Is this diamond pink or brown?

[nala]

Sometimes it looks pink But sometimes it looks brown.

 

[kenny]

You can't judge diamond color from pics.
There are a zillion things that alter the "true" color by the time a pic gets to our computer monitors.
Also colored things in the environment can be reflected by the diamond, making the diamond appear that color.

To be as sure as humanly-possible of the color grade, remove it from the setting and send it to GIA for grading.

 

[nala]

I'm going to paraphrase my question: does this stone look pink enough to have it graded? Or will it be a waste of money bc of the brown tint?

 

[arkieb1]

Take it off your hand put it upside down against a pure white background. We cannot tell or even guess against your skin what colour it is.

 

[kenny]

I'm going to paraphrase my question: does this stone look pink enough to have it graded? Or will it be a waste of money bc of the brown tint?

Any pink will mean it is quite valuable if both the color and the material are of fully natural origin.

Assuming it is a real diamond and not some other gemstone, there are 3 possibilities:
1. Most valuable: Both the material itself and the color are natural, just as they came from the earth.
2. The material was mined from the earth but the color is the result of treatment in a lab.
3. Least valuable: The material was produced in a lab, which of course means the color is also not natural.

Unfortunately many vendors sell #2 and call them natural diamonds, conveniently not mentioning that the color is the result of treatment in a lab, not the earth.
IMO representing a mined diamond with treated color as a 'natural colored diamond' is fraud.
Clearly many vendors get away with this, and customers are walking around sure they are wearing a real natural pink or even red or blue diamond.
There is nothing wrong with these stones.
What is wrong is misrepresenting them, like selling a Toyota with a Lexus badge.

GIA is the authority on making the call on the origin of both things, material and color.
Some appraisers may make an educated guess, but I suspect they do not all have the expertise or equipment that GIA has to detect the latest sophistication lab manipulation. (It's a cat and mouse game as crooks develop new trick.)
Even if an appraiser did, any document they give you would NOT an educated FCD buyer to pull out their checkbook.
Considering the high price of fully natural pink diamonds only a GIA report can do that.

Now for clues:
Where did you get it from, inheritance or purchase?
If purchased it is less likely to be of fully natural color and material origin since diamond sellers are not likely to be informed and not likely to sell a pink diamond that may be fully natural without getting a GIA report on it since so much money is at stake.

Here's one way to judge the color ...
Cut a small hole in a large piece of white paper or white cardboard.
Place the diamond on a white piece of paper near a bright window.
Hold the paper with the hole in front of your face near the diamond.
Look through the hole at the diamond.
What color do you see?

Taking an accurate picture of a colored diamond can be a daunting challenge, even for an experienced photographer with fine equipment and lighting.

Diamonds are little boxes of mirrors that reflect things in their environment like the color of the photographer's shirt or the color of the draperies behind the photographer.
This hole-in-white-paper thing lets the diamond reflect only white of the paper so you are left seeing only the body color of the diamond.

FWIW below are listed the four GIA color grades that include pink and brown.
They are, listed from least pink to most pink.

Pinkish Brown (much more brown than pink and least valuable of the four grades)
Pink Brown
Brown Pink
Browninsh Pink (much more pink than brown and the most valuable of the four grades)

 

[nala]

Kenny, thanks for all the info. I bought the ring from my estate jeweler who has become a good friend. Bc he hadn't sent it to GIA he sold it to me as if it was a treated diamond but with a no return policy. He usually allows me to return but bc I took a gamble this was the condition. He tested it for me with the usual diamond tester and it did test as a diamond. I will try your other advice in the morning.

 

[kenny]

So, are you now hoping the color is actually of natural origin, and the seller didn't know what he had? (not likely)

Or, are you happy with your purchase as is, and have no intention of discovering whether you won the lottery, similar odds BTW.

 

[nala]

So, are you now hoping the color is actually of natural origin, and the seller didn't know what he had? (not likely)

Or, are you happy with your purchase as is, and have no intention of discovering whether you won the lottery, similar odds BTW.

Lol. No. I bought the diamond bc I liked it as is and it will look great in an empty setting I have. It would be nice to know I hit the jackpot but no, that was not my motivation. I plan to wear it and enjoy it. But as to the question, I was curious to see what others saw.

 

[GliderPoss]

Kenny's advice is excellent as usual. Personally i would get it tested.

On a side note, I have a beautiful Australian natural zircon that acts just the same - some lights it's sort of champagne brown, others it's pale salmon pink! I think your stone is lovely and would re-set it in rose gold to emphasise the pink tones.

 

[kenny]

I think it's a very beautiful stone.

Enjoy.

 

[nala]

So here are two pictures in a more controlled environment.


I think I am starting to see more brown than pink. As for the setting I currently have, it is yellow gold. I would have loved rose gold, but this setting is perfect. Although I do have a white gold one too. Maybe I will start a new thread on that.

 

[junebug17]

I think it's really beautiful nala!

 

[kenny]

Nice pics.

But they are a good example of what I said earlier that many things can change the apparent color.

Look at the pics below but ignore the diamond and just look at the white tissue. (I assume it is white.)
Notice in your left pic the tissue looks bluish, and it looks brownish in the right pic.
I assume it is the same tissue.
If it is the same tissue it should look the same color in both pics ... white.

In this case the white balance setting of the camera was likely not matched to the light source.

Hope you don't mind, I dragged the pics into an editing program and adjusted the white tissue to look as close to white as I could manage.


Of course this is all about the diamond's color, not the tissue's color.
But a white thing is a fantastic reference for color correction.

Notice how in your upper-left pic the diamond does look more bluish, but in your right pic it looks more brownish.

The pics on the bottom are more useful for judging the diamond's color because the white tissue is now close to white.

Original pics:



Closer to white balanced:

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Oh, I think that stone just HAS to be set in rose gold!

 

[kelpie]

My guess is it was a brownish stone that had HPHT + irradiation + heating to give a pink color. http://www.wtocd.be/en/Fundamental/fundamental_research.html

 

[jillianfl]

I wouldn't be able to resist either I'd want to know so I'd shell out to get it tested if it were me You will enjoy it either way it is beautiful! I definitely see pink! Don't know whether I see brownish pink or pinkish brown but regardless I do see pink But my opinion means nothing b/c I am not employed by the GIA haha... I definitely do see some pink though