How much can i compromise on color for a radiant?

[sizedoesmatter]

Hi everyone,

I stubbled across ps a few days ago and i have to say i''m hooked! I''ve learned so much from the site but i still feel like a novice when it comes to finding the perfect radiant.

Here is my situation i have a lot of requirements and a strict budget...13K (I know not a good combination) and though i have been doing searches on my own i havent found a radiant that has my requirements and its within my budget.

First i need to know how high in the color grade i can go for a radiant...is j too high?

Second it has to have the measurements of a rectangle (emerald cut)

Last but not least i''m greedy and to me size does matter so i want the APPERANCE of a 2.5 or 3ct, but with a less than 3ct stone.

If any one has pictures of J color radiant set in platinum or white gold that would be lovely, and any vendor referrals will be much appreciated!!!!


PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!!!

 

[VuittonGal]

Deciding how high or low you can go with color is a personal choice. However, I do believe that radiants may show color more so than other cuts. Ideal rocks, do you know???

 

[coda72]

I''ll try to answer a couple of your questions. First off, color sensitivity is different from person to person. I know I would never buy a J colored radiant, but that''s me. I probably wouldn''t even buy an H because when I saw one in person it looked yellow tinted to me. Not everyone can see the yellow tint in H''s but I could. I would have to say though, that a J would probably start to look tinted to everyone. Fancy shapes tend to show color more easily than well-cut rounds. If I were you, I would keep the color to H or better.

About getting the larger diamond for the money, there''s no way you will even get a 2 carat well-cut radiant with a budget of 13,000. You can probably get a well-cut 1.5 or maybe a bit larger for 13,000, but it most likely won''t look like a 2.5 or 3 carat stone. Most often radiants look small for their weight, but if you buy one with the depth at or under 65%, it won''t look that much smaller than it should. Really, if all you care about is size, round brilliants do look the largest for their weight, provided they''re well-cut.

Sorry, can''t help you with any pictures of J colored radiants.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Hi Size!

Contrary to what some have said, radiant by it''s nature does NOT draw more color than an Ideal cut round diamond.
There are J color diamonds which do show a tint, and those that don''t- in any shape.

As far as your own personal sensativity to the tint of a J- it''s very individual. We''ve shown H color diamonds to people who saw a tint, and L color to other folks who did not notice the tint.
Many people choose to forgo color and get a larger diamond with a lower color, so you wil not be alone!
We''ve set many stones even darker than J in platinum or white gold- so that''s also a good option.

As far as shape, there are both rectangular as well as square radiant cut diamonds.
Your budget will make it difficult to buy a 2.50+ carat J color, unless you can find a good looking J/SI2.
Which might be kinda tough.

 

[lmurden]

I would not get a J color radiant! What vendor are you considering working with? What is their return policy? Maybe you could buy an extemely well cut H or I color loose diamond that is eye clean from every angle and see if you like it and if you don't like it send it back and try a better color. I have seen some really dingy fancy shape diamond so I would not skimp on the cut! Good luck.

 

[sizedoesmatter]

Thanks so much to everyone for your feedback!

My bf and I are coming into the city (NY) this weekend to start looking at stones in person but ultimately i''m sure we''ll buy online. Since i haven''t seen any radiants first hand i really dont know how "yellow" they can appear, but i''ll be sure to share my experiences with you.

I would also like to send a few emails to vendors to help me on my search but there are so many. What is a good number to start with so that i dont lose track or become overwhelmed?

 

[moremoremore]

Interesting Daivd- I thought that's why so many fancy colors are radiants- that they were really "designed" to show color...so you'd see more body color?

I would have a really hard time going anything lower than a G in any stone...but that's bc I'm a color psycho! If size is super important, I might even sacrifice a teeny tiny bit of cut quality

and find a shallow Si2 stone...I'd rather have a white stone..

 

[MissAva]

I would say two, I think you need to be respectful of the fact that this is their lively hood. I would say email WF and GOG. Both are really great! How much of your 13k burdget do you plan on putting towards the setting? If size or the apperence of size is a crucial factor I proably would not go for a radiant, pears and ovals look large on the hand in addtion to the RB that was already suggested. Oh and no I would not go to a J for a radiant, I would stay H or higher.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Hi everyone,
Moremoremore- yes, the shape of Radiant lends itself to fancy colors- but the cutters use different techniques on colorless Radiant colors.

To correct a few misconceptions:
It certainly IS possible to get a very well cut Radiant 2.00 for $13k.
Radiants can look quite large for their size- many do.


To all the people who would not even consider a J color- that''s your taste- and of course you are entitled to it. Sure, there are color fanatics who see yellow in an H- but that''s NOT true for the majority of people looking for diamonds.
I can tell you from personal experience that MANY people love J color diamonds- even K-L-M color. These folks are also entitled to their taste- and I certainly think it''s unfair to convince prosepctive shoppers into thnking that ther''s something wrong with a J color.
Just as people are "color-freaks" like MMM, there are also Size and Cut freaks- people who would rather sacrifice a little color to get a larger diamond.
As I''ve said, you can buy a very nice, well cut J color VS2 2ct radiant for less than $13k.
Contrast that with a price of over $20K+ for a G color 2 carat.
Simply because YOU want to buy the smaller higher color stone, don''t make the mistake of thinking everyone else feels the same way.

 

[widget]

Somewhere in the "Show Me the Ring" forum is a thread entitled: ''Show me your J color diamonds'' (or something like that..) are there any pictures of radiants there?

widget

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I think your name says it all. Size matters to you. I think going for an I/J and SI1/SI2 is a great way for you to get the largest stone for your money. I have an emerald cut that is I in color. Face up is is very, very white. No trace of yellow. Only in certain lighting, at certain angles can I see the warm yellow tint. Some women on here LIKE warmer diamonds and get a higher color by choice (imagine that!) Honestly sometimes (only sometimes) I wish I could never see color. But clarity was VERY important as it is an EC, cut was very important for obvious reasons, and we wanted a larger diamond as well, so color seemed to be the logical place to skimp on. A bezel setting would have been a way to "mask the color". Overall I am very happy with my I stone. My sidestones are G/H and there is noticable difference. I think once you see stones in the different colors you can make an informed decision. Good luck!

 

[sizedoesmatter]

Well i want my setting to have lots of diamonds which is why my budget for the center stone is 13K. I''m assuming my setting will be at least 2K.

I''m thinking about getting a pave halo setting so i that i can get the bigger appearance that i want and a lot of sparkle.

I guess i have to set my color standards higher and compromise on size since i can make up for it in the halo setting.

Everyone has been so helpful!

Thank you!

 

[mrssalvo]

Pearlman's has this 2 carat I-J radiant listed in their specials section for 10k
it might give you and idea of the color, but like every one has said. it's best to see them with you own eyes.

 

[MissAva]

DBL- where can someone get a well cut stone of any shape and clarity for 13k please post links and all other pertiant information. I myself would consider a J in a round but not in other shapes, it is just too easily visable. This is of course my opinion, but if you look at the fancies in the Show me your Js thread you will notice that certian posts such as pear show the tint really clearly even in pictures. Also when someone asks for an opinion we all respond with our''s, I am not saying yours counts for less but that is the vibe I got from the your post. Just letting you know.

 

[MissAva]

Nice find MrsSalvo!

I wonder why it is not certed coming from Fortunoffs?

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Matatora,
I appreciate your honesty.
Have you had much hands on experience with J-K-L color radiant, pear and oval diamonds?
Maybe you have- and of course expressing your opinion is what a forum is all about.
BUT- what bothers me is that people who haven''t had a lot of experience, act as if they are expert, and furthermore imply that there''s something intrinsically wrong with a J color radiant, pear, round, what have you.
Say you were a lurker here with a J color diamond-one that you love. How would you feel if folks were trashing it?

I can also express my opinion that well cut J-K-L color fancy shapes can look great- and not show a lot of tint. I am not doing this to sell anyone anthing- it is my opinion based on many years and thousands of diamonds.
Plus- it may serve to ease the minds of folks who have J color diamonds, and love them.

As far as a nice 2.00 for less than 13K- Mssalvo has shown a stone of Pearlmans for less than $10k.
The PS database has plenty of J/SI round stones in the $13k neighborhood.

We recently sold a J/IF 2.02 Emerald Cut for less than $12k.
People who do not mind J color- and there are plenty of them- get much larger stones for theor money.

 

[fancyrock]

You may also go to this site (go to: cut grading) to find out the guideline for well-cut fancy shape diamonds. Mine rock is just under 2ct (1.94ct) and it''s a 1A radiant according to the cut grading chart.

I rather have a well-cut rock than a big not-so-well-cut rock. (but that''s just me) Diamond is a very personal thing... you have to make sure YOU are happy with what you got.

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 9/21/2005 3:24:13 PM
Author: Matatora
Nice find MrsSalvo!

I wonder why it is not certed coming from Fortunoffs?

if i were a radiant girl, i would snatch that up in a heartbeat, probably change the setting but love the price

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Date: 9/21/2005 2:47:04 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
I think your name says it all. Size matters to you. I think going for an I/J and SI1/SI2 is a great way for you to get the largest stone for your money. I have an emerald cut that is I in color. Face up is is very, very white. No trace of yellow. Only in certain lighting, at certain angles can I see the warm yellow tint. Some women on here LIKE warmer diamonds and get a higher color by choice (imagine that!) Honestly sometimes (only sometimes) I wish I could never see color. But clarity was VERY important as it is an EC, cut was very important for obvious reasons, and we wanted a larger diamond as well, so color seemed to be the logical place to skimp on. A bezel setting would have been a way to ''mask the color''. Overall I am very happy with my I stone. My sidestones are G/H and there is noticable difference. I think once you see stones in the different colors you can make an informed decision. Good luck!

I just read my reply and I meant to say there is NO noticable difference between my G/H side stones and my "I" center stone. I think there is a stigma with higher color stones but honestly I do think you should still consider a J stone. Look at the J in Plt thread and I think you will be VERY surprised and pleased. Don''t rule it out until you see them in real life. Also I have no idea what kind of setting you want but they are very expensive. Mine was more than 2K so maybe you should reserve $10,000 for the stone (which is a great budget by the way) to be on the safe side.

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

I agree that if you don''t have room to be flexible with your budget then price out the settings first and then determine how much you want to spend on your stone. But that may or may not be an issue for you. I suggest this only because when I began pricing settings I was astonished at how much they were...and I was looking for yellow gold! Lucky for me I originally started out wanting the solitaire look, but in the end decided on something a little blingier heheh

As for color, I wholeheartedly agree that color is an extremely personal decision. It irritates me to hear people saying that other''s "sacrifice" color for size. Personally, I PREFER warmer stones (in my case in a yellow gold setting), than a D or E stone. So for someone to ASSume that I choose a warmer stone to get a larger size is well...you know how the saying goes

However, it is extremely important for you to SEE the actual colors in person because you will not know what you love until you see it. And I suggest if you can, ask a jeweler to lay the stones out in front of you and not tell you which color is which and see which one you are naturally drawn too (this will only truly work if all the stones are ideal b/c non-ideal stones tend to show color more than an ideal cut stone). But in the end it is YOUR the decision and you have to live with the final choice. So heed the advice you receive but also take it with a grain of salt. Goodluck on your search!

 

[valeria101]

See some... there is allot of room for variation in the cut of radiants and these do allot to ''show'' or ''hide'' color on purpose. Same goes for the setting. However, these remarks have little value comming from me because I cannot tell how much color you see or care to see in diamonds. Those shades are so subtle than at some point it is hard to tell where phisics stop and psichology begins

I would not call J yellow - unless I am prepared to call lemmons orange or red! These diamond colors are on a scale of their own.

Looks for K too! Those with brownish or graish tint (many are not ''yellow'' at all, but non-colorless is different ways) would fool allot of souls. Find a faint gray one and probably no mortal would be able to say ''this is tinted'' once the thing is set in gray metal (platinum).

Just my 0.2... Following David''s post, well, I have a bit of experience but I have no better way of communicating it than anyone else - just a personal opinion. To make things worse, I do not have any personal prefference between color grades - one can find exceptionally attractive stones anywhere on the chart, IMO.

 

[UCLABelle]

Diamonds by Lauren- I agree. When I first came to PS I started to feel bad when I kept reading that people say an "I" "J" or "K" were "poor" diamonds...I started to believe it and soon found myself "seeing" color in my "I" asscher that I did not see before. Then I found myself rec. anything "I" or above...even though I really never thought of my diamond as "pee" color or yellowish as some on this board said a while back...

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Date: 9/25/2005 9:43:52 AM
Author: valeria101
I do not have any personal prefference between color grades - one can find exceptionally attractive stones anywhere on the chart, IMO.

UCLABelle- It''s a case of people thinking that what they are into is the best.
Most people that love mustard on their hot dog, well they think you''re nuts if you love ketchup on it.

I agree with Ana - the "tinted" ones look fantastic- to me a J is just as nice as an icy white one.
I love all the colors, when they are well cut.

People should attempt to see for themselves.
Problem is, it''s tough to find a place that has comperable samples to look at. I don''t feel that non-ideal stones tend to show color more than an ideal cut stone, as a rule. I feel that if people are comparing two well cut round stones for color, they will get the idea- even if one is Ideal, the other simply a very well cut round.
BUT- trying to compare a round versus a Radiant- or Emerald cut- that''s not as useful.
Of course ultimately it''s the diamond that you are considering which must be veiwed to assess the desirability of color.

 

[karenleah15]

Date: 9/21/2005 2:28:20 PM
Author: Matatora
I would say two, I think you need to be respectful of the fact that this is their lively hood. I would say email WF and GOG. Both are really great! How much of your 13k burdget do you plan on putting towards the setting? If size or the apperence of size is a crucial factor I proably would not go for a radiant, pears and ovals look large on the hand in addtion to the RB that was already suggested. Oh and no I would not go to a J for a radiant, I would stay H or higher.

Wouldn''t you think that vendors would want emails from Sizedoesmatter? They sound like they are ready to purchase once they find the right diamond! I am not a vendor, just more of a lurker and diamond lover. I was going through this thread and saw this response and thought, "That doesn''t sound right to me."

Size I would think that it would be best to contact as many vendors as you like. I am sure most would be happy to help you in hopes that you would purchase your new diamond from them.