Anyone here PREFER warmer color diamonds?

[KristyDarling]

Hi there,

I'm just curious. With so many diamond connoisseurs here, there have got to be some who actually prefer G/H/I/J and above color grades. Aside from the price difference, why do you prefer warmer colors?


Kristy

 

[decodelighted]

I do. I just don''t love white, white, ICY white - harsh white ... I chose a GIA "H" for an antique style setting. I also think antique settings look more realistic with H/I/J/K ... but it''s just my humble opinion & preference. I wouldn''t throw back a D IF or anything

 

[VegasAngel]

I bought a gia H colored diamond. It looks white to me. Personally, im not going to drive myself nuts comparing mine to E,F, & G colored diamonds. For me a H colored diamond was the best option in terms of price and color. Down the road sure I wouldnt mind upgrading.

 

[diamondsrock]

I prefere a little bit of warmth but wouldn''t go too far. I have an m now and for the most part it looks white because of the cut but if I were to get another I''d probably go g-h-i. I don''t think purely colorless whiter stones look good with my skin tone (olive undertones). I think they look great on blondes with pinkish undertones who can wear cool colors. It''s for these same reasons I can''t wear pink lipstick. I"m more in the warm color family!

 

[valeria101]

Me. Because I like them better in yellow gold.

However, here ''warm'' means somewhere in the neighbourhood of fancy light yellow.
I was lucky enough to learn this before knowing their relative worth, and never got a good reason to change my mind afterwards.

 

[Patty]

I don''t consider a G or H "warm." To me, warm doesn''t begin until J or K and even then, they don''t look REAL warm...just lukewarm, lol.

 

[SeaOats]

If I were presented with a well cut J/K colored diamond, you bet your butt I wouldn''t give it back! And if I were to upgrade my diamond to a larger diamond, I certainly would go down to a well cut J/K diamond to maximize the size. But if given a preference, I do gravitate towards EFG colored stones.

 

[Leila]

I am definitely not a diamond connoiseur but I do love diamonds, pretty much in any color. I am sensitive to color but I mostly own I and J color diamonds because the price is just right. And when it comes down to it, I am a SIZE girl.

I can''t bring myself to spend so many thousands more to get that colorless look.

 

[goldengirl]

Date: 10/25/2005 6:28:33 PM
Author: decodelighted
I wouldn''t throw back a D IF or anything

...WERD.

To answer the question, I haven''t spent a lot of time comparing the difference between F/G/H/I/J colored stones (I probably wouldn''t go D/E)... and my understanding is, in ideal cut rounds, there''s not much of a discernible difference, anyhoos. So I''m not worried about it too much. H/I sounds good to me.

 

[E B]

My diamond''s an ideal cut "I" and it''s as white as can be. I don''t notice any yellow whatsoever! I guess I''m just not color sensitive, and I''m pretty thankful for that.

 

[cnspotts]

I''m sure I''m an oddball here being color sensitive I do appreciate color in a diamond especially in platinum. For my most recent ring I specificially wanted a light yellow color without being "fancy," which is more color than I wanted. A local jeweler friend was curious, he put it on his color meter, it came up "S." To describe the color is a crisp pale lemon that flashes fabulous color light in all lighting conditions. It would not be considered "warm" at all, there are no brown tones.

 

[lumpkin]

It depends an awful lot on the shape, for me. Princess cuts, ovals, radients, marquise, and step cuts need to be icy white, for me. Pears, it kind of depends, although I own an M. In the antique cuts I really, really prefer a little warmth. I just LOVE an old mine cut between K - M in a vintage platinum setting. I don''t know about rounds, I haven''t seen any below an H in person.

Interesting question. As diamond prices go up, I predict first diamonds may be lower in color to get more size and avoid obvious inclusions. Don''t know if that will happen for sure, but it seems reasonable.

 

[HOUMedGal]

Ever since seeing Mara's J SI2 from WF's Expert Selection, I'm a convert. Seriously. I've decided that I actually prefer I-J colored stones. The flashes of fire that they give off are just so fun, and just something about them speaks to me.

Give me a J over an ICY WHITE DIAMOND (hehe) any day!

ETA: I especially love I-J colors in fabulously cut, eye-clean SI2ish stones for the great value they represent.

 

[Mara]

ICY WHITE NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Having had a G and then an H and now a J...and owning I earrings and my husband having an ideal cut E...I honestly have the hardest time seeing past the sparkles to any sort of color.

That said, I sometimes love how old antique stones show color more.. I think that an old asscher would look really romantic in a vintage setting if it showed some color. In Houston we saw Stephan''s old 3c K Asscher and it was magnificent. Yes it showed some color when compared to my round J stone, alot more in fact, but it was so charming and ''vintage'', like old lace. I would hands down have bought it if I had $20k laying around....

 

[Lorelei]

I love all colours including ICY WHITE DIAMONDS, but also the warm colours. I have an L and love it, it looks very white from the top, the warmth is only visible form the pavillion and more in certain lights. Yes I think in certain circumstances I do prefer them, they have a unique richness to me if that makes sense!

 

[sevens one]

Date: 10/26/2005 2:26:41 AM
Author: Lorelei
I love all colours including ICY WHITE DIAMONDS, but also the warm colours. I have an L and love it, it looks very white from the top, the warmth is only visible form the pavillion and more in certain lights. Yes I think in certain circumstances I do prefer them, they have a unique richenss to me if that makes sense!

do you have any pics of you L stone?

I would love to see examples of L stones

 

[lilyinct]

When we went to go look at diamonds, they pulled out a rainbow of diamond colors- it wasn''t until I hit the "H"''s that I began to see any change in color...ended up getting a G and loving it!!!

 

[Lorelei]

I will soon Sevens when I get a new camera, the ring is just having a tiny tweak then I will do it!

 

[butterfly 17]

If I was purchasing for myself, I would not get anything higher than an F or lower than an H.

On the otherhand, if someone was randomly giving out I/J/K/L/M/N diamonds and I happened to be one of the chosen, I would take it in a heartbeat!!!

Hey, beggars can''t be choosers!

 

[Lorelei]

Another thought is the horror of the horrible, dull yellow rock

that has put many off the lower colours. It is subjective but a nicely cut K L or M is a joy to behold and there are many great examples in the ringfolders like Seven''s and Mrs Jam''s K and Saritas M. I think these colours are great, not the ICY WHITE of the DEF''s but a softer " glowy" white face up, which I think is beautiful. With the price increases, as I think Mara said recently folk may have to consider options they wouldn''t before and colour could well be one and the lower colours will grow in popularity. Why do I like the warmer colours? I think they just appeal to my eyes, they have a richness that I enjoy and a softness that the colourless stones don''t sometimes have. I am a size gal too and would definitely choose a lower colour to get a bigger rock! I think if many actually saw some lower colours in person they would be pleasantly surprised, a far cry from the dull ugly yellow they thought they were.

 

[Mara]

Good points Lorelei, also I think many people are so shocked at seeing something like an ideal cut RB in a J color especially, that is kind of where the confidence at buying online for newbies seems to falter. A few PS''ers who have seen my stone have exclaimed in wonder WOW that is so white! And even Richard Sherwood said that too. Of course it looks white to me but the expressions and their tone let me know that they are still surprised to see a J looking so darn good. Even Milly from PS messaged me once and said how she had seen a J that they had ordered for her mother I think, and she was surprised it was so white and bright. I think that it''s definitely conditioned in us from early jeweler visit days that the lower colors are bad or cheap or considered low quality...which is kind of funny on the other hand since alot of maul jewelers sell these lower colors (not so well cut either) to the masses and people think they are fab.

That said I think once you can ''discover'' lower colors and find if you like them, it''s so much easier on your WALLET and also it opens up new avenues. We tried on some colorless stones in Houston, sure they were stunning. If someone handed me a D IF and said it''s yours I''d say thanks (and then probably try to trade it in for TWO lower colored diamonds, hee hee)...but having had a really bright, white G on my hand for a while, then an H and now a J, I also think that the slightly warmer colors work better on my skin tone which is more olive. The icy white ones just seem to reflect like a white bubble off my finger. The warmer ones seem to blend a bit more with my hand and not look like it stands out soooooo much. If that makes sense.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 10/26/2005 12:40:17 PM
Author: Mara
I think that it''s definitely conditioned in us from early jeweler visit days that the lower colors are bad or cheap or considered low quality...

That is right on the money! I think many were almost ashamed to admit they like the warmer colours at one time, but that now is changing whcih is a good thing! Even my Husband was familiar with the " ugly yellow rock" phrase, I too was conditioned into thinking that lower colours were bad a while ago until I actually saw some for myself and loved them. I think I was reading here a while back that an experiment was done with colourless and warmer diamonds, with novice buyers asked to choose which ones they preferred. Interestingly a large percentage chose the lower colours. I do know what you mean Mara about the softer whites blending better with your skintone, although my skin is very fair I find this too.

 

[Mara]

Date: 10/26/2005 12:52:12 PM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 10/26/2005 12:40:17 PM
Author: Mara
I think that it''s definitely conditioned in us from early jeweler visit days that the lower colors are bad or cheap or considered low quality...

That is right on the money! I think many were almost ashamed to admit they like the warmer colours at one time, but that now is changing whcih is a good thing! Even my Husband was familiar with the '' ugly yellow rock'' phrase, I too was conditioned into thinking that lower colours were bad a while ago until I actually saw some for myself and loved them. I think I was reading here a while back that an experiment was done with colourless and warmer diamonds, with novice buyers asked to choose which ones they preferred. Interestingly a large percentage chose the lower colours. I do know what you mean Mara about the softer whites blending better with your skintone, although my skin is very fair I find this too.

This was probably what Brian Gavin of WF told me on the phone when I was considering going from my H stone to a J stone (my current one)...he said that when he lines up diamonds for people to look at, without them knowing a thing about color, people pointed to warmer colors more often as ones that their eye liked the best. I thought this was interesting. The other interesting thing is when we had the 2-3c stones lined up in Houston for the Pepsi Taste Test..we were looking for nuances in cut but also things like color as well. It was very hard to tell which stones were the colorless vs near when they are all side by side face up (aka the way it looks on a hand). I chose one of them as my first choice and it turned out to be their 2.13 J SI2.

 

[cheetahman]

This comforts me a lot. I couldn''t tell the difference from the I or the F at a local store, so I set my eyes on the I. I ended up going with EGL (not US) and I think it could be an J with my naked eyes (will get it appraised shortly). I think it''s firmly in the SI1 range, but this allowed me to get a 7.65mm stone (1.63 ct.) with what seems to be great cut (0.8 HCA) and have some money left over (maybe for a Mark Morell setting).

Some of my closest friends make significantly more than I do have gotten tremendous rings (they say appraise for 40K and up, but I can''t believe it having read what I have here). If the warmer color works out, this should at least give her something that she won''t be embarrassed to show off.

 

[Lynn B]

Great thread. Thanks!

I think the first myth to debunk is the "lower color = yellow" one. My stone is a GORGEOUS, AGS-0, 2.36 J/SI2 RB and it is stunning! It was an upgrade from another beautful diamond, an AGS-0, 1.53 G/VS2. Comparing those diamonds side-by-side there was NO discernible difference in color face up. From the pavilion, yes, the J exhibits a minute amount of creaminess/warmth that the G did not have. But it's a beautiful "color" and a killer stone! There is no yellow or brown in it at all.

I have fair skin, and I think this J, set in platinum, compliments my skin tone beautifully. I can see how it would beautifully compliment olive skin tones, too. Now granted... I have never seen a super-ideal cut D stone to compare side-by-side with my J... maybe I'd flip and start to covet the D. But you know what? I really doubt it!

The "higher color" thing really is just marketing propoganda, IMHO. Most diamond-buyers are generally conditioned to believe that D's are the "most beautiful" and "most desirable" because they are the most "colorless"... and that the "beauty" of diamonds slips with the color grades. We here on PS know better.

I remember once when I was showing my neice PS and I told her we were "diamond snobs"

here. And she said something like, "What, only D/IF?" And I cracked up! I was like, "Noooo! Au contraire! We are actually CUT snobs looking for the most beautiful stone at a competitive price. We are VERY open-minded to all colors and clarities - and that actually very few of us would probably ever buy a D/IF." Then I told her my diamond was a J/SI2. She was so surprised!

So, anyway, in a nutshell... I LOVE the color of my diamond. I wouldn't change a THING about it. And the fact that its color (and clarity) enabled me to get a much bigger SIZE

was quite a BONUS!

 

[ecf8503]

Date: 10/25/2005 8:56:11 PM
Author: cnspotts
I''m sure I''m an oddball here being color sensitive I do appreciate color in a diamond especially in platinum. For my most recent ring I specificially wanted a light yellow color without being ''fancy,'' which is more color than I wanted. A local jeweler friend was curious, he put it on his color meter, it came up ''S.'' To describe the color is a crisp pale lemon that flashes fabulous color light in all lighting conditions. It would not be considered ''warm'' at all, there are no brown tones.

Wow - an "S"? It sounds fabulous! Do you have any pics of it to share?????

 

[movie zombie]

where did you find an "S"? no one seems to carry them or get them in for preview!

peace, movie zombie

 

[ecf8503]

You know, color is a funny thing. I am color sensitive - and to me, it REALLY shows in jewelers lighting! I can look into a case of rings and guess within a color grade what most things are. It''s kind of annoying, actually!

I have a decent 60/60 0.52ct G SI1 as my first e-ring stone. To me, it looked a little yellow. So I wanted colorless for my ideal cut upgrade - and I got it - a D SI1 (w/ SB fluor). It is gorgeous, no doubt.

Then I came into posession of my great grandmothers OEC which is probably a K-L-M color (it''s mounted, so nobody really knows, but it is tinted). And you know what? I love it! The color is just like a "candle glow" - it''s gorgeous (as opposed to a "halogen bright white" of my D). I have them on right now, side by side, and I like them both!

I guess hindsight is always 20/20, and I think if I am ever lucky enough to upgrade again, I will definitely be open to "warmer" colors! It''s interesting to me how the unconscious psychological aspect of color grading can influence us sometimes (in that we can sometimes feel that any letter farther down the alphabet is somehow inferior) -

I have quite a bit of experience in the arts, and to me now it is like going into Home Depot and saying "I need some white paint, please!" You never knew there were so many shades of white!!!

 

[UCLABelle]

I love antique rings and like warmer color diamonds in antique settings... (H-K). I do love ice white diamonds in modern settings though...

I have an antique asscher ring with an "I" color diamond....but great great clarity.

 

[KristyDarling]

So many interesting insights here!

My original e-ring is an E color but of average symmetry. If I had known then what I know now about the importance of cut above all else, then we would''ve saved a lot of money...or gotten a much bigger rock!

I''m so glad to have found this forum and benefitted from the knowledge of all the diamond lovers here...because of PS, I''m now awaiting my upgrade: a fabulous 3.56ct RB AGS0 H/SI1 solitaire from James Allen!

If you had told me 6 months ago (pre-PS) that I was going to shell out the big bucks for an H/SI1, I would''ve said you were crazy. Without PS, I would probably have ended up making the same mistake that we made the first time around -- high grade color and clarity with zero regard for cut, and the jeweler would''ve been laughing all the way to the bank.

Don''t tell my hubby

because he''s put a lifetime moratorium on any more diamonds, but the next item I''m coveting is a candlelight-color OEC in an antique setting. Such a romantic look!