Canary diamonds are among the rarest form of natural diamonds in the world. It differs from the more ordinary yellow diamonds due to the intensity of its color. Only 0.1% of all known natural diamonds belong to the category of yellow canary diamonds. Due to its extreme rarity, most diamonds of this variety in the market have synthetic coloring. Its strong coloring looks good in just about any shape and in just about any form of jewelry. Like other diamonds, canary diamonds come in all sizes from mere few points of a carat to over 5 carats. Needless to say that the larger the canary diamond is, the more rare it is and the more expensive. These diamonds are very popular with people who love the unusual.
Canary diamonds belong to the family of diamonds called fancy diamonds or fancy colored diamonds. Within the niche of colored diamonds you can find all colors of the rainbow, pink diamond, blue diamonds, brown, purple and also yellow diamonds. Yellow diamonds are considered relatively common and well known colored diamonds. However, the canary diamond is no ordinary common yellow diamond. These diamonds have a strong intense yellow shade and therefore their name.
Any jewelry piece you select with canary diamonds needs to let the light shine through. The best feature of the canary diamond is its intensity and brilliance - it has an amazing shine. With a Tiffany or tension setting, you can let the light get through. Channel or bezel settings are not a good choice since they enclose the diamond. Many jewelers love to set these diamonds with clear ones around it. They highlight the intense color of the canary. A natural contrast to the canary is the white gold or platinum metal. Yellow gold does not allow the intense yellow of the canary shine through on its own.
As always, we recommend buying such diamonds with GIA certificates. This is the only way to truly know what you are getting. The certificate will authenticate the color and the fact that the color is natural and not enhanced (manmade). An important note about canary diamonds is that it is not stated canary in the certificate. Canary is a matter of branding – it is not an official color grading. What you should look for is a natural intense yellow diamond with no secondary hue. Below is a sample of a classic canary diamond, a 1.00 carat GIA Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond from our collection
One of the most famous canary diamonds is the Kahn Canary found in Arkansas in 1977. Weighing in at 4.25 carats, the diamond remains in its natural dodecahedral shape. It appears in a pillow shape and did not need more than a good polish as it came out of the ground. This particular diamond fits the very definition of flawless. It has no external or internal flaws. The diamond came out of the ground in the land set aside for the Crater of Diamonds State Park. The land yields diamonds, jasper, agate, quartz and other stones to public visitors every day.