Color..E vs H/I

[optimizedlife]

In my initial foray into 'what should I get for colour' (1.5-1.7, HCA < 2, AGS0, VS2/SI1) a lot of people said H/I is perfectly fine, and can she tell? I got her to go to Tiffanys, she looked at F/G/H/I and says she can tell the diff, but it doesn't really matter to her.

When I go look at JamesAllen and look at say E/F vs H/I in the "Compare Colour" where they show it entirely from the side, I can of course see tons of difference. I'm now letting this get to me.."mind colour" if you will.

Whatever setting we do will probably show the side quite prominently (tension ring perhaps). Or maybe we'll go with this which doesn't so much:
http://www.markschneiderdesign.com/engagement-rings/contemporary-engagement-rings/fire-engagement-ring

Should I care about this, or keep on the "H/I" or so level in my search so as to maximize size (which I think matters more to her). The other modifier on this is I'll probably get it from WhiteFlash, which means an upgrade in the future is easy to do.

Advice?

 

[RockyRacoon]

How about a compromise? What about a G-colored stone?

Personally, if you're going for a setting that shows the stone from the side, I wouldn't go for anything below G in color.

Some will say H is fine, and I would agree in a face-up scenario, but the side view is another situation altogether.

Just my two cents!

 

[Gypsy]

If size matters and she says she doesn't care. Listen to her. The tint you see in the JA videos put into perspective: The stone is the size of a pencil eraser and you are looking at it blown up on a huge screen.

Well you can definitely go down to G.

As for H, yes, I think that's certainly safe. The side of a diamond when set is going to be largely covered up on the sides by the prongs. H is very conservative still. And if your lady has said tint doesn't bother her by ALL MEANS go to I. You will be happy you did.

It is important to remember is that color is graded FACE DOWN. Where there is NO light return. Not face up where there is light return and refraction. You wear diamonds set. FACE UP.



Within one color grade, even the labs can't agree on the color grades of stones and something could be a "high" H or a "low" E. So... no. Not really. Within 2 color grades it is hard. Not impossible. But very hard. And it gets harder once set. If you are talking ideal rounds, or any stone with ideal light return and no sharp corners it gets harder still because the ideal light return masks body color.

Generally we say to be conservative stay above H if you DO NOT KNOW YOUR LADY'S COLOR PREFERENCES. But you DO. She told you.

If you are talking fancy shapes without ideal light return (because there is no 'ideal' for EC's Radiant, etc) it's a bit different.

This is how I think of it.

Ever gotten one of those HUGE paint fan decks? Where there are literally 100s of colors of whites? And when they are RIGHT next to each other you can TOTALLY tell that one is bluer/colder and one is a bit warmer and which one is one is TOTALLY warmer. One there's one that's slightly greener. One that's slightly pinker? But really. They are all white?

Then you pick one after agonizing over this white or that white and when it's on the walls and people are like: Oh. You painted again. And it's STILL white. Great.

And you're all... BUT it's BLUE white. Or it's a WARM white now. It used to be ____ white. It's TOTALLY different.

It's like that. You are talking about shades of white. D is colder... J is warmer. But it's all white.

YES. If you have an accurately graded F and an H THAT HAVE THE SAME PERFORMANCE you are going to be able to tell them apart when you compare them side by side. Just like you would be able to tell if you painted your walls a warm white, but painted the crown molding a cold/straight white. But both are STILL white, you only see the contrast because of the proximity. But it's very slight, you could set an F center with G sides and never tell the difference. And even H sides depending on the setting and the size of the sidestones... especially with round brilliants.


I want you notice all the qualifiers thought. I'm talking about stones with the SAME performance. An ideal H will out white an F that has compromised light performance from a poor cut.

NOTHING impacts the appearance of a diamond as much as cut. CUT is king.

You want the shinest whitest and brightest diamond out there: Cut is King. No other factor, not color or clarity or anything else impacts how white bright an shiny a stone is.

Listen to your lady.

 

[Gypsy]

Most of the side of that stone is covered by that setting! Get a larger I.

 

[optimizedlife]

Great replies all.

So tension ring, I'd try to go G, more covered setting go for H or I...I've seen a few H/VS2s that would fit. I/SI1 if it's completely eye clean would be acceptable as well and lets size go up a LOT.

Thanks!

 

[TC1987]

But people don't always keep the same ring setting that they started with. So keep "future" in mind. If H or I is too tinted from the side, it will limit the selection of settings if she wants to remount it in the future. Also keep in mind that tint is easier to see once you've had opportunity to really study diamonds up close, and /or compare to cz, most of which are the color of a D color diamond.

I can see tint in I from the side. We have old discussions on here where it was kind of established that most people can start to see tint at the I color range. H should be pretty safe, mounted. But if you look at H face-down, it might look rather tinted. Personally, I'd be okay with H.

 

[OoohShiny]

I think I'm quite colour sensitive, and the F-colour I have purchased is clearly different (to my eyes) to the CZ stones in the other half's cheap dress jewellery (which are presumably D-colour) when looked at side-on or in certain flat lighting conditions.

I don't personally think I'd go lower than an F, but that is my taste entirely and everyone is different

Face-up, the F is amazingly sparkly and white and only rarely shows any tint - Cut is key in that regard!

 

[chloe88]

If she is okay with a lower color diamond and wants a larger size diamond, you should try to meet those requirements.
I prefer F or G for color since my friends generally have G or higher color grades and was a bit worried my diamond would look more yellow compared to their rings. My jeweler said that G color generally has the best resale value and recommended F/G and dropping clarity if wanting to up the size of the diamond.

 

[ecf8503]

Being able to see the tint in a stone and being bothered by that tint are 2 different things. An often used analogy here is the white paint comparison - some are cool toned (DEF), some are neutral (G/H), some are warmer (IJK). Is one better than the others? No. It depends on personal preference. The jewelry industry has placed "value" on those colors though. A D will cost more than a J, all else being equal. If it is a mind-clean issue for you then I'd stick with G or higher. If it's not a big deal, and you are comfortable with a slightly warmer stone to gain size then I is fine. I have a D, several G's, an I, a J, etc - I love them all for what they are, not the value the industry places on their color. That said, while I love the iciness of my D, I love the size of my J too.

 

[kenny]

My SO and I have identical tensions settings with identically-cut diamonds.
One is H and the other is G.

I'll just say, if you don't want to notice any color don't put an H into a tension setting.
I'd keep it G or up.

Yes color in D-Z diamonds is graded in a side view, but it is argued only the top view matters.
I disagree.
The vast majority of the time I see my diamond it is in a side view.
Sure, I can flip my wrist up for a top view, but in real life that's maybe 1% of the views I experience.
99% of time time it's seen in an off-axis view.

 

[msop04]

Most of the side of that stone is covered by that setting! Get a larger I.

Amen, Gypsy! If size is of importance, I don't think she'd be happy with a much smaller E/F... (of course, that's the size whore in me talking) If you're worried at all, why not split the difference and go with G or H with Fluoro?

FWIW, I had picked out a 2 ct I color and it looked white to me in a six prong... She can probably see the difference because she's staring at colors side by side, all while knowing what the colors are... I can see the difference in E vs. H, but H vs. I... not really -- only when upside down and side by side, which doesn't happen IRL.

 

[mochiko42]

If size matters and she says she doesn't care. Listen to her. The tint you see in the JA videos put into perspective: The stone is the size of a pencil eraser and you are looking at it blown up on a huge screen.

Well you can definitely go down to G.

As for H, yes, I think that's certainly safe. The side of a diamond when set is going to be largely covered up on the sides by the prongs. H is very conservative still. And if your lady has said tint doesn't bother her by ALL MEANS go to I. You will be happy you did.

It is important to remember is that color is graded FACE DOWN. Where there is NO light return. Not face up where there is light return and refraction. You wear diamonds set. FACE UP.



Within one color grade, even the labs can't agree on the color grades of stones and something could be a "high" H or a "low" E. So... no. Not really. Within 2 color grades it is hard. Not impossible. But very hard. And it gets harder once set. If you are talking ideal rounds, or any stone with ideal light return and no sharp corners it gets harder still because the ideal light return masks body color.

Generally we say to be conservative stay above H if you DO NOT KNOW YOUR LADY'S COLOR PREFERENCES. But you DO. She told you.

If you are talking fancy shapes without ideal light return (because there is no 'ideal' for EC's Radiant, etc) it's a bit different.

This is how I think of it.

Ever gotten one of those HUGE paint fan decks? Where there are literally 100s of colors of whites? And when they are RIGHT next to each other you can TOTALLY tell that one is bluer/colder and one is a bit warmer and which one is one is TOTALLY warmer. One there's one that's slightly greener. One that's slightly pinker? But really. They are all white?

Then you pick one after agonizing over this white or that white and when it's on the walls and people are like: Oh. You painted again. And it's STILL white. Great.

And you're all... BUT it's BLUE white. Or it's a WARM white now. It used to be ____ white. It's TOTALLY different.

It's like that. You are talking about shades of white. D is colder... J is warmer. But it's all white.

YES. If you have an accurately graded F and an H THAT HAVE THE SAME PERFORMANCE you are going to be able to tell them apart when you compare them side by side. Just like you would be able to tell if you painted your walls a warm white, but painted the crown molding a cold/straight white. But both are STILL white, you only see the contrast because of the proximity. But it's very slight, you could set an F center with G sides and never tell the difference. And even H sides depending on the setting and the size of the sidestones... especially with round brilliants.


I want you notice all the qualifiers thought. I'm talking about stones with the SAME performance. An ideal H will out white an F that has compromised light performance from a poor cut.

NOTHING impacts the appearance of a diamond as much as cut. CUT is king.

You want the shinest whitest and brightest diamond out there: Cut is King. No other factor, not color or clarity or anything else impacts how white bright an shiny a stone is.

Listen to your lady.

Thank you so much for this post, Gypsy! I have a G myself but where I live anything below F is considered inferior. Honestly I was surprised at how white my G faced up (although it is an AVR so cut has something to do with it).

 

[Dancing Fire]

[quote="mochiko42|1405466740|


Listen to your lady.[/quote]
Thank you so much for this post, Gypsy! I have a G myself but where I live anything below F is considered inferior. Honestly I was surprised at how white my G faced up (although it is an AVR so cut has something to do with it).[/quote]



And so are anything below VVS in clarity. A friend of mine bought three GIA XXX E/F VVS stones in HK and all 3 stones were cut too deep...