Need to be educated on Yellow Gemstones

[sunrise]

Hello,

Can anyone tell me what types of yellow gemstones there are, the differences between them, and which one is considered to be superior? I''m looking for one that has a very happy, vibrant, deep lemon yellow color... a shade that will go well with deep lime peridot side stones.

In the beginning stages of my search, I have run across the following, and I need to be educated on the differences between these gems:

Yellow Beryl (also called Heliodore or Yellow Emerald, I believe)
Yellow Sapphire
Lemon Quartz
(I''m not including Citrine in this list because all of the pictures I''ve seen are too orangey.)

and whatever else there may be!

I really appreciate any info you can provide!!

 

[innerkitten]

I don''t really know a lot about yellow stones but am posting anyway. I''m petty sure Limon quartz is either really a pale citrine or treated quartz. But it''s going to be as soft as any other type of quartz, so you have to be careful with it if you do decide to use it.
Sapphire comes in all types of yellows and is a good stone for a ring. Thats what I would use. I don''t know a lot about yellow beryl but from the photos I''ve seen they look beautiful. Don''t for get yellow tourmaline. Topaz comes in some types of yellow as well. Might be a little too peachy though to go with peridot.

 

[innerkitten]

Almost forgot garnet. You can find a few types that come in yellow. Maybe a mali garnet?

 

[Richard M.]

Definitely Mali garnet and some other yellow grossular garnets mainly from Tanzania.

One comment: quartz is actually a little harder than peridot so it would be a reasonable choice to accompany peridot in a ring.

Zircon is another gem that occurs in yellow, as do certain hues of sphene, chrysoberyl and scapolite. Other gems like Sinhalite occur in yellow but are not commonly available.

Richard M.

 

[LD]

Richard has mentioned Chrysoberyl and personally that''d be my choice. It has wonderful sparkle although finding a deep yellow rather than a paler yellow may take a bit of time. Yellow sapphire would also be good and you may find it slightly easier to find in the shade you''re looking for.

Heliodore can fade (you see it more often in green than yellow) so I would think twice about that.

 

[marcy]

I think yellow sapphire would be a great choice for a yellow stone. Yellow beryl is really pretty but is a softer stone.

 

[ma re]

There are many yellow gems, and most have been mentioned, so I''ll concentrate on something else. Every gemstone variety has a most deisrable hue that one can expect to find it in. That is the hue that is generally considered the most attractive and it also brings out other optical properties of that gemstone in the best possible way. To explain:

- yellow sapphire comes in many shades, but pure, vivid, canary (lemon) yellow is considered the most desirable due to stone''s high refractive index
- same goes for yellow diamond
- chrysoberyl is usually not yellow, but green, so the most desirable color of it is similar to that of a peridot, but a little deeper; it does occur in yellow, but rarely, and those specimens aren''t as nice as the green ones
- same goes for mali garnet
- the most desirable shade of yellow topaz is blushy, pinkish, orangy yellow and even if they occur in greenish yellow they''re very pale and not valuable; warmer shades best compliment subdued shine of the stone
- canary tourmaline, as the name implies, should be greenish, vibrant and lively yellow, and that''s the most desirable shade of it
- the most valuable shades of yellow beryl are warmer ones, but unlike with other varieties, the value diference between shades is not high; warmer hues compliment low R. I., but more vibrant shades bring out specific surface qualities (luster) of these stones
- zircons usually exhibit soft hues of yellow, therefore light, buttery yellow is generally the most acceptable, simply because more intense shades occur very rarely
- citrine, as you said, is usually orangy, but treated lemon quartz is easily found and very affordable - if you don''t mind the fact that it''s color-treated

Those are probably the most well known yellow gems. Hope this helps!

 

[dancingflame]

Voting for sapphires. I''ve seen some amazing lemony ones.

 

[coatimundi_org]

Date: 11/24/2008 10:34:02 AM
Author:sunrise
Hello,


Can anyone tell me what types of yellow gemstones there are, the differences between them, and which one is considered to be superior? I'm looking for one that has a very happy, vibrant, deep lemon yellow color... a shade that will go well with deep lime peridot side stones.

I think chrysoberyl, mali or grossular garnet would look fab with peridot side stones.

Be careful when shopping for yellow sapphire. There are some vibrant natural sapphires out there, but many are beryllium diffused. If a yellow sapphire is really saturated and the price is low, it's probably beryllium diffused. (not everyone cares if stones are treated so, this may not be a big deal to you)

 

[neatfreak]

I think the biggest question is what are you going to use it for? An everyday ring? A special occasion ring? A necklace? The use of it really should impact what stone you choose as some are just too soft for rings.