A canary diamond is not just a yellow diamond, it is one with a bright, pure shade of yellow with little or no hints of green, brown, or red to darken the stone. These diamonds are amongst the rarest available and often very hard to find in their purest form. The depth and clarity of the stone is often used to determine value. The intermingling of another color also affects a diamonds value. For instance, an orangish yellow diamond will most likely be more valuable than a brownish yellow diamond due to the orange coloring being much more rare than the brown coloring.
Nitrogen has been discovered as the cause of canary or yellow diamonds. The higher concentration of nitrogen present in the formation period of the diamond, the deeper the yellow coloring. If other chemicals are present during the formation, the more likely the diamond will not be of the canary variety. Many of these diamonds, sometimes called “Cape” diamonds have been found in the Cape Province of Africa, but now the term refers more to the defect in color than the region of origin.
These canary diamonds are sometimes referred to as lemon drops and often have a deeper symbolic meaning than a regular, colorless stone. As history tells us, diamonds are symbolic of love and commitment, but a yellow stone has quite a deeper meaning. Yellow colors are often associated with sunlight and happiness, as well as joy and prosperity.
