – how best to emphasize and reinforce the color’s intensity. In the rarified world of Fancy Color Diamonds, color is the most important of the Gemological Institute of America’s 4 Cs: color, cut, clarity and carat weight. For white diamonds, for instance, the round or brilliant cut is the most popular shape. But for colored diamonds, more unusual cuts are preferred because they intensify the diamond’s natural color.

The Burden Yellow’s Marquise cut — an elongated or boat-shaped cut with pointed ends — is considered one of the premier cuts for Fancy Yellow diamonds. Legend has it that Louis XV commissioned the first Marquise diamond fashioned after the smile of the Marquise (or Madame) de Pompadour.

 A Rare Opportunity

Starting this month, a stunningly rare 10.02-carat Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond Marquise ring will be available by appointment at Dorfman Jewelers in Boston. Set in platinum and 18-KT gold with four D/E color white diamonds, this magnificent Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond is VS2 quality, often classified due to its color saturation as a “Canary.”

The 10.02-carat Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond Marquise is accompanied by a Certificate of Grading from the Gemological Institute of America. The ring is estimated at $2.5 million.

Dorfman is participating in a first-ever initiative to educate Ultra High Net Worth individuals about Fancy Color Diamonds. Supported by a national advertising campaign (TheOneandOnlyOne.com), the jeweler will showcase one-of-a-kind statement pieces and bespoke designs, each set with Fancy Color Diamonds.

“This remarkable Fancy Vivid Yellow Marquise is reminiscent of the Canary Yellows not seen since the ‘70s and ‘80s,” said Mr. Riveron. “It is an extremely rare and beautiful collectible, as well as a wonderful investment.”

The Fancy Vivid Yellow Marquise Ring is available by appointment at Dorfman Jewelers, 24 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116, Tel: 617-536-2022;

Dorfman Jewelers