Matching Fancy “Canary” diamonds for Three stone ring.
We’ve been working with one of our clients to fabricate a gorgeous three stone “Bostonian “ style engagement ring. A large 3ct look showcase princess cut diamond with matching fancy yellow side stones.
Matching is a process fabricators and diamond dealers undertake while building finished jewelry where multiple diamonds are used to complete a piece’s theme. In this case the side diamonds for this ring are a critical component to the overall look of the engagement ring, and ensuring that the side diamonds’ face up measurements are virtually identical is only one step. We also have to match perceptible clarity and–even more critical with fancy colored diamonds–the intensity and evenness of the color.
Fancy yellow diamonds have a value grading standard just like white diamonds. The only difference is, the deeper and more intense the yellow, the more valuable the diamond.  Starting with Fancy Light Yellow, the value of diamonds increase with respect to their color the further up the color scale you move.  Fancy Light is followed by Fancy, then Fancy Intense and lastly Fancy Vivid on the GIA fancy yellow grading scale.
With this particular ring, we initially opted for matching yellow princess cut diamonds. They kept the princess cut theme. However, the cut of yellow princess cut diamonds can sometimes lesson the diamond’s color intensity b/c of their relative shallow build. So fancy yellow radiant diamonds were the next option. We found a matching pair of GIA fancy yellow radiant cut diamonds that were perfectly matched. However, the client’s taste required we at least offer the option of one greater intensity level for comparison purposes. This is where things get tricky.
The rarity of perfectly matched Fancy Intense Yellow diamonds has proven to be profound. Our partner resources are vast and we deal with hundreds of diamond manufacturers from all over the world. But the quest for two matching Fancy Intense Yellow GIA certified sub 1ct square radiant diamonds proved elusive.
The video here shows comparison in varying states light yellow, fancy yellow and fancy intense yellow. See if you can spot the difference.
http://www.vimeo.com/3093828