No matter what you guys tell me...I DON'T LIKETHE YELLOW OF AN I!

The title is just for effect.  No offense intended towards anyone. 

But...

I've pretty much made-up my mind that regardless of comment here to the contrary, "I's" and below are just TOO yellow!!  Buth then again...I value the opinions here...So here I am...

I saw a line-up of diamonds and could VERY easily see the yellowness of a I when compared to an F.  And, I didn't notice the same thing with an H...Or at least not as much.  Although I could tell it was not as appealing as an F.  One thing I do know is that an F is VERY pretty as far as "Whiteness" goes.

Here, I've seen many comments stating that H-J is just fine and the yellow can't be noticed.

Now...Again...I am a novice here and accept the simple fact that I'm being uber critical here and am not looking at the stones the way they'll be looked at in real life (Could that be my problem?)  I am looking at them in that little white paper holder they put them in and am looking at them from the side rather than the top.  But, I looked at them under florecent lights and regular lights.  I also looked at them under one of those daylight lamps my jewler has.

I was surprised when I noticed the difference...And so was the jeweler.  He was basically telling me what I've read here...That really, H-J is not that bad.  He said, at one point, when I was able to easily pick-out the I due to it's yellowness, when it was randomly mixed-in with other stones that "I'm seeing it...No doubt".  Which kind of surprised me because I didn't assume that I, as opposed to other normal people, would be able to pick anything out??

So anyway...What's my deal?  Should I remember that whatever stone I chose will be in a setting, under normal lighting, and not looked-at nearly as critical as me and remain open to the idea of going with a G, H, I or even a J??

You are saying nothing opposite to what has been advised to you.

You have now looked at them, in the way that they are graded, being in a white paper, looking from the side. From this side, you can see the real body colour, and you should be able to see the difference. After all, you are a human being just as a grader is, and you need to look from that direction to be able to judge the colour.

What has been advised and repeated, is that face-up, the story is entirely different. Then, the body colour of the stone is masked by its brilliance. Even experienced graders cannot grade the colour in this direction, also because the better the cut, the more brilliance will be masking the real body colour.

Of course, in less bright light environments, with less light entering the stone, you will have less brilliance masking the colour.

The problem is, that you have looked at colour now, like a grader would look at it. The question is, however, do you still consider I too yellow, when you are judging it face-up, and in different light environments. In the end, that is a personal matter of taste and what you feel comfortable with.

In any case, do not let us push you into something that you feel uncomfortable with. We are here for advise, which is well intended, but might not always fit your requirements. Most important is that you enjoy the ride.

Live long,

Paul Slegers
Infinity Diamonds
www.CraftedByInfinity.com

Color is personal.  Some people can see color instantly, and some can't see any differences.  Thus, many people are very happy with H & I.  I happen to see color pretty easily, so try to move up in color whenever possible. 

The real advise here is not to assume that H&I is fine, but to go out and look at some well cut stones and compare to see what your eyes can see.  (They must be well cut for the comparison to be valid if you are going to by and ideal cut stone.)  There has been talk lately about "Mind clean" as oppose to"eye clean" stones.  IMO it is the same for color, cut and everything else.  You have to be comfortable with it.  Don't make your decisions based on what others will think, but what you and your intended will be happy with for the long term. 

From the side you're definitely going to notice the color, hence why we say a well cut "I" should "face up" fairly white. The brilliance of a well-cut stone flashing light from the table masks the color, and the table is where a diamond is generally viewed when set into a ring.

By viewing the stones you now know what color you can live with and what you can't. That's a very good thing!

The cut and shape of the stone willl make a big difference. A very well cut round stone in an I color may look okay to you.

On the other hand, if you have looked at well cut stones and still feel they are too yellow, you should go to an F or G. Just make certain that you are looking at well proportioned stones. You should get a Sarin or OGI and run the numbers on the cut advisor. If you want a very white stone, maybe an I is not for you. I have a well cut I color stone and it looks great to me. But it might not be what you want. Since this is an engagement ring, you should feel good about what you are giving and an I might not do it for you.

Just make certain that you are comparing colors on well cut stones. 

I agree that the cut makes a big difference in what colour shows when the stone is set. I initially wanted an F colour because I saw a G stone that looked too yellow in the setting! However, I ended up buying an H ideal cut RB and couldn't be happier. The thing looks so freaking white in it's setting, even when compared with my partner's E emerald cut.

Colour is personal though. If you don't like the I, don't buy it. Only you know how much it's worth to you.

My basic problem is...I think...

I've never cared about diamonds.  Never even cared enough to be able to tell you what kind my mother, sister or any woman I have ever known has (Except for one...She had an oval one with the multiple side stones, and I noticed that because it was so beautiful...But for all I know, it wasn't even REAL.  I'm sue it was).  I just don't know, from experience or from reading here, or even from looking at the stones I've seen at the jeweler what is "Good" or not.  All I've seen is a VERY low grade clarity stone.  1.5 carates for $1500.00.  With a loop, I saw all the black spots...Probably about 20 of them.  But with my naked eye, don't think I could see any of them.  But then again...I need glasses!)

Bascially, I have no experience.  I don't know if the stones I saw will look OK in a setting or not.  We put some in settings, and I couldn't really see the difference.  But then again, I don't know if it was a fare comparison because we were rushed that day.  So that was no help.  I do know that when I was looking at the "I" in the little white box they sit in, in the case, I could see its "Yellowness" when compared to others around it.  But then again, like the jeweler said when I noticed this, the little white box is VERY white, and even I know the yellowness will be exaggerated.

Anyway...More input will be appreciated.

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You are all beautiful people. Thank you so much!!

What do you think about that Emerald Cut?  My girlfriend mentioned that she REALLY likes it (But I have a problem...We were looking at normal rings, not engagement rings, so I don't know if she would like it in an engagement ring or not, because at the same time, she also said she doesn't like the round cut.) and am wondering what others think of them?

I have to be honest.  I don't like them...Not at all.  No offense intended.  But this is not about me, it's about her.

How common are Emerals Cuts for Engagement Rings?

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You are all beautiful people. Thank you so much!!

ECs are by far my favorite common fancy shape. What they lack in flash they make up for in icy, mesmerizing elegance.

Like all fancy shapes, though, it takes some searching to find a great one. Chrono just got an incredible one, though, darn it, she doesn't have any pictures.

http://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/view.asp?mode=viewtopic&topicID=20561&num=30&pageNo=1

I have an emerald cut diamond for my engagement ring.  It isn't common (the first reason that made me gravitate to that particular shape) and it isn't flashy-in-your-face like RBs.  A well cut EC should NOT look like a piece of glass but should still have a lot of fire and sparkle; it's just that it isn't as "busy" as a round cut diamond. 

If you should end up choosing an EC, do a search for the "ultimate emerald cut" in Rocky Talky. The thread might prove helpful.  It was started as a thread to educate myself on picking the right/perfect EC.

Edited to add: Hest beat me to the post.  I don't have any pictures of this EC (yet).  It's being set and I hope to take some pictures soon.  I should have taken a few pictures of it unset too but it's too late now.

In terms of which cut I like best, I prefer the RB to the Emerald Cut, but my partner likes the clear straight lines of the EC. I agree with what other's have said... it can take some work to find one that does not look like a piece of glass, or is too shallow or too deep. I'm happy with the one we found!

What does she like about the EC? The rectangular shape? The cut pattern?

"Have you ever noticed, anyone going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac"--George Carlin

Wow, where to start.......

Let's start here:  If you were looking at diamond that run $1500 for a 1.5 carat, you were looking at crap.  When you look at crap, it isn't anywhere near representative of what honest-to-God, well-cut diamonds will look like.  Not even close.

A few things about color.....here is what you've been told so far about color:  In a round brilliant diamond that is well-cut and viewed by itself and viewed in the face-up position, it will not appear yellow to all but the most color sensitive people. 

That statement is TRUE.  I've underlined the parts that are important......because if you deviate from these parameters, there is a larger chance the diamond will show more tint.  Such deviations mean:  if you put an I diamond next to an F, OR if you look at a crappy-cut I-color diamond, OR if you look at an I-color in a fancy shape, OR if you look at it face down unmounted, OR if you look at an I-color graded by EGL.......all of these examples may cause an I diamond to show more tint or yellow.

If you've gone to Zales to look at an I diamond, you're not seeing what a truly well-cut, AGS/GIA, well-cut I diamond looks like.  They are both diamonds, but the similarity ends there.

You need to figure out what you want for SURE.  If you want emerald cut, I'd say you'll need to go higher than I.

At the end of the day, if you don't like something, then you don't have to buy it, right?  So if you've seen really well-cut I stones in emerald cut and you still feel you see the color, then raise your parameters.  No one here has said YOU MUST buy an I....they are offering suggestions on how you *might* be able to massage your parameters to get the best blend of elements.  If you can't live with an I color, then you just massage another parameter and up the color, right?

_____________________
Note: Chainsaw Not Sold Separately.

Oh man...This post is FREAKING ME OUT!!  These square/rectangle cuts CAN LOOK LIKE GLASS???

Hell...I'm lucky if I can TELL diamonds from Glass!!  No offense, but I couldn't tell you what the above picure is. I assume it's a diamond because it's here.

Anyway...

I have no idea what kind she likes.  She just said she likes them because they're "Different".

I think I'll end up going with Pearl now...Especially after this "Glass" warning.  Thanks for the insight.

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You are all beautiful people. Thank you so much!!

Thanks for these comments about tehm being common for Engagement Rings...That makes me feel better!!

Can't really go with your idea on finding-out why though...

1)  I don't trust her best friend to keep a secret.

2)  She would catch on in an instant!

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You are all beautiful people. Thank you so much!!

I shouldn't say I don't like it.  I really shouldn't.  I never considered it, and as soon as she pointed it out, I was surprised.  I guess I just like the classics...Round or maybe Oval or Pear.

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You are all beautiful people. Thank you so much!!

Some people truly prefer "icy" white, colorless while many prefer a tiny bit of color, a tad of yellow or brown, in their nearly colorless diamond.  If you have a darker skin tone, if you are setting the stone into yellow gold, if you live in the tropics where the sun is more intense, it is much more common to select a somewhat more tinted diamond.

When you buy a house or move into an apartment, it is rare that you leave the walls the stark, pure white of a fresh contractor's paint job.  The eye likes a little softness to stark color.  This is why we say we want white walls, but nearly always throw a tiny bit of black, brown, blue, green or yellow into the paint.  We may even still say the walls are painted white, but really they may have a slight tint.  It just is a little more relaxing or aesthetically pleasing.

The budget frequently dictates using reason in color grade, too.  In tiny diamonds D-F are pretty much identical.  At some point they become discernible, but they always are a close call.  In larger diamonds, the tinted shades of H/I/J/K show much more than in 1 carat sizes.  Color grading in diamonds is unlike any other object in the natural world.  We adjust the color grade according to size.  A 5 carat K color looks quite a bit darker than a 1 carat K color.....Nothing else is graded in this way.  Normally one grades color or objects based on what the eye sees, but with diamonds the color scale is adjusted back to a normative size, at just about .75ct to 1.00ct, for grading all diamonds.  This is controversial and often not understood clearly by graders, but it happens to be the case.

David S. Atlas

GG(GIA), ASG, Sr. Mbr. NAJA

www.datlas.com

I know you're not familiar with ECs, but believe me it's as classic as you can get.

I really think, given her rect and sq comment, you're safest going with a princess or radiant. Ovals are nice. Pears and marquises are a tad more controversial and people either love them or hate them.

Thanks so much...These are GREAT comments.  They'll help a lot.

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You are all beautiful people. Thank you so much!!

Well she's fare, we live in Indiana, and I think I'm going with gold.  So, it looks like I need to keep it pretty clear in color (Which will make me feel better after my observations of the different tints I've described here).

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You are all beautiful people. Thank you so much!!

Well, that makes me feel a lot better.  Knowing they're "Classic".  Thanks!

And I am thinking we might be ok with a Pearl. It was my first choice (Even before I found-out they are more economical than round) and my girlfriend does like "Different" stuff.

We'll see...

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You are all beautiful people. Thank you so much!!

"Have you ever noticed, anyone going slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac"--George Carlin

Yep!

Do it all the time.  Leave letters out, put extra ones in...Even use a word in a spot where I'm planning on using it later in the sentence.  Poor speller too.

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You are all beautiful people. Thank you so much!!

Date: 11/8/2004 3:376 PM
Author: Hest88
Ah, thanks Pear; I saw him type pearl in a few places so I was getting worried!

I was thinking I had done that.  And now that I think about it more, I've done it a few times and caught it too.

Something's hard-wired wrong. 

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You are all beautiful people. Thank you so much!!