3 questions

[frantic983]

3 questions

1. what do people think of I color in a white gold setting? i dont plan on having side stones that may conflict, just wondering if it will get a "wow thats yellow response"

2. is si2 safe as far as "eye clean" or is it still a factor at this level?

3. anyone have experience with usa certified diamonds? good, bad, comments?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Date: 2/25/2008 6:09:11 PM
Author:frantic983
3 questions

1. what do people think of I color in a white gold setting? i dont plan on having side stones that may conflict, just wondering if it will get a ''wow thats yellow response''

2. is si2 safe as far as ''eye clean'' or is it still a factor at this level?

3. anyone have experience with usa certified diamonds? good, bad, comments?

1. I color is fine in wg if the stone is ideal cut.

2. No, SI2 cannot be assumed to be eye-clean, although they do exist. Only buy if the vendor can tell you about eye-clean by looking at the stone and sending you magnified pictures.

3. Do a search on here. Haven''t heard anyone buy from there in awhile.

 

[Cleo]

Hello

To answer your questions..

1) I think colour preference/sensitivity is a very individual thing, and a lot of it comes down to personal preference. The I colour grade is the point at which many people will start to notice a 'warmth' in the diamond. Having said that, some people actually really love warmer colour stones.

I would suggest (if you haven't already) visiting a bricks & mortar (B&M) jeweller and asking to see some GIA or AGS certified stnes in a range of colour grades, set in white gold (or platinum) and see what YOU think. (Make sure you get AGS or GIA certed stones as they are the two most consistent labs with colour grading).

I was stunned yesterday admiring coatimundi's awesome RB solitaire, to learn it is a K colour! I would never have guessed from looking at the photos of it - it just looks soooo white.

Which brings me on to the fact that if you choose a really well cut stone that it can help to mask any hint of colour, and help the stne to face up very white. The other thing that can help with this is a strong blue fluorescence (which can also make the stone a better buy too!).

2) It IS possible to find SI2 stones which are completely eye clean from the top, and sides at very close range - and ladies on PS do have them. SI2 stones can be great value for money - but if buying online make sure your vendor knows exactly what YOU mean by eye clean, so there's no confusion. I would certainly be very happy to buy an SI2 stone, if I knew it was completely eye clean. After all, if it's eye clean, then an SI2 looks exactly the same as an IF stone to the naked eye!

3) Pardon me if it's my own ignorance, but I'm not entirely certain what you mean by 'USA certified'... can you please elaborate? I think you might be referring to a diamond vendor, rather than grading laboratories, is that right?

x x x

 

[coatimundi_org]

Why thank you, Cleo

I was just going to say that I have a K color in a white gold setting, no trouble there.

Ditto to what Diamondseeker and Cleo said about si2 clarity.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

USA Certified= diamond vendor

 

[hairgirl95]

Well I don''t know a lot about US Certified, so I went to their website. Looked on their list of Appraisers by city, and I found the appraiser they use here in Kansas City. I did a state search on HIM, and turns out he owns a pretty reputable B&M here in the metro. The appraiser from KC is also certified through the state as a historical appraiser of antique gems with affiliations to some big auction houses in NYC. Soooo, in a round about way, while I can''t vouch for the company itself, if I was to choose a diamond FROM US Cert, and had it sent to the appraiser listed for KC, I would feel pretty confident of what I was buying. Just my 2 cents worth. Anyone else have more info on this company??

 

[frantic983]

wow, thanks for the quick feedback. just went to a b&m at ur suggestion and did some comparisons.

i could see the color diff between i and d in side by side and when the i was set on a white piece of paper. that said, it is within my color tolerance when set in the white gold setting which is great to know.

so si2 is hit or miss with eye clean. i saw examples of this earlier tonight and in your posts.

how about si1? safer with respect to eye clean?

btw got wierd vibe when i was at the b&m. not sure if they are starting to get used to internet customers going in to do just what i did. went in asking for some pretty specific comparisons and the sales reps turned to each other with some body language.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Yes, never mention internet at a B&M store!

SI1''s may or may not be eye clean. You still have to ask. And ask if it is clean from the sides as well. You get to the safe range at VS2.

 

[LegacyGirl]

My I cushion is going in white gold with pave diamonds ranging from d-f and it still looks very very white. When I was showing off the diamond itself most people didn''t believe it was an I. It is a very nice stone and I love the color.

 

[frantic983]

Everyone has been so helpful. Thank you! I am going to be contacting some online vendors tomorrow.

I am kind of a type A - person, with a C level of understanding with respect to purchasing diamonds on the internet.

I just want to run by everyone the things that I should be doing to make sure that I am protected.

1. Get a copy of the cert and ask vendor if eye clean
2. Have him send the stone to local B&M to set. Would you feel comfortable having them confirm stone is same as one in cert? How can you make sure that the loose stone that the local B&M gets is the same that I get back in the setting?
3. Have stone insured?

Thank you all in advance. Anything that you would do in addition to protect yourself???? Maybe get a Trojenz credit card??

 

[Allison D.]

I can help with the first two questions.....

A well cut I stone from a reputable lab (AGS/GIA) should be completely safe and non-yellow appearing in a white gold setting. I assume we''re talking about a round stone, but if not, you really should see it yourself. Color can show more in fancy stones.

For SI2 stones, some are eyeclean and some aren''t. Again, more likely to be a good option in rounds; in fancies, inclusions tend to show up more.