0.5c CBI - Which color/clarity?

[Aimyr]

Hi again,

I know color/clarity is a personal choice, but for a 0.5 carat Crafted By Infinity diamond, what would you suggest?
What´s the best bang for the buck? And if you could stretch the budget a bit, what would your upper limit be after which point you can barely notice any difference?

Would love your input!
Thanks!

 

[TreeScientist]

G/H for color and VS1/VS2 for clarity is my personal "sweet spot" if going in a WG/platinum solitaire, but everyone on the site has different preferences and will give you different advice.

Finding an eye-clean SI1 would likely offer you the best bang for your buck, and dropping down to I color would be great if you're not color sensitive. Regarding eye-clean, you can trust the reps at HPD to give you an honest opinion on the eye-cleanliness of any diamond in their inventory, so I wouldn't hesitate to purchase an SI1 from them that they told me was eye-clean.

If going into yellow gold or rose gold, that's a different story. Then I would say the I/J color range would be the best bang for your buck, as you'll be much less likely to notice a hint of color if the setting is not white.

The upper limit, after which point you wouldn't notice a difference, would be F for color and VS1 for clarity. I have yet to hear from anyone on these forums who could see the difference between a F and a D in mounted diamonds, and anything beyond VS1 for clarity is overkill, as VS1 is, by definition, eye-clean. However, I would argue that G would still be the upper limit in a .5 carat, as it's really difficult to see small differences in color in diamonds below 1 carat. I would be highly doubtful that you could tell the difference between a F and a G in a .5 carat, even when viewed from the side.

Rather than stretching your budget for higher color and clarity, I would recommend putting any extra money towards a larger diamond, as size is something that you WILL notice a difference in. If given the choice between a F/VS1 .5 carat and a H/SI1 (eye-clean) .6 carat, I would take the .6 carat any day.

 

[pyramid]

Can definitely notice D from G. D is much more whiter, brighter even, like daylight as opposed to indoor light. G does look white but if looking for it can see some hint of very slight, very light yellow. D and E are easy to separate from G, not sure about F as there must be some lower F that are top G's. I really notice colour at H so except for earrings wouldn't buy. Everyone is different but if I see a stranger with a diamond I can instantly tell if it is colourless although may be fake as they are D colour. Can people here not see the difference in brightness, like ice, in a D colour from a G, or a cz from a G? G is good but not colourless. Diamonds graded upside down the 'V' outline of the pavilion disappears with colour and looks less v-looking, okay if pavilion covered in setting.

 

[OoohShiny]

IIRC all CBI stones' rough is chosen specifically so that inclusions won't affect performance of the finished stones, and they are cut to minimise negative effects and be as eye-clean as possible. I believe several people on the forum have SI1 stones that they are very happy with!

Me personally, I'm a bit of a clarity freak so would prefer VS1 or a VS2 with no dark inclusions within the table area, but was fortunate enough to find a VVS2 when I was looking, which I and the good lady have been very pleased with

Don't forget that CBI also offer lifetime 100% trade-up, so you can buy a stone now and then upgrade in due course!

If you're happy to let us know your budget, we can help you choose from what's available and @Wink may be able to ask what is coming through the system for sale shortly!

 

[arkieb1]

Colour sensitivity is a personal decision each person IMHO has a different threshold for what they can and can't live with colourwise. Go somewhere and look at diamonds from a GIA I/J, to a F/G in colour (or whiter) that should help you.

 

[Irishgrrrl]

Personally, G/H/I is plenty white enough for me. I wouldn’t want anything in the D/E/F range because I prefer a stone with a bit of warmth. I might even be willing to go as low as an L if it’s the right stone.

Clarity? Pshhhh. I have no interest in clarity beyond eye-clean. I don’t feel like paying a premium for something I can’t even see.

My priorities for the 4 Cs are:
1. Cut
2. Carat Weight
3. Color
4. Clarity

Of course, that’s just me. Some people are very color-sensitive and won’t feel comfortable with anything below an F. And some people can’t stand seeing inclusions, even with a loupe. And that’s perfectly OK, too! Everyone has different priorities when shopping for diamonds. As a wise man once said, “people vary.”

 

[SimoneDi]

What @Irishgrrrl said. Especially at the size you are looking, color and clarity would be my bottom priorities. With CBI, you already have ideal cut diamonds, so that variable becomes irrelevant in the selection process. For the price of buying a 0.5ct D VS1 stone, you can purchase a 0.8 I SI1 which is going to still be white and eye-clean. I know that I would notice the size difference more and in real life the color difference is not that easy to detect, especially by the average consumer. However, you need to decide what is the most important for you and your SO.

 

[Dancing Fire]

F/G VS2 .50ct CBI sounds good to me.

 

[marcy]

I would definitely go see some diamonds in person to see what you like. I think an eye clean Si diamond is a great value. I personally prefer colorless diamonds but it is a personal preference.

 

[whitewave]

I’d even go down to an eye clean SI2 and color J.

Mine is a .56 G SI2

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The recommendation to go see diamonds sounds like a good idea, but in reality, I have never found it helpful since jewelry store lighting generally makes all the diamonds look fairly similar. In Tiffany, an I color looks pretty much the same as G. So the very best way to know is just order a stone and see if you like it in your own enviroment.

I'd recommend H VS2 as having nice mid-point specs. That's what I chose for my studs. Ideally I'd love F-G VS1 for a ring! lol! The pricing hinders the F part for me, though!

 

[Aimyr]

Thanks everyone for the overwhelming amount of helpful replies!

We´re from Sweden (which some might remember from the other thread from a while back), therefore the 0.5c limit. We´ve compared stone sizes this weekend and we almost felt like we wanted to scale down to a 0.4-0.45c but I figured we should futureproof a bit to combat DSS and fatter fingers over the decades So thanks for the suggestions but 0.5c really is the upper limit of what we consider sane, and my wallet is thankful for it as well!

We were planning of sticking within the F/G VS1/VS2 range since we don´t want to deviate too much from the F/VS1 we currently had before we returned it. Glad to hear that this range seems to be what most of you consider to be a safe range. The price difference between VS1 and VS2 seems to be bigger than a change in color though so currently I´m thinking F/VS2. And otherwise maybe G/VS2!

Keep the conversation going though, it is much appreciated!

 

[cflutist]

In a .50 ct stone, F-G VS1-2 is a great choice because the price per carat at these sizes does vary as much as when you get into the 1+ or 2+ sizes. I have two .53 F colored VS1 and VS2 CBI diamonds on my HPD Trilogie ring. You could go lower to H-VS2 and still have a beautiful diamond.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I'd recommend H VS2 as having nice mid-point specs. That's what I chose for my studs. Ideally I'd love F-G VS1 for a ring! lol! The pricing hinders the F part for me, though!

Yup, G/H VS2 is my fav combo but if I have the $$$ I'd go up to F VS1 like Cflutist... An F VS1 stone will look like D IF to me..