Buying a diamond for engagement ring. Color questions

[anthonymi]

Hello Pricescope! Been lurking around the site for a few months while shopping for the engagement ring. Let me start off by saying thank you to all of you for helping me out with my search! all the threads and responses were very helpful! Ok, now to my question/Concern.. I had the setting custom made from my drawings by Ritani ( must say that came out very nicely!) its a white gold band, with intricate designs on the side with diamonds, and also a surprise pink diamond on the side too. it also has diamonds going up the band. must say it is beautiful! So now i'm looking for the center stone. After much searching I've come to the conclusion that I want an ideal cut. My girlfriend LOVES sparkle so in my mind, ideal cut is non-negotiable. I also wanted it to be around 1ct. So I know I have to sacrifice clarity and color to be in price range. Well, on ritani, I found an Ideal cut, 0.91ct, SI1 (eye clean, verified by gemologist), triple excellent, no fluor, 1.0 on the Holloway Cut Advisor. The only problem is that it is a L color. Now I saw a couple Bling threads showing off L colors that looked great in white settings! But, they didn't post the stats all the time, so I'm not really sure how to compare. I know the L wont be clear as ice, im not expecting a D in an L color. I just want to be sure the diamond doesn't look "dirty" or "old" looking in a white setting. the gemologist I talked to basically told me "well it wont be as clear as a D-J." Not exact words, but I know she didn't want to over-promise and have me be disappointed. I even went around and looked at loose stones at various jewelry stores around here to compare colors. nobody had anything above a "good" cut, some didn't even tell me the cut when I asked, they just said to look at it and see how it looks without the paper..
So here's where the real world experience of you guys comes in! Do you think the (GIA) Ideal cut will compensate for the L color? Again, i'm not expecting D levels of clear, I just want to be sure the diamond doesn't look like this:


***Disclaimer: I'm in no way saying this ring is "ugly" or "dirty" Just using it as an example because it was the first hit on google when I typed yellow diamond

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I am a little confused. You already had a halo setting made before you bought the diamond? The head of a ring is made to fit a specific size stone. And if your budget is such that you cannot get a 1 carat stone, I am unclear why you would have made a setting for a one carat stone?

I would never recommend lower than J color for an engagement ring. People will notice the tint and lack of brightness in stones lower than J. Plus diamonds take on environmental color, so inside where the walls are beige or yellow, etc., the stone may even appear more tinted. The exception is when you desire a yellow stone, then you can sometimes find a W-X or Y-Z color stone with a light yellow tint.

Here is a good color tutorial.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Color/Colorless/

 

[anthonymi]

I am a little confused. You already had a halo setting made before you bought the diamond? The head of a ring is made to fit a specific size stone. And if your budget is such that you cannot get a 1 carat stone, I am unclear why you would have made a setting for a one carat stone?

I would never recommend lower than J color for an engagement ring. People will notice the tint and lack of brightness in stones lower than J. Plus diamonds take on environmental color, so inside where the walls are beige or yellow, etc., the stone may even appear more tinted. The exception is when you desire a yellow stone, then you can sometimes find a W-X or Y-Z color stone with a light yellow tint.

Here is a good color tutorial.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Color/Colorless/

If youre familiar with Ritani, you pick out a setting, then pick a stone. So I had my setting custom made, then I will pick a stone, and they will make the setting and set the stone, then send it to a local jeweler to view before buying. So, really, I don't have the ring already in my hand physically, byut Ritani has the design and they will make it fit with whichever stone I select. As for the 1ct, 0.91 is very close. I just wanted it to be around 1ct (in other words, I didnt want 0.6ct but closer to 1). plus you would have a hard time telling a 0.91 from a 1ct without a side by side comparison.

Im very familiar with GoG. I have watched just about every video he has online! Heres one that eased me a little bit about the color: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziZ1S8ZlZEE&spfreload=10 its a comparison between ideal cuts H, J and K. Its very hard to tell the difference in color in the video, and even he says in the video its just as hard to tell the difference in real life. and from my understanding, when the stone is "face up" it is most difficult to pick up color. the setting lets the center stone sit almost flush with the halo, so a sideways tint isn't much of an issue. I'm just trying to figure out if the "ideal cut" will neutralize some of the yellowish tint. so long as the diamond is not obviously yellow in the white setting, then I'm okay with it. Not to mention, I'm getting a killer price for the ring as a whole!

 

[baby monster]

Color is such a personal thing so you have to decide whether a particular stone has too much tint. Most people will say that L stones have a perceptible tint but you might be perfectly ok with that. I'm not sure what your jeweler meant by "not clear as D-J" comment as clarity is separate from color. Have you searched in SMTB for photos of L colored stones? I looked briefly and found couple of threads for reference.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/anybody-have-an-l-color-diamond.148179/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/anybody-have-an-l-color-diamond.148179/[/URL]
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/please-show-me-your-k-l-m-colored-diamonds.100951/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/please-show-me-your-k-l-m-colored-diamonds.100951/[/URL]

 

[liaerfbv]

I would not buy an L for an engagement ring unless she has seen an L and likes it. It will have a noticeable yellow tint.

 

[anthonymi]

Color is such a personal thing so you have to decide whether a particular stone has too much tint. Most people will say that L stones have a perceptible tint but you might be perfectly ok with that. I'm not sure what your jeweler meant by "not clear as D-J" comment as clarity is separate from color. Have you searched in SMTB for photos of L colored stones? I looked briefly and found couple of threads for reference.
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/anybody-have-an-l-color-diamond.148179/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/anybody-have-an-l-color-diamond.148179/[/URL]
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/please-show-me-your-k-l-m-colored-diamonds.100951/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/please-show-me-your-k-l-m-colored-diamonds.100951/[/URL]

Sorry for the misleading quote.. lol. I was speaking to the gemologist over at Ritani, and I asked "is this L colored Diamond clear white when face up? or is it noticeably yellow?" and like you said, since color is so subjective, she replied something along the lines of "well, this L isn't as white as, say, a D-J, but you'll have to see for yourself"
Obviously to someone like this gemologist, who looks at diamonds all day, this L will be clear as day-yellow. I'm trying to find out if it is noticeable in a ring setting, to the untrained eye. I guarantee my GF will be showing off her stone, I just don't want others looking at it to say "ew, why is it yellow?" hopefully I'm explaining well enough.

As for the other threads, thanks! Ive looked thru a few with L,M,N and even O colored diamonds, and its hit and miss. Some have a noticeable yellow tint (which look beautiful! just not what I'm looking for an E-Ring), but some are clear as water to my eye. The only problem, is that most of those threads don't have the specifics posted for each stone, so Its hard to compare exactly what I'm looking at. I guess I'm just looking to see if anyone has ever gotten any "yellow" comments from people who aren't familiar with diamonds. I just don't want it to stick out like a sore thumb, like the picture I posted above..

 

[anthonymi]

I would not buy an L for an engagement ring unless she has seen an L and likes it. It will have a noticeable yellow tint.

Well, were both young, so this will be her first real diamond! Ive bought her cheaper jewelry but they were almost always either CZ or some sort of gemstone. So shes never seen any color diamond on herself before. As for the stone, if you have an L or lower color, have you gotten comments from others about how its yellow? If it is absurdly yellow, I will notice and change it. but I just don't want my gf to think its yellow the first time she sees it.

If you haven't, check out the video I posted above, it compares an H, J and K color ideal cut diamonds. Its really hard to spot a difference

 

[distracts]

In some lighting, it will look somewhat like the one in your post. In other lighting, it will look much whiter. With the low colors, how yellow they look seems more dependent on lighting.

 

[anthonymi]

In some lighting, it will look somewhat like the one in your post. In other lighting, it will look much whiter. With the low colors, how yellow they look seems more dependent on lighting.

Ah, that's what I was afraid of. Well, the good news is that Ritani allows you the free preview in the store, and if I don't like it, I can send it back at no charge to me (haven't committed to buy yet, Ritani is fantastic with their free previews!). I'm sure the jeweler will allow me to hold the ring, and look under different lighting, so I will havea chance to see how it is in person. I sure hope It looks nice..

 

[msop04]

I agree with the other posters... I think an L diamond will have a noticeable tint face up (even more so from the sides). I have a J color, but it's in a halo, so the sides don't show. If they did, I would not be happy, as I would see tint. Maybe a nice compromise would be a K stone. There are several PS members that have K's -- you should look up some "K" threads. Also, Niel has a 0.75 ct K (I think the weight is correct -- if not, sorry Niel! ). I would look at hers, as it is in the same size range you're looking to buy.
Best of luck to you!

 

[msop04]

In some lighting, it will look somewhat like the one in your post. In other lighting, it will look much whiter. With the low colors, how yellow they look seems more dependent on lighting.

Ah, that's what I was afraid of. Well, the good news is that Ritani allows you the free preview in the store, and if I don't like it, I can send it back at no charge to me (haven't committed to buy yet, Ritani is fantastic with their free previews!). I'm sure the jeweler will allow me to hold the ring, and look under different lighting, so I will havea chance to see how it is in person. I sure hope It looks nice..

This is the best thing to do. Make sure you try to look at the stone in direct sunlight, in the shade, IN YOUR CAR (I know that sounds crazy, but my ring can look more tinted in the car), under fluorescent lights (i.e. crappy office lighting), and any other lighting you can find. IMO, I wouldn't go with an L color... to my eyes, they really show tint so much more than J/K. That said, you may love it!

 

[anthonymi]

I agree with the other posters... I think an L diamond will have a noticeable tint face up (even more so from the sides). I have a J color, but it's in a halo, so the sides don't show. If they did, I would not be happy, as I would see tint. Maybe a nice compromise would be a K stone. There are several PS members that have K's -- you should look up some "K" threads. Also, Niel has a 0.75 ct K (I think the weight is correct -- if not, sorry Niel! ). I would look at hers, as it is in the same size range you're looking to buy.
Best of luck to you!

This is the best thing to do. Make sure you try to look at the stone in direct sunlight, in the shade, IN YOUR CAR (I know that sounds crazy, but my ring can look more tinted in the car), under fluorescent lights (i.e. crappy office lighting), and any other lighting you can find. IMO, I wouldn't go with an L color... to my eyes, they really show tint so much more than J/K. That said, you may love it!

Well the setting It will be in is a halo setting, and it sits very flush with the diamond. so a true side view will not be seen with the setting. I searched L colored diamond, and got this thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-asscher.148168/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/my-asscher.148168/[/URL] and wow! that thread confuses me! Her stone looks completely colorless!

EDIT: Oh, and I'll be picking the ring up at a local mall jewelry store, so I will have a good opportunity to see the ring in mall lighting as well at outdoors.

 

[msop04]

I agree with the other posters... I think an L diamond will have a noticeable tint face up (even more so from the sides). I have a J color, but it's in a halo, so the sides don't show. If they did, I would not be happy, as I would see tint. Maybe a nice compromise would be a K stone. There are several PS members that have K's -- you should look up some "K" threads. Also, Niel has a 0.75 ct K (I think the weight is correct -- if not, sorry Niel! ). I would look at hers, as it is in the same size range you're looking to buy.
Best of luck to you!

This is the best thing to do. Make sure you try to look at the stone in direct sunlight, in the shade, IN YOUR CAR (I know that sounds crazy, but my ring can look more tinted in the car), under fluorescent lights (i.e. crappy office lighting), and any other lighting you can find. IMO, I wouldn't go with an L color... to my eyes, they really show tint so much more than J/K. That said, you may love it!

Well the setting It will be in is a halo setting, and it sits very flush with the diamond. so a true side view will not be seen with the setting. I searched L colored diamond, and got this thread: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/forum/show-me-the-ring/my-']https://www.pricescope.com/forum/show-me-the-ring/my-[/URL]asscher-t148168.html and wow! that thread confuses me! Her stone looks completely colorless!

EDIT: Oh, and I'll be picking the ring up at a local mall jewelry store, so I will have a good opportunity to see the ring in mall lighting as well at outdoors.

Lighting is everything. An asscher will show color (or lack thereof) differently than round due to the faceting (long, broad step cut). The stone will look amazing in mall lighting, I'll just go ahead and tell you -- mine sparkles like CRAZY in a mall and you can't really see any "tint" because of all that sparkle. Outside and in your car are your best bet. Oh! Inside a room with beige/taupe/yellow walls should show the color at it's "worst" per se...

 

[diamondseeker2006]

My I color stone picks up tint as well. In a halo setting which probably will have no lower than G-H color stones, we are telling you there will be a tint to an L color and contrast between halo and center stone. I again recommend no lower than J. Msop has a beautiful example of how a J can look in a halo. If you go with a .75 ct J, they can make a setting for that size stone. Better to get a smaller stone that will look good as opposed to having an obviously low color stone in a halo.

 

[TC1987]

L an M are pale yellow. There is no doubt about it. Personally, I like L and M a lot more than I like J and K. L and M in a modern RB can face up deceptively white at times, and in certain lighting. But at other times, they will look pale yellow. My best guess is that there will be exactly the same amount of color contrast between the center stone and the stones in the halo. There are a lot of antique and vintage diamond rings out there that have a pale yellow center like that and the stones in the setting are bright white, and the metal might be platinum, a very white metal. And the color contrast is definitely there. If you have a stone that's deep or it has chunky facets, it will look yellower than a modern RB H&A due to the way that the modern superideals can "wash color out."
But you're not going to find a L or M that looks white all the time. There is just too much body tint for that. It looks white when reflecting a lot of white light back. The "cape" colors are beautiful in their own right, but they are not a colorless stone and can't pass for one. Stop at H if you want white or colorless. I is where many people can start to see tint. I with strong blue fluorescence may work for you. J and K are definitely tinted, and one would have to like their color because they are not colorless, either.

 

[TC1987]

Here's a video of a Crafted By Infinity M color: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIXvCvTkSPs&list=UU6OO-EsRiHv0D7IY7Uj7HWw

Here's an L with strong blue fluor:
http://www.screencast.com/users/WinkJones/folders/Infinity%20Diamonds/media/a7be654d-aa66-409d-bba1-1220246bb065

really nice L:
http://www.screencast.com/users/WinkJones/folders/Infinity%20Diamonds/media/1f68b5a6-ab00-416b-b307-953a5d5ed5e3

Here's an H: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZSpbZHNo3Y&index=55&list=UU6OO-EsRiHv0D7IY7Uj7HWw

Here are 2 J stones:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yq7-okstmUM&list=UU6OO-EsRiHv0D7IY7Uj7HWw&index=105
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5g_1m9_9tE&list=UU6OO-EsRiHv0D7IY7Uj7HWw&index=107

CBI are some of the most precisely-cut H&A diamonds. They face up about as "white" as possible for whatever color they are. I think the videos demonstrate the "average" everyday lighting conditions, and I would expect these same stones to look whiter at times.

 

[anthonymi]

My I color stone picks up tint as well. In a halo setting which probably will have no lower than G-H color stones, we are telling you there will be a tint to an L color and contrast between halo and center stone. I again recommend no lower than J. Msop has a beautiful example of how a J can look in a halo. If you go with a .75 ct J, they can make a setting for that size stone. Better to get a smaller stone that will look good as opposed to having an obviously low color stone in a halo.

Well, I talked to ritani, and changed the stone. without going drastically smaller, the best I could get was a 0.85ct Ideal cut J color. H-I colors of similar size were out of budget, and I didn't want to go as low as 0.65 or so to stay in budget. So hopefully the J will be fine. if not, then looks like I'm SOL.
Thank you all for the responses!

 

[liaerfbv]

I personally haven't seen any ideal cut J stones IRL that were yellow to my eyes. And .85 is a great size. It sounds like a good compromise.

 

[anthonymi]

I personally haven't seen any ideal cut J stones IRL that were yellow to my eyes. And .85 is a great size. It sounds like a good compromise.

Really? well that's good news! Yea I went shopping around to local jewelrs and man is it a ripoff! I walked in, said my budget, they gave me a plain halo setting (0.3ctw) with a 1/2ct diamond not certified. and those were considered "good cut, I color, si2" per the jeweler.. that was the best I could do at about 10 different stores. then I went to Ritani and for the same budget I got a custom-made halo setting with 0.75ctw (which includes 1 pink diamond on each side) with a 0.85ct center stone Ideal cut, and I believe it was VS2 clarity. how are local jewelers THAT much more expensive? its insane

 

[Tekate]

I have a K AVC and it looks pure white from the top.. it's in a pendant so there are no other stones next to it.
My SIL has a 2 carate K colored Princess stone and I did not believe it was a K till she brought up the GIA report and showed me.. of course neither of these are MRBs.. but cut can do a lot for a stone.

 

[anthonymi]

I have a K AVC and it looks pure white from the top.. it's in a pendant so there are no other stones next to it.
My SIL has a 2 carate K colored Princess stone and I did not believe it was a K till she brought up the GIA report and showed me.. of course neither of these are MRBs.. but cut can do a lot for a stone.

Yea based on all the pics here on PS, the Ks and Ls and even some Ms are white when faced up. But I feel like I would notice it. my gf most likely wouldn't notice, but I think I would. I am extremely anal about my car, so any little detail I will notice instantly. I feel like that keen eye would carry over into this purchase since im investing so much time and effort into it.