When we think of diamonds, we imagine them to be white or colorless. That is because only 1 % of all the diamonds mined in the world are fancy colored diamonds. They can naturally occur in many colors such as red, blue, black, pink, and yellow. Although fancy red diamonds are the rarest and most expensive of all colored diamonds, yellow diamonds are the most popular and prevailing. Yellow diamonds can occur in various sizes, shapes, and intensities of color. Yellow diamonds that are the most vivid in color come from South Africa.
Even though yellow diamonds are not entirely pure, their rarity and appeal of the color increases their value and makes them pricier than most white diamonds. Yellow diamond rings can fetch a hefty price, that is why they are a symbol of luxury and eliteness. Here is a list of the most glamorous and expensive yellow diamonds in the world.
The Allnatt Diamond
An Englishman named Alfred Earnest Allnatt was the first known owner of The Allnatt diamond. The diamond currently weighs 101.29 carats, which is approximately 20.258 grams. It has a fancy vivid yellow color. What makes the diamond really rare is that it has a clarity rating of VS2, something that’s very rare for a diamond of that size. The diamond is not only exceptional in quality and dimensions, but the origin of the diamond is also unknown. Speculations are that it has been mined in South Africa.
The Allnatt diamond was purchased by Siba corporation for a whopping $3,043,496 from Christie’s auction house in 1996. The Allnatt was a part of the display in “The Splendour of Diamonds” exhibition at the Smithsonian.
The Mouna Diamond
According to the Gemological Institute of America, the Mouna diamond is the largest recorded yellow diamond graded until November 1995. The diamond belonged to a Lebanese lady named Mouna Ayoub, who got the diamond as part of the divorce settlement from her ex-husband. The Mouna diamond weighs 112.53 carats and is of VS1 clarity. The diamond is cushion-shaped and was set by Bulgari in a baguette mount. The Mouna was sold by Christie’s in Geneva for $3,258,000 in November 1998.
The Tiffany Diamond
The Tiffany diamond has a long history dating back to 1877 when it was mined at the Kimberley mine in South Africa. The uncut diamond was a 287.42 carat rough stone. Founder of Tiffany and Co Mr. Charles Lewis Tiffany bought the diamond in 1878 for $18,000. The gem was cut into a 128.54-carat cushion shape with 82 facets ( 24 more facets than the 58-facet brilliant cut. The diamond has been set two times, once to be worn by Mrs. Sheldon White in 1957 at the Tiffany ball. The second time it was worn by Audrey Hepburn in 1961 on the sets of the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s. The diamond has traveled all over the world and has been presented at numerous exhibitions. Its current valuation is at about $12 million.
The Sun-drop Diamond
The Sun-drop diamond was found in 2010 in South Africa inside a kimberlite pipe. Scientific tests have revealed that the diamond was formed between 1 to 3 billion years ago. The stone was cut and polished into a Pear Brilliant shape by Cora International that is a renowned diamond manufacturing company based in New York City. It was kept at the London Natural history museum for some time, before it was sold in November 2011 at an auction in Geneva for $12.3 million to an anonymous bidder.
The color of the diamond is a vivid fancy yellow. The intensity of the color made it possible for the diamond to be cut into a Pear shape. Experts say that diamonds with weaker colors are cut into squares, but to be cut into a Pear Brilliant, the color needs to be very strong. Cora International took six months to cut the diamond.
The Graff Vivid Yellow
The 100.09-carat diamond is one of the world’s largest cut gem-stones and the most expensive yellow diamond ever sold. The diamond was sold for $16.3 million at Sotheby’s auction held in Geneva in 2014. It is named after Laurence Graff, also known as the King of Diamonds, who purchased the diamond in 2005 in Kimberley, South Africa. The original weight of the diamond was 190.72 carats.
There are many more famous yellow diamonds in the world. Some of them still hold their uncut shape, like the Oppenheimer diamond or the Kimberley octahedral. However, they have never been sold or valued.
