A good year for yellows

If pink is the colour of scarcity this year, yellow is the colour of opportunity. Strong cushions and radiants in fancy intense and vivid are arriving in real volume — a window of choice that does not open often.

Why now

Yellow has always been the most accessible entry into fancy colour, because nitrogen — the element behind it — is the most common colouring agent in nature. This season the quality coming through is unusually good: well-cut cushions and radiants that face up bright and even, in the intense and vivid grades buyers actually want.

A moment for retailers

For anyone building a colour case, this is the time to act. With selection broad, you can be selective about cut and overtone rather than taking what is left — choosing clean, sunny stones over those that pull darker or browner. Breadth like this tends to narrow once the best goods are picked over.

• Cushions and radiants dominate, and they suit yellow — fancy shapes deepen and hold the colour.
• Intense and vivid are available in commercial sizes, not just statement stones.
• Pricing is rational while choice is wide — the premium for a pure hue is sensible rather than stretched.

Buy yellow when you can choose, not when you must settle.