Color: At what point can you tell a difference?

[poorboy]

I have started to look at diamonds quite seriously over the past few weeks and have a question for everyone about color.

At what point can you start seeing that the diamond is not colorless when not compared to another diamond? I think that I can start to see it when you get to H, but a G looks perfect to me. I have not had a G next to a D with white background, but I have had a mounted D next to a G and had trouble seeing the difference.

Would love to hear your thoughts - my gf no doubt will be looking at the rock more than I ever will, so I want to make sure I get her something that looks white (since it will have a platinum setting).

Thanks all and enjoy the Holiday!

 

[strmrdr]

it depends on at what point it bugs you.
everyones eyes vary. some people can see the color but like and or tolerate it to get a bigger stone.

for me its in a very well cut round its most J stones I can see the color in when they are by themselves.

In asschers its I colored stones.

so h in both is safe for me.

 

[belle]

in most lighting conditions i think a well cut ''j'' faces up as white as a ''d''. so for earrings and pendants ''j'' is easily my choice for color. for a ring, i would prefer ''g'' or higher because i can see color from the side in h/i/j.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 11/23/2005 10:47:25 PM
Author:poorboy

I have had a mounted D next to a G and had trouble seeing the difference.

Would love to hear your thoughts.

Agreed with that. Around 1 ct it would take lower grades to 'tint' a set stone.

You may find this account of what color and clarity grades look like useful. Unlike description from diamond sellers, Sotheby's caught up the visual effects of the grades.

I can't know how 'sensitive' your GF will be to color because there seems to be a large subjective side to these decisions, but I suspect some description as cited draws on allot more educated public opinion than this forum.

G sounds great - it wouldn't be me seeing color in it.

Some knowledgeable buyers around here ended up making F-SI1 sort of a worst-kept secret (Garry's 9 carat round and Cflutist's pear come to mind). You may want to give it a thought if there is no G color turns up on your search.


My 0.2

 

[cflutist]

Date: 11/23/2005 11:30:58 PM
Author: valeria101

Some knowledgeable buyers around here ended up making F-SI1 sort of a worst-kept secret (Garry''s 9 carat round and Cflutist''s pear come to mind). You may want to give it a thought if there is no G color turns up on your search.

Fancy shapes tend to show more color than well cut RBs. My 3.01 F-SI1 pear looked "dirty" next to my 2.05 D-VS2 oval.

 

[Mara]

I would run a search on this very same question using the Search tool up above, it is a question that has been discussed MANY times, with many of us saying what we thought previously...It''s such a prevalent question that I can''t even muster the long comment I probably had last time someone asked it and the time before that...

But it really depends on your eyes and how you perceive color. I had a G and then an H and now a J and I loved them all and the J does show a tiny bit of warmth from side view but face down it''s as white as my old stones, my husband has an E ACA H&A and he swears it looks the same as his...but it doesn''t. As others have said before, color grades are there for a reason, but how your eyes perceive color is very different from someone else.

Good luck!

 

[solange]

It really depends upon how much you are willing to trade off in color for size. I wanted a large stone so I got an I, SI2. The stone is an excellent cut and looks very sparkly. I think it is the size that makes an impact. It is 4.10. It looks white enough in most lighting conditions. I would have preferred an F or G but in the size I have, there was a tremendous difference in price. Also, this is not an engagement ring. It was an anniversary present after being married many years and I wanted a stone larger than my engagement ring..

If I were buying a smaller stone, I would want at least an F or G because it will be more outstanding because of the whiteness. You really have to look at stones and decide where you begin to see color and the decide, according to your budget, whether you want better color or larger size. For me, I was the cut off. Also, a good way to get the most stone for your money is to get an eye clean SI stone.

You seem to be asking the right questions and I am sure you will find a beautiful stone.

 

[Dancing Fire]

if it was free

i would be lying if i said.. i''ll take a J over a D color

if i have to pay for it,i can live with an H or better.

 

[kenny]

Yes, ability to see color differences varies from person to person.
Here is another perspective.

Let's say that you put six loose diamonds (all the same cut, size and clarity) a D, E, F, G, H, and an I side by side, table down with a white background under optimum light.
Next let's say that the D and the E looked identical to you.
The D and the F look identical to you.
The D and the G look identical to you.
But with the H you start to start to detect a very faint color.

IF that were the case, most people would see no reason to pick an E or an F.
They would argue, "Don't pay for what you can't see."
But you may want an E or an F anyway.
Why?
Just because you know it is better, more rare, more desireable.
You may just be that kind of person, afterall you are shopping at Tiffany even though you know you paying a big premium for "that Tiffany feeling".
Plus your girlfriend may be more sensitive to color than you are.
Or you may go for the G since it is the lowest-cost grade that looks the same as a D to your eyes.

Unless you are Bill Gates every diamond is a compromise of the 4 Cs.
There are no strict rules about which of the 4 Cs should be your priority.
Although it seems the more I learn the more I realize that cut is king.
Size is the least important to me personally, but I am in the vast minority.

Take your time.
Look at as many diamonds as you can, preferably loose.
Don't let anyone rush you.

 

[gailrmv]

Mine''s a RB and an I color - and I love it. Its in plat and seems completely colorless to me. Of course it was the hubby who was doing the shopping (years back) so I didn''t compare it side by side w/ others. He chose excellent cut and carat as the most important Cs. I didn''t care about the specs as long as it looks good which it does.

 

[JohnQuixote]

The difference between descending color grades is subtle and can be influenced by things like fluorescence, and the quality of the diamond’s cut - especially in rounds. A well-cut near-colorless round can look as good or better than colorless rounds of average cut. Further, with a well-cut round you can even go to an I or a J before noticing a huge difference within those near-colorless grades (GHIJ).

Price differences are not as subtle. Prices jump when you cross the line from near-colorless to colorless. The reason for the price jump is not because there's necessarily a noticeable difference. It is because colorless diamonds are considered more rare, so you're paying for the rarity, not necessarily for a much "better" looking diamond.

Note that some labs grade softer than others. A diamond given an F by a soft lab might actually be a G or an H if graded by a strong lab like the AGS or GIA. Make sure you are comparing apples to apples. The visual difference between two or three colors graded by the same lab, with the same cut quality is not noticeable to most people. People who are color sensitive may pick up the difference, but it's slight. Also, if (for example) an H is alone on your finger, NOT mounted next to (for example) an E it may not look any different to anyone unless you were to set the two right next to each other.

To some people one or two grades matters a lot. To others, it matters not at all. Color and clarity tolerances are very personal, subjective matters - with no wrong decisions.

 

[CoutureFemme]

I have a D, F, H, and L. By itself, I can see a SLIGHT tint for the L. Side by side with the H, it''s pretty obvious. With the D, it''s a whole ''nother ballgame!

 

[Lorelei]

I have a 1ct G and a much larger L both RBs. Face up the l has a very slight warmth comparing the two, but you have to look for it, it doesn''t jump out, from the side the difference is much more apparent.

 

[squarediamondlove]

It really depends on HER preferance, whether she cares what color it is and whether she can pick it up. However, since you are unlikely to know her preference, I say you cannot go wrong with G or higher. Also I think most people would say, and I agree, that you really do not need to go above an F for color (unless she likes the idea of D, or is highly sensitive and actually perfers a D)

Assuming you want to make sure the stone looks white to her:

It also depends on whether you are interested in rounds or fancies. For fancies (especially pear shapes and emeralds) you will probably need to stay with G or higher (perferably F or higher) since you will start seeing a tint more clearly form an H. I can pick up color right away on fancies so for me H already starts to look yellow, G looks like it has a tint, F looks not yellow but not crisp white either, and E & D look white. I don''t know if I am just used to looking at a D and thus can pick up colors that are not D, but I can see a tint starting form F in most cases with fancies. A very good cut however will lessen the effect of color.

Rounds are another ball game. Some people actually perfer a warmer glow to a round. Also great cut/ideal rounds look whiter than fancies table up of the same grade color. From the side is another story though. You will see the color mere readily form the side. If you perfer a whiter looking stone I wouldn''t go with anything lower than an H. If you go with an I, consider getting a stone with medium/strong floresence because it may look whiter (although some tend to look darker b/c of floresence and you should make sure the floresence doesn''t make the stone look cloudy. )


Perhaps some ways of finding out what her likely preference would be:
(1) Is she size over quality kind of gal - if so than maybe you would want to go lower in color to get a bigger size ring. If she perfers quality and rather have a smaller stone as a result, I''d go with an F.
(2) Is she artistic? - would she spot the color?
(3) Is she a bit materialistic or elitest? - I know this sounds awful but what I mean is, does she care about the quality of the stone or its worth eventhough she would not be able to see a difference. Just to know that she has a good quality stone in all respect including color.
(4) What quality of jewelry does she already have?
If anyone has any other suggestions....

 

[decodelighted]

Here''s my layman''s breakdown of color prefs (ideal world - my budget or a particular love affair with a stone could convince me otherwise easily):

under 1ct ideal rounds: F-J
under 1ct premium rounds: F-I
under 1ct premium fancies: F-H
1-1.5 ish ideal rounds: F-J
1-1.5ish premium rounds: F-I
1-1.5ish premium fancies: F-H
Over 1.5 ish ideal rounds: F-I
Over 1.5 ish premium-v.good rounds: F-H
Over 1.5 ish premium fancies: F-G

FYI -- I was thrilled, thrilled, thrilled when the independent appraisal of my GIA cert 1.5 "H" color asscher came back "G". Now it was already set in platinum and is a little harder to grade in those circumstances - but - who cares! That''s what it looked like to an expert. "Color me" thankful! Gobble Gobble.

 

[poorboy]

Thanks all for the great discussion. As I indicated in my initial post, I am considering going with a G because I can not really see any color in the G mounted stones.

I am basically looking to maximize each of the 4 Cs to the greatest extent possible. With this, the following is the breakdown:

Cut - Definitely want a very well cut stone - this is very important.
Color - probably a G
Clarity - probable a VS2
Carat - give that a stone fits the above three Cs, I will maximize size up to my budget.

Happy Thanksgiving all!

 

[kenny]

How refreshing to see another who puts size last!

My kind of shopper!

 

[UCLABelle]

I can see color between anything F (or higher) and I (or lower)...

I have an "I" (GIA cert.) color Asscher (Square cut emerald). My wonderful man picked it though so I could have a bigger stone ( 2 ct). It works out great for us and I can only on certain occasions see a tint of color. The setting (antique) has G/H color stones and I can''t really tell. I have D color asscher earrings (they are small) and I can easily tell the color diff between them and my engagement ring.

 

[Lynn B]

There is a common misconception that color is bad. It is not bad, it simply "is". There are people who actually prefer a little color in their diamonds since the warmer tint of an I/J/K stone might actually look better against their skin than the hard white of a D colored diamond. Then there is also the significant price difference between grades - many people who refuse to sacrifice "cut" are quite willing to compromise on color (and clarity) to get a bigger stone.

I had a beautiful AGS-0 1.53 G/VS2 RB. I was a newbie and G/VS was a nice comfy "safety zone". But Diamond Shrinkage Syndrome set in after about a year, and I traded up for another AGS-0 RB: this time a 2.36, J/SI2. Whoooaaaa, baby! This diamond is gorgeous, white, and totally eyeclean. It outshines any other diamond I have ever seen in my real life.

Do I miss the G color? No. Do I miss the VS2 clarity? No. Why would I miss what I couldn''t "see" anyway? Do I love the sparkle and adore THE SIZE? OH YEAH, baby!

Attached is a photo of my old G next to my new J. Face-up in real life I couldn''t tell any (color) difference.