Yellow Gold Engagement Rings

What Is The Best Diamond Color For Yellow Gold Rings? 

Obsessed with yellow gold rings? So are we! Just remember, the diamond color you pick matters if you want your center stone to sparkle just right. Join us as we explore the best diamond color options for your dream yellow gold engagement ring.

Three yellow gold diamond engagement rings with different diamond center stone shapes

What Is Yellow Gold?

Yellow gold, or simply gold, is a precious metal that occurs naturally and is best used as jewelry and other decorative objects. This soft metal, in its purest form, can bend easily and therefore be manipulated into our favorite accessories, from gold earrings to yellow gold wedding bands, when combined with harder metal alloys.

Fun fact: the first-ever engagement ring was made from yellow gold with a simple bezel set diamond center stone.

What Does A Diamond Color Grade Mean?

GIA (Gemological Institute of America) sets the benchmark for the diamond industry. The world’s oldest, largest, and most reputable institute of gemological research and learning is responsible for analyzing and certifying the color, cut, clarity, and carat weight (the 4Cs) of all diamonds. Learn more about the 4Cs here.

The GIA color scale goes from D to Z, categorized into five groups: colorless, near colorless, faint, very light, and light. As the letter or category goes, the yellow tint increases as well. The tint is basically indistinguishable to the untrained eye, especially in lower grades. However, these same differences greatly affect how a diamond’s quality is assessed and, of course, its price.

Generally, the tint becomes more noticeable as the color grading system gets lower.

A chart illustrating the 4Cs of diamond grading

Colorless Diamonds For Yellow Gold Rings

Color grades D-F are absolutely colorless, setting the colorless standard. When you hear diamonds being described as ice, it is likely a D, E, or F color diamond. They are simply spectacular, and they look stunning with any metal color ring setting.

Remember that the higher the color grade, the more expensive the diamond. That being said, if you have the budget for a colorless diamond, know that it will look perfect and shine with brilliance when set in your preferred yellow gold engagement ring.

Near Colorless Diamonds For Yellow Gold Rings

G, H, I, and J color diamonds make up the near-colorless range. Generally, one cannot tell these diamonds have this subtle warmth unless they are placed side by side with another diamond that is truly colorless.

When viewed and graded by an expert gemologist, a near colorless diamond might appear to have a very faint yellow tint. 

Although these diamonds have a slight hint of color, they’re almost impossible to detect with the naked eye. Generally, near colorless diamonds are recommended to be set in lighter metals to avoid the color reflection from yellow or rose gold ring settings. However, we know plenty of ways around this!

If you’re leaning towards a diamond in the near-colorless range, fancy shapes such as emerald, marquise, Asscher, radiant, and cushion-shaped diamonds aren’t ideal for concealing color and usually tend to have a darker appeal. For this reason, it’s best to opt for a round or oval cut diamond to set with your yellow gold engagement ring.

Related post: Fancy Shaped Diamonds: Discover Your Unique Style

Faint Diamonds For Yellow Gold Rings

It’s worth noting that color is not the only thing to consider when purchasing a diamond. The other 3Cs can also play a huge role in the way your chosen color grade presents on an engagement ring or piece of fine jewelry. 

Nevertheless, diamonds in the faint color grade, K, L, and M, are considered to have a faint tint. So, in short, they do show a slight tint of color. But does that mean they aren’t suitable as the center or accent stones for your yellow gold engagement ring? Not at all.

If you have your heart set on a faint diamond, it’s best to choose a diamond shape that is able to conceal or even disguise the color. Luckily you have many options to choose from, from classics like the round brilliant or princess cut, to edgier shapes like emerald and Asscher.

Try to avoid shapes like cushion cuts or radiant cuts as the color will be more noticeable, especially in a yellow or rose gold ring setting.

Gold engagement rings

Ring Settings and Diamond Color

Whether you’re customizing your dream engagement ring online or buying it in a store, there are plenty of different ring settings to choose from. But when it comes to yellow gold rings and diamond colors, not all gold settings are going to do your chosen diamond color justice.

The Best Ring Settings For A Colorless Diamond

For colorless diamonds, your choice of ring setting is virtually unrestricted. Whether you want your diamond to stand alone in a solitaire engagement ring or you want it surrounded by diamond accents in a pave setting, your center stone will steal the show every time!

The Best Ring Settings For A Near Colorless Diamond

Near colorless diamonds are a little trickier because of their almost light yellow tint. If you’d prefer settings with side stones or a pave setting, it’s best you don’t go below H color, with an exception for round, princess cut, emerald, or Asscher, in which case you can go as low as an I color diamond.

Halo settings are even more restrictive for near colorless diamonds in yellow gold, so don’t go below H color no matter the cut.

The Best Ring Setting For A Faint Color Diamond

The best settings for faint-colored diamonds are solitaire and bezel settings, where ideally, the center stone is the only diamond. In this sense, diamond side accents will have no effect on how the center stone is presented. Often side diamonds can make the yellow tint more obvious, but when the diamond stands alone, it’s harder to identify the color. 

Related post: Solitaire Engagement Rings: Your Complete Guide

Diamond Prices for Different Color Grades

Buying a diamond is no easy decision. You have to consider your budget, your partner’s expectations and preferences, and where the best place to buy it is.

See the chart below for some price comparisons of loose earth-created diamonds at JamesAllen. It’s important to remember that the diamonds of similar color grade, cut, and carat weight will be more than 3 times more affordable when choosing the lab created counterparts.

We’ll compare diamonds of the highest color grade to the most popular near-colorless and faint-colored diamonds.

Price comparison chart of D color diamond to other grades

Prong Metal Color

When you’re choosing a setting, make sure you take note of the prongs that will hold your diamond center stone in place. It’s not always a given that your yellow gold ring settings will also have yellow gold prongs, some may have white gold prongs. If that is the case with your chosen ring, the white metal will make diamonds with low color grades look a little off.

Pro tip: For white gold prongs, it’s best to stick to an H or I color diamond. Your jeweler may be able to switch the prongs to yellow gold instead. If you’re customizing your ring online, you’ll have a wider variety of similar settings to choose from with yellow gold prong options.

FAQs

  1. Does yellow gold affect diamond color?

Yes, dark-colored metals like rose and yellow gold have the biggest effect on diamonds because the diamonds will reflect some of the metal’s color.

  1. What gems go with yellow gold? 

Of course! Apart from colorless diamonds, gems that are blue, red, purple, pink, orange, and green pair surprisingly well with yellow gold. The more vivid the gem, the better it looks set in yellow gold jewelry. 

  1. Do diamonds look better in rose or yellow gold? 

Not all diamonds look better in warmer golds. K to Z color grade diamonds will be noticeably yellow and so expert gemologists and jewelers often recommend going with a yellow gold engagement ring setting to give your diamond ring a more vintage look.

  1. Is yellow gold outdated? 

Yellow gold continues to be a fashion mainstay year after year. Yellow gold jewelry is essentially a timeless staple anyone should add to their jewelry box.

Parting Thoughts

We hope this helped you, and if you’re still left unsure about which diamond color is the best choice for your yellow gold engagement ring, our 24/7 diamond and jewelry experts are at your service!

Visit JamesAllen.com today to find the perfect diamond for you, all viewable in 360°HD, with a real-time diamond inspection consultant. Book your free consultation today!

jessicat

Jessica Thomas

Jessica is a seasoned content writer with four years of experience and a qualified gemologist. She enjoys educating new shoppers on the best practices for buying jewelry.

More Posts - Website

Cover Update Diamond Inspection The Object Of Your Affection Copy

Diamond Inspection: A Free Expert Consultation

If you love inspecting diamonds in 360° HD and 40x zoom, wait until you get to do it with the guidance of a professional gemologist! Our Real-Time Diamond Inspection is a game-changer for online ring shoppers.

When shopping for a diamond online, it’s a requirement to be able to examine the stone close up and from every angle. At JamesAllen.com, we take this a step further, allowing you to spin diamonds in 360° HD at up to 40x SuperZoom. 

However, not every diamond shopper is a diamond expert. Even with the inspection tools at your fingertips, how do you know what you should be looking for?

That’s where our Real-Time Diamond Inspection comes in! Browse the diamonds you’re interested in alongside a professional by scheduling a free online diamond consultation with a non-commissioned certified gemologist. Ask questions, mark points of interest on the screen while chatting with your diamond expert in real-time, and review everything from the specs to the grading certificate together.

What are the benefits of the Real-Time Diamond Inspection?

Our gemologists can:

  1. Find you the best diamond for your budget
  2. Point out important diamond qualities you might miss on your own
  3. Save you money 
  4. Guide you toward the unique diamond that suits your lifestyle
diamond inspection stacy tasman

When Can I Use the Real-Time Diamond Inspection?

This feature is pretty much available around the clock. If you don’t see the blue “Real-Time Diamond Inspection” button on your diamond’s page, click the pink speech bubble icon in the bottom right corner of the page to start chatting with a representative. Then, request to use the inspection feature. In no time, you’ll be consulting with a professional about your specific diamond!

How Does the Real-Time Diamond Inspection Work?

We’ll go into more detail below, but here is the rough plan of action:

  1. Select a loose diamond from the gallery
  2. Click on “Real-Time Diamond Inspection”
  3. Inspect your diamond in extreme detail

That’s why we’ve created the first-ever Real-Time Diamond Inspection; a personalized consultation with a bona fide diamond expert. It’s hands-down the best way to get to grips with your diamond.

Step 1: Find Your Diamond

Before you embark on a diamond consultation, it’s important to narrow down your options. When you come with a few diamonds and questions prepared, you’ll get the most out of your conversation with a gemologist. 

How should you go about it? If you’ve got a good idea of what you want, search JamesAllen.com for loose diamonds that catch your eye. If you’re unsure, check out our site for comprehensive information regarding the 4 C’s: diamond cut, diamond clarity, diamond color, and diamond carat weight.

If at any step in your research process you feel like you need some help deciphering the ins and outs of the 4 C’s, chat with one of our legendary customer service representatives!

Step 2: Start Your Diamond Inspection

To start your Real-Time Diamond Inspection, simply click the Diamond Inspection button next to any loose diamond on our site. If you don’t see the blue button, you can click the speech bubble icon to start chatting.

You’ll be instantly connected with one of our certified gemologists, who will share their screen with you. No scheduling, no additional software. Just you and your diamond consultant discussing everything you need to know. And because our experts don’t work on commission, you can be sure they’re giving you fair, impartial advice.

Step 3: View EVERYTHING About Your Diamond

  • View Your Diamond’s Inclusions

JamesAllen.com lets you inspect your diamond up close, but sometimes you need a bit of help interpreting what you’re seeing. To this point, our Diamond Inspection feature is particularly helpful when it comes to identifying inclusions.

If you’ve been doing your homework, you will probably have come across the term inclusions. These are the tiny imperfections that occur naturally in diamonds and can affect their overall beauty. While some inclusions are visible to the naked eye, others require up to 40x magnification to be seen. Using SuperZoom technology, our experts are able to pinpoint any inclusions and mark them directly on the image of the diamond.

  • View the Grading Certificate

When you purchase a diamond from JamesAllen.com, it comes with a certificate from one of the top three grading labs: GIA, AGS, or IGI. This document contains the diamond’s technical specifications as well as its grading information – all very important stuff.

Now, admittedly, all this technical jargon can seem pretty intimidating at first glance. I mean, what even are grading scales?!

Once our experts break it down for you, you’ll see how metrics such as cut, color, clarity, and carat determine a diamond’s quality and price. They can even show you how to tell two technically identical stones apart and identify which one is superior. In fact, the Diamond Inspection feature allows you to compare up to four diamonds simultaneously.

Step 4: Make Your Selection

Seen a diamond that merits closer inspection? Click the Diamond Inspection button next to any loose diamond on our James Allen site to begin your free consultation. Utilize More Ring-Shopping Tools!

  1. Your GIA Certification, Explained
  2. How To Fully Customize Your Ring 
  3. Earth-Created vs. Lab-Created Diamonds: A Guide
  4. Why Carat Weight Matters Less Than You Think

SHOP RELATED PRODUCTS

Subscribe to our email list for access to secret sales, practical ring-buying tips, and $100 off your first order!