The color yellow is dual in character. On one hand, it is energetic and, on the other, frustrating. It increases metabolism but can also trigger anger at times. Some studies show that babies cry more often in yellow rooms. Fortunately, such duality is not present in the top yellow gemstones. As pieces of jewelry, they are smooth, sparkling, and magical.

These yellow gemstones have meanings, telling enchanting stories and symbols the color represents: attractive and captivating; evokes feelings of happiness, optimism, creativity, enlightenment, among others. In this article, we’ll walk you through the top yellow gemstones and their meanings, and how they can affect your life.

Top Yellow Gemstones

What are the top yellow gemstones? Though they come in a range of colors other than pure yellow, they all have shades of lemon, of a variety of flowers that give a wearer that feel-good effect—like basking in early-morning sunshine.

There are 33 yellow gemstones fit for jewelry. And they all symbolize the same things all yellow gemstones do: wisdom, joy, happiness, and intellectual energy.

However, for daily wear, we’ll seek to answer the question “which are the 9 precious stones?”. As you’ll find out these nine precious stones stand taller above the rest:

Citrine

What is a yellow semi precious stone? Citrine is an old gemstone. In fact, Ancient Greece used it between the years 300 to 150 B.C.  as a decorative gem. And in the 17th century, Scottish men used it to decorate their dagger and sword handles.

These days, citrine is the birthstone for November. And they no longer adorn daggers or sword handles but as jewelry items like rings, bracelets, pendants, and many more.

Citrine is a variety of quartz—a fairly abundant mineral. What gives it colors are the different elements that make up the stone. These come in natural (very rare), orange, or brown. Because of their rarity, natural-color citrines in the market are, most likely, treated.

Of the yellow gemstones, citrine is the most sought-after because of its alluring beauty and abundance. The downside is that because of its being so common, it falls under the category of a semi-precious stone.

But don’t be dismayed. They look gorgeous on any occasion and are very durable.

Yellow Diamond

Yellow is the most abundant color of natural fancy diamonds. But a pure yellow diamond represents a very small fraction of all diamonds.

This April birthstone was discovered in the late 1860s in Cape Province, South Africa, hence it is often called the “Cape Yellow Gemstone.” On the other hand, an intensely yellow diamond is sometimes called the Canary Diamond. But these, too, are very rare.

Thanks to celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, who are known for their jewelry pieces, yellow diamonds are currently enjoying the highest demand of all colored diamonds in the market.

Yellow diamonds are more affordable than colorless diamonds. But if the budget is rather tight, and you are itching to get your hands on a jewelry item to gift a close April birthday celebrant, you can get an irradiated or synthetic variety and nobody will be the wiser.

Sapphire

What Stone looks like a yellow diamond? For the uninitiated, sapphires are not only blue but also yellow or red. Blue sapphire results when the mineral contains trace elements of iron and titanium. If it is chromium, it becomes a ruby. Sapphires become yellow if the contamination is mainly iron. And it can often be mistaken as a yellow diamond based on its sheen and luster.

The highest quality yellow sapphire is lemon-yellow in color.  But it is also very rare.

In general, yellow sapphire is not as expensive as its more famous siblings, the blue and red.  But in the hands of a good jeweler, it can be made to look as expensive and glamorous as any more-famous yellow gemstone.

Golden Beryl (Heliodor)

Now, this can be confusing—depending on who is writing, golden beryl is also called heliodor. Others, however, say that they are different. For now, consider them the same because both are golden-yellow in color.

Golden beryl is the less-famous sibling of the emerald. In fact, some smarty marketeers peddle them as “yellow emerald.” Dón’t be taken in. They are not the same for obvious reasons.

Yellow beryl can be brilliant yellow, especially if given the right cut. And be careful in choosing the deep yellow variety. Chances are the color is due to radiation treatment and can fade over time, or if exposed to bright sunlight.

Chrysoberyl

Chrysoberyl is often confused with alexandrite. To set the record straight, chrysoberyl is a species of gemstones while alexandrite is a variety of chrysoberyl.

That being said, let’s get back to the stone or mineral itself. Chrysoberyl is a mineral mainly composed of aluminate of beryllium. The name was derived from the Greek words, “chrysos,” and “beryllos,” meaning “a gold-white spar.” Chrysoberyls are one of the hardest stones on earth and can be very expensive. For example, and alexandrite chrysoberyl can often fetch a price of $100,000/carat.

As a jewelry piece, chrysoberyls can be breathtaking, especially when done in cabochon cut to display a stunning “cat’s eye” effect like the one in this David Yurman review.

Garnet

While everybody knows that this January gemstone is reddish-brown, not many know that this isn’t necessarily so. Like other gemstones, garnet colors are as varied as a rainbow’s. And like a rainbow, what stands out the most is yellow.

For example, there is the Hezzonite, a reddish-yellow or reddish-orange garnet. Another is Topazolite, a variety of andradite garnet, which is known to disperse light better than a diamond. Light passing through it causes a display of multi-colored fire inside the gem.

Another is the Mali garnet, discovered in Mali in 1994. Like most gemstones, it comes in a variety of colors, with yellow, golden, and yellow-green among them.

Tourmaline

This gemstone comes in as many colors as you can think of. Of course, yellow is one of them, but rare. If one is available, chances are it is very expensive, despite having inclusions. Most tourmalines are either brown or black—known as dravite. Once in a while deep yellow tourmaline surfaces, called Canary tourmaline in the trade.

Canary tourmalines can have a range of colors, too. From pale yellow to deep golden. But the most valuable are the bright yellows, especially if those with a touch of green. Tourmaline is fairly common, but the best grades are those from Africa in the areas around Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, and Nigeria.

Jade

When people think of “jade,” what comes to mind is that smooth and adorable green stone wrapped around one’s wrist, on a pendant, or the centerpiece of a large ring.  But jade is not always green. There are white jades and yellow jades. But before digging right in, here’s a short and quick course on jades.

There are two minerals that can lay claim to being jade: nephrite and jadeite.

Nephrite is a form of jade with actinolite (a mineral commonly used as asbestos) with minor traces of other minerals like diopside, chromite, vesuvianite, serpentine, and others. Though mostly green, it also comes in white, yellow, and brown shades. As an adornment, it is mostly used in carved figurines or statues.

Jadeite, on the other hand, is composed of the mineral, pyroxene. Of the two, the latter is rarer to find, especially the Imperial Jade—the king of all jades. It is also tough, making it the favorite of jewelers. Jadeite, at its source, comes in small pieces: perfect for jewelry items. It is also rarer than nephrite, thus more expensive. Among the jade colors, yellow is the most affordable.

Danburite

Danburite is a calcium boron silicate mineral that forms in small prismatic crystals, very much like topaz. This mineral was first discovered in 1839 by Charles Shepard in Danbury, Connecticut—hence its name. Since then, danburite has been discovered in Russia, Japan, Myanmar, Madagascar, and Bolivia, to name a few.

Very high-quality danburite is colorless, but some stones come in white, light yellow, or shades of brown. Jewelers love to work on danburite due to its clarity and resilience. And it can be a bit expensive. A cut danburite can fetch a price upwards of $10,000.

Meanings of Colored Gemstones

Since time immemorial, people have always been trying to understand the deeper meaning of life, understand why things happen, predict what is going to happen, or prevent them from happening. So they read and put meanings on star formations, planet alignment, eclipses, markings on leaves, weather changes, or a black cat crossing their path. It’s much like how many believe that some gemstones can bring bad luck.

They read horoscopes, tarot cards, and consult soothsayers. And they buy gemstones with perceived properties that can answer their silent incantations which impact their lives. Aside from yellow gemstones, there are other gems that can benefit the body and soul, here are some of them:

Orange Gemstones

Orange represents confidence, joy, and enthusiasm. And orange gemstones help you use your personal power and increase your self-confidence. They stimulate creativity and give you the ability to adapt to changes.

Having any of the orange gemstones as a bracelet or earrings will give you more happiness and joy in life; strengthen your relationships, and integrate parts of your communal life. Orange Crystals symbolize home, family, and community. If you have one, you will never feel alone or abandoned.

The strength of orange gemstones will bring you back where you belong – in touch with the real world or with people who matter to you. In the world of chakra, they help in achieving a good pulse rate, a healthy gall bladder, and prevent kidney problems.

In the spiritual realm. orange gemstones spur creativity, sexuality, passion, harmony, freedom, and expression of emotions. For people who are on the rise of their careers, orange gemstones support strength and endurance. They can also enhance your leadership abilities.

Orange gemstones can also help the elderly in simple ways by making them feel a deep and life-changing kind of joy, something a lot of live-along elderly people need the most.

On the downside, too much orange causes self-centeredness. The wearer may become manipulative, self-serving, and totally unmindful of the needs of others. It can also cause too much pride and arrogance

Green Gemstones

This is the color of nature; the color of life. These stones symbolize renewal, harmony, and balance. This is the perfect stone for people who make their minds wander to grassy fields and lush trees; rumbling brooks, long stretches of beach and salty breeze; of peace and tranquility.

Green gemstones promote serenity, peace, wisdom, and health. As well as wealth and prosperity. Green is cool, and green gemstones cool your heart and mind; gives relief from feelings of listlessness, and dispel your scattered and unfocused thoughts.

Green gemstones also appeal to the Heart Chakra (Anahata chakra in Sanskrit), which governs feelings of trust, boldness, generosity, gratitude, and connectedness. It also controls emotions and self-love.

Green gemstones promote kindness and compassion. They help you show people your best side without feeling the need of putting a veneer of respectability on your face. On the physical side, green gemstones help renew depleted energy. They can promote cleansing and purification to help the body heal from illnesses, and alleviate pain.

Green gemstones exude certain energy. It can be a powerful energy of growth or the desire to expand. or the energy to overcome something. Or it can be the energy for creating healthy relationships.

Yellow Sapphire

What do yellow gemstones symbolize? For one, if you are the up-and-about, go-getter kind of person, then a yellow sapphire is best for you.

Yellow sapphire is a vivacious stone and can recharge your tired emotional system. It helps you feel more excited and joyful about the possibilities that may happen in your life and makes you express your ideas and feelings with confidence.

Worn throughout the ages, yellow sapphire is taken to provide protection, brings good fortune, and spiritual insight. It symbolizes power and strength, kindness, wise judgment, and strength.

The gem is exceptional in calming and focusing your mind, allowing for the release of mental tension and unwanted thoughts. It makes you open your mind to beauty and intuition; brings lightness and joy, and restores the balance within the body.

Yellow sapphire activates the Solar Plexus Chakra—located between the ribcage and navel and responsible for controlling the immune and digestive systems. This chakra gives the strength to fight infections, prevent allergic reactions, and better absorb the nutrients you take in

Wearing yellow gemstones radiates freedom, happiness, and concentration. Don’t you want to start wearing one now?

Now if you want to know what metal to match with your colored gemstones, check out our article “Metal Matching: Precious Metals and Gemstones.”