Faint FCD's--worth it?

[Indylady]

My leaning is towards a 'no'--in some vendor shots, I can 'see' the color when its close up in a static photo, but it basically disappears when I see a video. Do you think its worth it to get a faint or very light FCD? Why or why not? If you have one, how did you set your FCD?

Thank you in advance!

 

[OreoRosies86]

I like color that pops, so for me I go for extremes. However if a faint pink or yellow can pop in rose or yellow gold and the price is right, it can make quite a statement.

 

[pinkjewel]

I think it depends both on the stone and the color. For instance faint and light green are very hard to intensify in color- as is blue. Yellow and pink both can have "cups" used under them to increase the color when setting. There is also a fair amount of difference even within the same grade- some "very light" have more color saturation than others. My sister purchased a ring already made from Leibish. The pink diamond is classified as "very light pink", but in the setting could easily pass for a "fancy light pink". So, to me, it is difficult to give a blanket statement on yes or no. I'm not sure about the "faint" designation as I haven't seen one in person. I do have a few GIA graded "light pink" diamonds myself- they all look pink, even unset. I, personally, like pastels, so I like many of the lighter FCDs. So when you ask if they are "worth it"-I think that's something that you need to decide for yourself. To me, yes- but they are not everyone's cup of tea.

 

[marymm]

I have a small 4.7mm round GIA Faint Gray diamond - 0.40ct - I've looked at it next to white diamonds including E / G / H / I / M - and the Faint Gray very definitely has a gray/silver/platinum cast to it - overall it seems closest to the near-colorless/H color range, but with a decided steely tone. I had it set in 18kt Palladium White Gold that echoes the faint gray of the diamond, and as the diamond is a well-cut 60/60 stone it pops as a bright silvery diamond in the setting.

I have been eying a Faint Blue on Leibish's website but so far haven't pulled the trigger on it yet.

 

[kenny]

Years of supply and demand ensures that all the FCD grades are worth what they are priced, as are all the D-Z color grades.
You are free to feel that the most expensive or the least expensive grades are a bad value.
That's just what the price is for that amount of color.

People are also free to think brown is a better buy than red since you get more carat weight for the same budget.
Everyone is free to think whatever they want, but the market is not flexible, or respecting of diversity, when it comes to pricing the various color grades.
Some stuff is more valuable, some less.

At this time I'd give more weight to the believability of still pics than videos.

 

[Indylady]

I like color that pops, so for me I go for extremes. However if a faint pink or yellow can pop in rose or yellow gold and the price is right, it can make quite a statement.

Totally! I generally feel that way about many colored stones, but with FCD's I have to make the size v. color analysis, and even forsaking size, color can still be $$$ when it comes to the tiniest FCD's.

 

[Indylady]

I think it depends both on the stone and the color. For instance faint and light green are very hard to intensify in color- as is blue. Yellow and pink both can have "cups" used under them to increase the color when setting. There is also a fair amount of difference even within the same grade- some "very light" have more color saturation than others. My sister purchased a ring already made from Leibish. The pink diamond is classified as "very light pink", but in the setting could easily pass for a "fancy light pink". So, to me, it is difficult to give a blanket statement on yes or no. I'm not sure about the "faint" designation as I haven't seen one in person. I do have a few GIA graded "light pink" diamonds myself- they all look pink, even unset. I, personally, like pastels, so I like many of the lighter FCDs. So when you ask if they are "worth it"-I think that's something that you need to decide for yourself. To me, yes- but they are not everyone's cup of tea.

Hi PinkJewel! I was hoping you'd comment, since I was just looking at your orchid RDG thread earlier today! Thanks for your comment. I do agree, not all FCD's of the same color grade will look the same, so it really does depend on the particular FCD.

 

[Indylady]

I have a small 4.7mm round GIA Faint Gray diamond - 0.40ct - I've looked at it next to white diamonds including E / G / H / I / M - and the Faint Gray very definitely has a gray/silver/platinum cast to it - overall it seems closest to the near-colorless/H color range, but with a decided steely tone. I had it set in 18kt Palladium White Gold that echoes the faint gray of the diamond, and as the diamond is a well-cut 60/60 stone it pops as a bright silvery diamond in the setting.

I have been eying a Faint Blue on Leibish's website but so far haven't pulled the trigger on it yet.

Mary, I love your Fancy Gray! I've loved gray diamonds for a while, but never really pulled the trigger. There was a .19 light blue recently that I wanted, but was too slow to get it.

 

[Indylady]

Years of supply and demand ensures that all the FCD grades are worth what they are priced, as are all the D-Z color grades.
You are free to feel that the most expensive or the least expensive grades are a bad value.
That's just what the price is for that amount of color.

People are also free to think brown is a better buy than red since you get more carat weight for the same budget.
Everyone is free to think whatever they want, but the market is not flexible, or respecting of diversity, when it comes to pricing the various color grades.
Some stuff is more valuable, some less.

At this time I'd give more weight to the believability of still pics than videos.

Kenny, I agree with all of the above. So--specifically talking about Leibish, you think the static pictures are more representative. I don't quite understand their videos--they seem to really wash out almost any lighter colored diamond. I suppose it is another accurate representation of the diamond; after all, depending on the lighting, a really light FCD may be completely undetectable to have color. Have you ever seen one of their lighter stones (faint, light, or fancy light?) in person? What did you think?

 

[kenny]

After 20 purchases I can vouch for the accuracy of the hue/tone/saturation in their still pics.
This is a real compliment since I know full well how difficult it is to photograph FCDs accurately.

I have not yet bought an FCD from Leibish that had a video.
That is my reasoning for assuming their video set up must make color look weaker than it is in real life.

 

[Indylady]

After 20 purchases I can vouch for the accuracy of the hue/tone/saturation in their still pics.
This is a real compliment since I know full well how difficult it is to photograph FCDs accurately.

I have not yet bought an FCD from Leibish that had a video.
That is my reasoning for assuming their video set up must make color look weaker than it is in real life.

Thanks Kenny. That really is saying a lot. Do you have any other general advice for purchasing from Liebish? There are a couple diamonds that I've been interested in for a while now, but I've never purchased despite their return policy because I generally don't often return things and want to be fairly sure I want something before spend the $$ and order it internationally. If you can think of a link to an old thread, that would be really helpful too.

 

[psproot12]

Well if it's faint yellow, you can really boost that by setting it in yellow gold, similarly a faint pink can be boosted with rose gold. Faint blues, greens, and oranges are a bit tougher to enhance by setting in a certain metal.

Typically when you think of FCDs you really think of them as having a deep enough of a color to be comparable to a faint colored gemstone of similar hue. For example a blue FCD should resemble at least a faint sapphire but with the the brilliance of a diamond. Just my opinion

I have a yellow stone, that I've sent away to GIA to get certified, and my jeweler recommended setting it in Yellow gold to emphasize the color. I'm hoping it is a genuine FCD and not treate

 

[kenny]

Do you have any other general advice for purchasing from Liebish? There are a couple diamonds that I've been interested in for a while now, but I've never purchased despite their return policy because I generally don't often return things and want to be fairly sure I want something before spend the $$ and order it internationally. If you can think of a link to an old thread, that would be really helpful too.

A link to an old thread?
I'm not sure what you are asking for.

I also am generally not a person who likes to buy things just to try them out.
I try to do my homework and be sure of what I'm buying before buying.

I just have found that FCDs are not easy to 'know' till you get them in your hands regardless of pic accuracy.
Other things about it may or may not appeal to you.
Perhaps people vary in this way too.

 

[Indylady]

Do you have any other general advice for purchasing from Liebish? There are a couple diamonds that I've been interested in for a while now, but I've never purchased despite their return policy because I generally don't often return things and want to be fairly sure I want something before spend the $$ and order it internationally. If you can think of a link to an old thread, that would be really helpful too.

A link to an old thread?
I'm not sure what you are asking for.

I also am generally not a person who likes to buy things just to try them out.
I try to do my homework and be sure of what I'm buying before buying.

I just have found that FCDs are not easy to 'know' till you get them in your hands regardless of pic accuracy.
Other things about it may or may not appeal to you.
Perhaps people vary in this way too.

By asking for a link to an old thread, I meant that you may have discussed some kind of guide/etc. to purchasing FCD's in a previous thread, so if you linked to it, you wouldn't have to type out a response that exists already.

 

[Indylady]

Well if it's faint yellow, you can really boost that by setting it in yellow gold, similarly a faint pink can be boosted with rose gold. Faint blues, greens, and oranges are a bit tougher to enhance by setting in a certain metal.

Typically when you think of FCDs you really think of them as having a deep enough of a color to be comparable to a faint colored gemstone of similar hue. For example a blue FCD should resemble at least a faint sapphire but with the the brilliance of a diamond. Just my opinion

I have a yellow stone, that I've sent away to GIA to get certified, and my jeweler recommended setting it in Yellow gold to emphasize the color. I'm hoping it is a genuine FCD and not treate

Blues, greens, and grays are hard to enhance with a setting I'm sure. I've looked all around the forums, and fancy light blues and greens are so so hard to find. I'd love to see one of those set in a ring, but I've really only been able to see them loose.

 

[chrono]

So far, I've only gone for yellows and pinks because it is easy to play up their colouration. I'm not sure I would go for a faint blue or faint green. I think that certain blue and green diamonds can be enhanced by rose gold setting.

 

[pinkjewel]

I think it depends both on the stone and the color. For instance faint and light green are very hard to intensify in color- as is blue. Yellow and pink both can have "cups" used under them to increase the color when setting. There is also a fair amount of difference even within the same grade- some "very light" have more color saturation than others. My sister purchased a ring already made from Leibish. The pink diamond is classified as "very light pink", but in the setting could easily pass for a "fancy light pink". So, to me, it is difficult to give a blanket statement on yes or no. I'm not sure about the "faint" designation as I haven't seen one in person. I do have a few GIA graded "light pink" diamonds myself- they all look pink, even unset. I, personally, like pastels, so I like many of the lighter FCDs. So when you ask if they are "worth it"-I think that's something that you need to decide for yourself. To me, yes- but they are not everyone's cup of tea.

Hi PinkJewel! I was hoping you'd comment, since I was just looking at your orchid RDG thread earlier today! Thanks for your comment. I do agree, not all FCD's of the same color grade will look the same, so it really does depend on the particular FCD.

thanks for the compliment on my orchid ring- it is, however, a "fancy purplish pink" so has considerably more color saturation than the colors we are discussing. I did remember, though, I have seen a "faint" green in person at a jewelers a couple of years ago. Had they not told me it was green I would not have been able to see the color- and I'm pretty color sensitive.

eta- I also forgot to mention that when I bought my "light pink" diamonds last year- I thought they were quite inexpensive and I felt with all FCDs raising in price fairly quickly that it might be a good time to buy them. Most of them were from Leibish. Recently I have seen some similar diamonds at close to double what I paid so, yes, I guess they were "worth" it.

 

[Indylady]

PinkJewel--I definitely didn't mean to imply that your pink diamond was light or faint in intensity--just wanted to mention that I thought it was fab while I was referencing some FCD threads. Probably about 4 years ago Liebish had a really gorgeous .5 carat light pink for about 2k--how I wish those prices were still around!

 

[Indylady]

So far, I've only gone for yellows and pinks because it is easy to play up their colouration. I'm not sure I would go for a faint blue or faint green. I think that certain blue and green diamonds can be enhanced by rose gold setting.

Rose gold is an interesting idea--I was thinking of it the other day. Perhaps a really think RG bezel so that its enhancing, but not distracting or overpowering for a lighter colored diamond. What about green gold? It has a really cool toned look to it. Do you think that could help?

 

[upcyclist]

What about green gold? It has a really cool toned look to it. Do you think that could help?

I was thinking about green gold as I was looking through this thread. I really like the look of it, but it's a very yellow-green (more lemony than the golden YG color). It might help a yellowish green FCD more than a straight green one.

 

[chrono]

I agree that green gold looks more yellow than green. You will only notice the subtle green tint when it is placed next to a rose or yellow metal.