Color Sensitive folks and H,I, & J stone owners

[fabienne]

I really hope this post makes sense but how did you know you were color sensitive? Do you notice colors only between certain ranges? Do you notice only in loose stones or in rings as well? Are you able to actually guess accurately the color a lot of the time? Do photographs pick up color? I know these questions seem random but I''ve been wondering about it since I got my ring back from GOG.

I actually wanted an I colored stone. I figured that there was no need to pay for a higher color when my Zales I looked pretty white to me. So, when they gave me back my old stone and gave me the stats on it, it turns out that my old stone was an H.

I just assumed it was an I.

Now theoretically, shouldn''t an AGS0 I stone face up whiter than an H not cut to the same standards? So, my new stone should face up as white, if not more white than my old stone. I think. But it seems to me that I''m seeing "yellow" when I look at my stone in certain lighting. I''m trying to figure out if this is a "mind clean" issue and my mind is playing tricks on me. I don''t think I''m color sensitive (that would be awful, imo) but just wondering why I''m seeing what I''m seeing. I''m hoping its all in my head and I get over this...I''m starting to feel crazy.

Any thoughts?

HIJ owners....I''m sure some people chose their colors because they loved the warmth, or for financial reasons, but do you have a threshold you won''t cross for some reason? Can you share why?

 

[MMMD]

Without pictures it''s hard to tell what you are seeing. If you feel your stone isn''t white enough for your tastes, you might be color sensitive. Nothing wrong with that everyone has their preferences. I used to have a round (crappy cut pre-pricescope purchase) K stone with light blue fluoro and I loved the color. Faced up white as anything but sparkled a lot of different colors which I loved. I now have a G emerald cut and I think it''s too white, I liked the other stone''s personality better. But like I said, everyone has different likes and dislikes. Can you post a pic for us?

 

[LaurenThePartier]

I have a relatively recently acquired AGS0 I SI1 ACA. It''s smaller, at .52 ct. and I purchased it strictly for financial reasons.

I have a G Asscher, and can sometimes see a hint of colour in it, so I''d say I''m a tiny bit colour sensitive. Now, an Asscher and an ideal cut round are 2 different beasts, and I''ve seen down to an AGS K that I know I could tolerate, but I''m pretty sure I would be absolutely delighted to go to a J if I could get some more size.

 

[D&T]

hmmm, first off same as first poster, don''t have a picture to truly comment, but I had a J, for financial reason-budget, told myself I wouldn''t pay xx amount and wanted to come under that budget, but mine was set in yellow gold, my diamond would play off my yg so I could see some yellow off of the reflection and in some other lighting I can definitely see warmth otherwise it faced up white (white enough for me) then I upgrade for size, but went down to a K... after seeing so many lovely Ks and when I got my K, I loved it even more than my J, for some reason my arrows on my K seems more prominent and the personality on my K I loved so much more than my J. But if you put it next to another diamond of higher color, I can see the difference, my sister has a G, and yes, I can see quite the difference but mine sparkled more

 

[LD]

I wonder if your original diamond has strong blue fluor so is facing up whiter than a normal H?

Who graded your new diamond? Could it be that it''s lower than an I?

I own an I colour diamond with strong blue fluor and face on it''s stunningly white. In very dim light (and very occasionally) I can detect a hint of colour in it but not often.

The difference between an H and I shouldn''t really be detectable so I suspect the grading needs to be looked at. Wink recently posted a diamond tuition video on colours in diamonds that you may find interesting (apologies but I can''t find the link).

 

[DKinLA]

My original E-ring was a G color which we thought would be safe since I discovered I didn''t like "warmth" in diamonds. Well it turns out that I could still see a yellow tint in certain lighting conditions with my G. When I upgraded recently I went to "E" color -- personal decision but whenever I saw the yellow tint it drove me crazy. I must say when I saw the E it was amazing. Such a HUGE difference (for me anyway). The brightness of the E is not even comparable to that of the G. Cut wise, they were both ideal.

 

[EHR2009]

I don''t know if this will be helpful, but I have a D color diamond, and sometimes it picks up some yellow from the lighting or the clothes I am wearing. Sometimes I will look at it and think "it looks a little yellow!?" But then I remember that it is D color and it must be something with the lighting.

 

[caribqueen]

I have an i and it faces up white. I can relate to your issues though because lately I started looking at the ring upside down in certain lightings (at work) and I can see color. It has been bugging me, but I recently just decided to live with it because it came from my now fiance who worked his butt off to give me something modest (.70) and has always said we'll upgrade. So I just don't look at it upside down anymore (lol) but the nice thing about my ring is that it does sparkle a lot. For me, I know it's not my forever ring so I'm just trying to appreciate it for what it means. (Easier said than done for someone who stares at it constantly, but working on it.)

But I do know for sure that my next diamond will be a H or possibly G (I don't feel the need to go higher).

 

[Kelli]

I have an H (it was graded an I before I had it recut) and it faces up VERY white. When the lighting around it is yellow however, as a lot of lights are, it picks up the yellowish tint. As EHR2009 said, ANY diamond will do that.

After having my engagement ring for a while, I decided that even if I ever saw a smidge of color, I didn''t mind it anyway. I wanted a pendant and didn''t want to pay a lot of money for one. So I bought an M with very strong blue fluorescnce. Most of the time I''m floored as to how white it appears. When I do see a little color, I think it''s pretty.

A tint of color doesn''t make a diamond less beautiful IMO. It just makes me wish I''d known that before getting my engagement ring. I would have gone with a bigger stone with lower color!

 

[Dreamer_D]

You mentioned that the I color looks yellow in "some lighting"... remember that an ideal cut stone will reflect not only the light (i.e., white) around it, but will also reflect the *colors* around it. So if you are in a yelow room or, in my case, the inside of my car which has a taupe interior, the diamond will look decidedly taupe/yellow.

I created a collage of my J stone in different colored environments so you can see this in action. Left to right, top to bottom we have: Next to a brown wooden fence; by a window; in my yellow living room; inside the freezer

; in my lavender bathroom; on some tissue paper.

As you can see, especially in the last shot, the actual body color of the stone is not very noticable... but in the right environment it ca nreally take on color!

BTW, I also own D colored ECs and of course they look more icy than my J, but the J doesn''t look "yellow" it simply looks warmer.

 

[MrsChil]

When we first started looking into diamonds I was set on getting an H color or higher. I had a friend that had an H color diamond and I thought it was beautiful and never saw any 'yellow'. When we went shopping around at different jewelers I could really tell the difference in color when they were loose and side by side the colorless (D-F) so it turned me off from lower color graded stones a little....BUT after having researched more online and seeing how important cut is in all shapes and that is what gave it sparkle and scintillation I decided I was willing to try a lower color grade as long as the cut was great. Well the first cushion we called in from JA actually happened to be a G color. I sent it back because of a big ugly inclusion right smack in the middle of the table and exchanged it for an I color that was slightly larger When we got it in I was nervous about seeing it and wondering if it would look yellow etc. It was the best choice we ever made! I didn't even notice any color (especially not yellow) and it was beautiful. The only thing that was wrong with that stone was that it had a bowtie (dark shadow) that I didn't like so we sent it back...BUT I knew then that I was more than happy to have an I colored diamond so we called up our local jeweler to get a couple for us to look at until we found 'the one'! I love it and am so happy we made that decision. Most of the time I can't see any color because it's so bright and sparkly, however just like they said in the previous posts, in certain lighting it does look more 'antique white' , however I saw the same thing with the G color stone also so I don't think it would have mattered what the color was. I'm sure that next to a D, E or F stone you would be able to tell the difference (like in the jewelry stores I went to) but I don't normally hold my ring up next to other diamonds in real life and it's gorgeous all on its own Hope that helps

ETA: Also, my I color stone is set with F/G color stones in the halo and it looks fantastic in all lighting!

 

[Winks_Elf]

My fiance gave me a diamond that neither of us knew the specs on, so I wore the ring for a month before Wink graded it for me. What initially looked like an F-G color to my eyes turned out to be an H. It''s an old cut, so that may have something to do with it.

 

[LAD]

My ering is a J with an excellent cut and it faces up very white. The only time I could even tell any warmth is when I put it beside my new earrings which are g/h. Even then I can barely tell.

 

[DiamondFlame]

What exactly was the ''certain'' lighting that your H looks yellowish? Diamond facets are highly reflective so looks can be misleading. Are you able to look at the body color from the pavillion side under daylight indoors? I find such light offers the most neutral tone with which to judge color. I am color sensitive but I''m not really bothered by it. Whether I''d pick a D, E,F or an M,N,O,P or lower really depends on the look I''m going for. The warmer colors suit the vintage styles or yellow gold better imo. But poorly cut stones in any color would bother me to no end..

 

[KtIceRN]

I can''t say that I am color sensitive per say but I did just upgrade from a J to an H. To me the J is not yellow just a bit dull. I don''t know if that makes any sense to anyone. I loved my J but now that I am back to an H I do not think that I will go any lower than that again.

The J was face up white but the H is just clearer and more crisp.

Now give me an older stone and I love them in the L-M range....yummy!!

 

[coatimundi_org]

I don't really have a threshold. I have F, G, H, I, J, and K colored diamonds of various cuts, and I enjoy them independently for their faceting, fire, and scintillation. I don't like to view diamonds in stasis, so color is secondary for me. I can see gradations in diamond color easily, but it is not my focus.

If you are seeing color in your well cut diamond, you may be seeing external color reflected in the stone or color as a result of the lighting environment. Even D colored diamonds can look yellowish in certain lighting, and diamond color cannot be judged by photographs.