Color Help: F or H /w faint fluorescence

[yahui]

I recently purchased a 2ct princess H color /w faint fluorescence. It''s a beautiful diamond but I can see a very very faint yellow tint in the diamond. I''ve seen a different H color diamond side by side with a F color diamond in a store and the difference seemed very large. My H color diamond does not seem as yellow as the one I saw in the store, probably due to the cut and faint fluorescence.

I want a diamond that is pure white. Do I need to purchase a D color diamond or is a F color diamond okay? I''m worried that a F color diamond will have that very very faint yellow tint like my H color diamond /w faint fluorescence. Any advise will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[valeria101]

rd questions: it is almost impossible for anyone else to tell how YOU will see a certain diamond.

Theat your H appeared whiter than the one in the store can indeed be explained by cut and flurescence (even though faint fluorescence is very subtle indeed), but also by the different grading standards applied. Who said the stone in the store was an H? GIA? Some other lab? The seller?


Anyway, if you are not pleased with the whitenedd of the H, it would make sense to see wether YOU can see a difference between a D and and E and F. Using GIA certificats would be a good way to avoid having to judge loosely graded stones. Most people would agree (at least on PS) that there is no visual difference between D-F, and all would say there is no visual difference once the stone is mounted and seen face-up. In fact, you may find a hoard of posts advising G color as the best way to get a perfectly white stone avoiding the premium for the 'white' D-F grades.


However, not only this is a matter of taste (and you seem to be somewhat more concerned with color than most), but also pesonal perception and the stones themselves. Aside from variances in grading by different labs, each lab admits a degree of error in grading color (usually half a degree, either way). The main reason for this: color grades actualy reflect ranges of color (so one can have an G color which is closer to F or closer to H). Surely, such differences should not be perceivable by the buyer, and are elusive enough under proper grading conditions. But who is to say how a diamond will look for you?


One way to deal with this is to actually compare stones: colo diferences appear much more clearly when seen side-by-side 9for example, onemay be able to tell that an F-G is not the whitest only when a D is placed next to them). The other is to take no risk and buy a higher (or highest) color grade. In theory, D-E-F are closer together than F is to G. I would not go for D color on a budget, since the price difference for the top grade is an issue. If you can tell E and F from D, congradtulations! I can't...




PS: Look at THESE an F and a fluorescent H side by side. Not that a picture is the best way to compare diamond color, but these do show some difference however. But the grades match your Q and I do not see these examples every day

 

[diamondsman]

I think that when you get to the f color or better ,you will not and should not see any tinge of color,As f color is in the range of colorless stones. sure you might see a difference if you put a D next to an F but if they a re not compared next to each other the F should not have any tinge of yellow at all.
There is a difference betwwen F and H as the H is in the nearcolorless catagory.

Unless you can see both stones and can afford the D color
I would highly recommend the F color.


good luck

 

[Roxy]

I've been told (and have read) that color is more evident in:
1) larger stones (over 1.5 cts) than smaller ones
2) fancy cut stones (vs RBs)

Maybe an expert can address this for you (and tell us whether this is truth or myth), but if this is true, then I second Diamondsman's advice and wouldn't go below an F for a 2ct princess.

 

[DiamondExpert]

Round stones 0.5ct. and smaller appear colorless in the D-F color range, but when you get above 1ct. and certainly at 2ct. there is a difference side by side.

Shape can also make a difference in percieved color, but in general the brilliant pattern of faceting will hide some color - perhaps more in rounds than in others like a Princess.

You just have to see for yourself - some folks are very color sensitive.

Also, make sure what you are "seeing" as yellow color is not due to the dispersion (spectral colors) in the stone.

 

[highendgems]

H is perfectly acceptable as long as the stone is cut very well. flour. will actually hurt an H color more than help, so i suggest an H with no flour..especially when sized larger than 1ct.

also make sure the lab graded the diamond accuratley...one H may be different than another. in general H is totally white. F is a higher grade of white, but not too much different if the diamond is well cut. you will see a difference when moving to D.

 

[laney]

Just my .02

I was comfortable with H - I color stone. When my finace and I compared H and I's you could see a teensy bit of difference - negligible when comparing H and I together on a well cut stone.

However when my fiance saw an F colored stone - hands down he liked it MUCH better. Me - the other stones were definately acceptable - but we purchased the F. It is COMPLETELY white. We have an H & A which also makes it very "bright" (as everyone has commented)

F I think is a FINE color range (in the colorless range) if you are concerned. I wouldn't go E or D unless the price was really good.

BTW - I have a 1.5 carat stone.

Good Luck!

 

[pqcollectibles]

Val is right. None of us can tell you what you do or don't see. They are your eyes. All of us have different color sensitivities. While H may work for me, F or G might be more suitable to you.

Diamonds Expert is right also. Square cuts tend to hold and show more body color than round brilliants. You need to examine the stone in different types of lighting. Do you see the "yellow tinge" more in certain kinds of light and less in others? Does the "tinge" tend to stay in one place or move around as you move the stone?

HighEnd makes a good point. H, especially with faint blue flour, is a very acceptable color. Soooo, that leads us to question which lab graded your diamond. If you have an EGL Certed diamond, it may have been loosely graded. An EGL H could easily be a GIA I, maybe even J.

Just some thoughts for you to consider.

 

[fire&ice]

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On 1/2/2004 8:48:22 PM highendgems wrote:

flour. will actually hurt an H color more than help, so i suggest an H with no flour..especially when sized larger than 1ct.

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And exactly how will it hurt an H color?

 

[aljdewey]

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On 1/3/2004 9:24:56 AM fire&ice wrote:

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On 1/2/2004 8:48:22 PM highendgems wrote:





flour. will actually hurt an H color more than help, so i suggest an H with no flour..especially when sized larger than 1ct.

---

And exactly how will it hurt an H color?

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Highend, I'd be *very* curious to hear your answer on this, too. It is fairly commonly held that fluor tends to help stones in the near-colorless range face up whiter, and I've yet to see faint fluor be a detriment to any stone, no matter what the color.

Yahui, faint fluor shouldn't detract from any diamond.

Typically, H color faces up white, but keep in mind that larger stones show more body color, and facies show more body color. Yours is BOTH......2 ct and fancy-cut, and that may account for why you're seeing the tint.

I'd suggest a few things. Go look at a similar stone in a G, and if you still see color you may want to go to an F. I'd be horribly surprised, though, if you had to go higher than an F. F is part of the colorless range, and it offers a much better value than D-E.....I really think you'd be hard-pressed to see any color in an F....even in a fancy of that large a size.

Good luck.