color over cut

[rosy]

Hi, I was at a jewelry store today looking at diamonds. The jeweler showed me two stones. One was an H colored diamond, the other an F colored diamond. By looking at the specs on the H colored diamond I could tell it was better cut than the F. It also sparkled more than the F. But somehow I still liked the F better. Has anyone experienced this before? Is it possible that sometimes color can take precedence over cut? Is cut really always king??

 

[valeria101]

Would a better cut F answer this question ?

It is way harder to change the color of a diamond than to polish those facets a bit more

 

[rosy]

Date: 12/23/2004 6:40:22 AM
Author: valeria101
Would a better cut F answer this question ?

It is way harder to change the color of a diamond than to polish those facets a bit more

I suppose an ideal cut F would be the hands down winner but if you were presented with an ideal cut H vs a slightly less than ideal F which would you choose?

 

[cflutist]

If you did not know which one was F and which one was H, and you didn''t know what all the numbers were, and you looked at them side by side, which stone is more beautiful?

Why did you like the F more than H? Was it because the lab report said F and F is still in the colorless range, or was it a more beautiful stone?

Answers to these questions will help you make your choice.

 

[rosy]

It''s because a lower color diamond will show it''s body color when you''re in the shade or when theres absence of light. Everyone says that a better cut diamond will mask it''s color but isn''t that only when there''s light present? An F color will pretty much look good whether or not theres a lot of light shining on it. & yes I could definitely see the difference in color & did not like the darkness or warmth of the H.

 

[Hest88]

Buy the one you like better, regardless of what others may like.

 

[codex57]

Date: 12/23/2004 1:46:43 PM
Author: Hest88
Buy the one you like better, regardless of what others may like.

I agree. Get the one you''ll be happy with. Well, you think she''ll be happy with. Can you see teh color differences? If not, then go for the cut since you say it sparkles more.

 

[moremoremore]

Meet in the middle and get a G?

 

[MichelleCarmen]

For sure buy the one you like more. One of my diamonds is a D and it sparkles very nicely. It's not cut as well as my G stone but it's cut near ideal and still is very beautiful. I'd definely choose the F if the stone is near ideal and gorgeous. If it's dull, I'd go for the H, but it sounds like you like whiter stones, so your other option is to continue looking.

 

[rosy]

Date: 12/23/2004 4:16:51 PM
Author: moremoremore
Meet in the middle and get a G?

Is there a big difference in the color of an F vs. a G, since you''re going from colorless to near colorless?

 

[codex57]

I can spot an F colored stone. Well, at least tell it''s not a D. Just cuz F is in the "colorless" range doesn''t mean it truly is colorless. I still prefer cut over color. The sparkles are what lay people tend to think makes a diamond pretty. The color ranges sorta blend together for most people and as long as it looks pretty clear, the sparkles caused by a better cut will be more impressive.

Take along an ideal-scope tho. Stones all sparkle a lot (even badly cut ones) under those jewelry store lights. An idealscope helps you weed out the really bad ones. Once you have the objective idealscope helping you, you can really tell which stone truly sparkles more than others.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[RockDoc]

Remember color grading is performed with the table side down. This is not the way it is worn or seen by a consumer.

Diamonds can face up differently than they are graded.

So it is possible that the H color diamond faces up closer to the F color stone, particularly if it very finely proportioned.

Why people spend $$$ on a face down appearance without considering its face up appearance to my opinion can really be a waste of money.

Additionally, D-F color diamonds that face up well sometimes look "icy". A little body color (commonly known as warmth color) is more attractive to some than others. Being able to recognize this takes a lot of practice with identical conditions ( type of light etc.) .

Get more information about these two stones if you feel "in doubt". Possibly consider having an appraiser go to the store with you so he can independently advise you.

Hope this helps.

Rockdoc

 

[valeria101]

Date: 12/24/2004 3:35:59 PM
Author: rosy
Is there a big difference in the color of an F vs. a G, since you're going from colorless to near colorless?

There is never a "jump" between grades... diamonds have no idea they are supposed to be graded, so they insist to have just any ever so slight tint.

Grades are intervals really, not a precise standard. And these intervals get wider and wider down the scale (meaning, there is more 'distance' between J and K than between D and G.. say). It is almost incredible to me that anyone could tell F from D consistently unless grading conditions are provided - the grades are impossibly close.

At least I would not say "big difference" while talking of diamond color grades. It's always "small difference" before you get to see real color (way below near colorless, as far as I can see).

Anyway, is it feasible to pass by a jewelry store and look at a couple of diamonds of different color grades ? There is really not easy to describe what they look like given that such slight color differences almost never matter anywhere else. The difference between those letters printed on a cert seems so much more than what they are meant to describe IMO.