Fancy colored diamond considerations -- cut, usability

[polarexpress]

Hi, I'm looking for a fancy colored diamond engagement ring for my girlfriend. My instructions are to get a fancy (non-yellow) colored diamond with a simple design, probably small side stones. I have a few specific questions below but also interested in general advice!

1. I see this article (https://www.pricescope.com/education/colored-diamonds) says that yellow diamonds are commonly cut as radiants because that brings out their hue better. Is there a similar "best cut" for pinks? Blues? Greens?
2. Can a green diamond be an everyday ring? What about a blue? I'm concerned that the green (and to a lesser extent blue) would be hard to match with outfits (especially the pale versions of those colors that diamonds typically are)
3. I know that the selection process depends a lot on the specific person's desires, but are there general "best practices" when choosing a color/size/saturation/cut?
4. I see a lot of colored diamonds set with a halo (is this to bring out the color?) -- is it ok to just have the diamond by itself, or would that look bad?

Thanks so much!

 

[Mreader]

I’m just wondering what your budget is? Because if she wants a fancy diamond that is not yellow and wants it to be a solitaire, a green or blue or pink, unless lab created, fetch astronomical prices.

 

[tyty333]

That's exactly what I was going to ask @Mreader ! If your budget isn't high enough then we can probably skip a bunch of these
questions.

 

[polarexpress]

I’ve looked at some of these online, and I’m aware of the cost for non-yellow fancy colored diamonds. I just don’t know how to pick one.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Would it possible to give some photos of what you have already found and price ranges to search with? Leibish has some very nice examples of untreated FCD.
I also left 1stdibs and DBL because she has probably come across those. What hue is she looking for? It massively effects the price.

Green Diamonds: Shop Natural Loose Green Diamond | Leibish

LEIBISH specializes in Natural Fancy Green Diamonds & Green Diamond Jewelry. Discover our collection of fancy color diamonds.

www.leibish.com

Blue Diamonds: Shop Natural Loose Blue Diamond | Leibish

LEIBISH specializes in Natural Fancy Blue Diamonds & Blue Diamond Jewelry. Discover our collection of fancy color diamonds.

www.leibish.com

https://www.1stdibs.com/search/jewelry/rings/?oq=green%20diamond%20ring&page=2&q=green%20diamond%20ring&st=classified

Loose Mined Diamonds

Natural fancy colored diamonds including yellow diamonds, blue diamonds, pink diamonds, orange diamonds, brown diamonds.

www.diamondsbylauren.com

You simply pick the color that pleases you. The vividness and saturation will determine the per carat cost.

 

[Rfisher]

Hi, I'm looking for a fancy colored diamond engagement ring for my girlfriend. My instructions are to get a fancy (non-yellow) colored diamond with a simple design, probably small side stones. I have a few specific questions below but also interested in general advice!

Congratulations on your engagement!

1. I see this article (https://www.pricescope.com/education/colored-diamonds) says that yellow diamonds are commonly cut as radiants because that brings out their hue better. Is there a similar "best cut" for pinks? Blues? Greens?

I *think* any shape cut into a crushed ice facet pattern will tend to bring out color, over a brilliant style facet pattern in that same shape. Points on pears, oval/marquise ends maybe will look a bit more concentrated as opposed to the rest of the stone

1. Can a green diamond be an everyday ring? What about a blue? I'm concerned that the green (and to a lesser extent blue) would be hard to match with outfits (especially the pale versions of those colors that diamonds typically are)

Everyday as durability? Sure.
Hard to match daily outfits? Tastes vary but I sure wouldn’t care if I loved the ring.

1. I know that the selection process depends a lot on the specific person's desires, but are there general "best practices" when choosing a color/size/saturation/cut?

Trust of vendor and lab report would be first, imo.

Although - best practices when choosing will vary between individuals because we might all have different parameters we prioritize over other parameters . Driven by budget, of course.

1. I see a lot of colored diamonds set with a halo (is this to bring out the color?) -- is it ok to just have the diamond by itself, or would that look bad?

Thanks so much!

Accentuate color. Increase finger coverage. Style.
Tastes vary but no. Just having the diamond by itself wouldn’t look ‘bad’

Aside from the great suggestions you’ve already been given where to look

Take a gander at Etsy vendors like Lion Diamonds or like Astteria. Not as a ‘’hey buy from this company” but as another resource to look at different fcd, browse the lab report facts, and compare them to what you see with your eye.

Compare the glamour photo shots to the video shots and how they vary between different lighting environments/ on their ig. Heck - do this last part on any vendor you look at.

Best wishes!!

Edited to add- don’t be afraid of brown or grey if you want a bump in your budget. There’s been a few brownish pinks or grey ish greens I’d give a kidney for

 

[polarexpress]

There's no specific hue she's looking for (just not yellowish) -- just something that is unique but not too "out there".

I just looked through the Loose Mined Diamonds page, and honestly some of the white ones look blue to me. Is this because of the fluorescence? And does this mean that a light blue diamond might be indistinguishable from a white diamond in some lights?

Hard to match daily outfits? Tastes vary but I sure wouldn’t care if I loved the ring.

Does this mean "it is harder to match, but if you like the color it's probably worth it"?

It seems like there are an overwhelming variety of options. It seems like for white diamonds there is an agreed-upon set of practices for what is considered good, and I was hoping there was something similar for colored diamonds.

 

[tyty333]

Also, Diamonds by Lauren has colored diamonds...

Loose Mined Diamonds

Natural fancy colored diamonds including yellow diamonds, blue diamonds, pink diamonds, orange diamonds, brown diamonds.

www.diamondsbylauren.com

I have always liked this one that Jewels by Grace has...not very big though

.34ct Fancy Intense Pink Oval Cut Diamond

Talk about luscious and rare! This diamond is THE perfect stone for the colored diamond collectors out there - the stone is a very pretty and desirable deep pink color which goes from a bubble gum hue to a deeper, almost salmon-pink hue. And I love how brilliant the stone is - with lots of...

www.jewelsbygrace.com

I'm a pink girl so I'd rather have pink over blue or green (but I'd probably be happy with any color that someone wanted to give me).

 

[Rfisher]

It seems like for white diamonds there is an agreed-upon set of practices for what is considered good, and I was hoping there was something similar for colored diamonds.

‘As with colored stones in general, color is paramount for fancy colored diamond pricing. Other quality factors like clarity and cut do not affect prices as much as with colorless diamonds. All factors equal, higher clarity and more attractive cuts may command higher prices.’
Source:

Fancy Colored Diamonds

Diamonds are found in almost every color of the spectrum. Let's explore everything you need to know about fancy colored diamonds.

www.pricescope.com

And does this mean that a light blue diamond might be indistinguishable from a white diamond in some lights?

‘Faint’, ‘very light’ and maybe even ‘light’ - yeah I really do believe that possibility is there.
There’s a reason “fancy” isn’t in front of those names.

and honestly some of the white ones look blue to me. Is this because of the fluorescence?

Possibly - maybe even environmental reflections.

 

[polarexpress]

I have always liked this one that Jewels by Grace has...not very big though

Is there something wrong with this stone (I only ask because it looks like such a good deal)? Even given it's size, $12k seems low for a fancy intense pink. For reference, I saw a .43ct fancy light pink at a jewelry store for $140k. There's obviously a significant markup at a store and the stone is a little bigger, but that's still a lot more than I would expect given the paler color.

 

[ItsMainelyYou]

Is there something wrong with this stone (I only ask because it looks like such a good deal)? Even given it's size, $12k seems low for a fancy intense pink. For reference, I saw a .43ct fancy light pink at a jewelry store for $140k. There's obviously a significant markup at a store and the stone is a little bigger, but that's still a lot more than I would expect given the paler color.

No, and that's a bit of the point. Color is arbitrary and experts see color nuances and modifiers that regular people don't(and also don't care/unaware about). Retail prices vary greatly and in some cases normal buyers aren't going to see any appreciable difference.

 

[polarexpress]

Thanks for all the advice so far friends! I ended up getting a pink diamond, and now I'm looking at how to set it. I'm looking for a design that is classic but also unique (a difficult balance I know) and that provides contrast to the center stone (especially important because it's a light pink). She wants to shy away from halo and pave because they feel "too sparkly".

• Do I have enough space for side stones? The ring size is 3, which is only 14mm in diameter. The center stone is an 8.6x7.2mm radiant. I was trying to sketch a mockup, and every drawing either made the side stones very small or very slanted.
• I like the idea of side stones set very close to the band, but every design I've seen has them up next to the center stone. Is it true that setting them "high" like that is preferred, and what is the rationale?
• Which shape of side stones would complement the radiant well but in a unique way?
• Is there anything else interesting I can do with the setting?

 

[lulu_ma]

Do you have a pic of the stone? Some kind of cup underneath could enhance the color.

 

[Brigid]

@polarexpress I was going to say buy a pink or blue diamond, they’re gorgeous!
There are beautiful diamonds in these colours available but there are also worthless/no quality/bad ones too, so research and choose wisely.

 

[tyty333]

Size 3 is pretty tiny for that size stone.

This tool may help you...move the ring size to size 3.

1.2ct Radiant (8.6×7.2×4.61) vs 0.15ct Round (3.45×3.45×2.08)

Compare 1.2 carat Radiant (8.6×7.2×4.61mm) vs 0.15 carat Round (3.45×3.45×2.08mm) on actual diamond size and finger coverage (58.82mm² vs 9.35mm²)

www.diamdb.com

I like the idea of small rounds. They are .15 in the example above. Who is making the setting? You need to (should) choose
someone who can do a plastic mold so you can see how tilted the diamonds will be and how they will look on a
size 3 finger.

David Klass does CADs and can do plastic molds so you have a better idea of how the stones will fit together on a small size.

Also...that tool I posted above...if you default the size of stones (by just entering weight), it sort of defaults to a little bigger than
most well cut stones of that weight are so keep that in mind. Best to enter the exact diamond LxW...but I just defaulted them.

 

[tyty333]

BTW...baguettes would be typical side stones for this type of ring but you have very little real estate so you need a stone shape that
is rather short.

 

[tyty333]

Interesting things to do with the setting...

- you could use N/S/E/W prongs. Something like this minus the pave on the shank


- CVB does some nice settings (you can set the stone N/S as well)
Link to CVB Instagram

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She also does low side stones (3 small rounds). Again, you can set the stone N/S
Here is the link to this ring

The esti Style Diamond Cluster Ring Setting by Cvb - Etsy

This Engagement Rings item by CVBinspiredDesign has 225 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Jackson, CA. Listed on Jul 3, 2023

www.etsy.com

Here is the side view. Of course, the height off the finger depends on the depth of your radiant.


Also, here is the link to David Klass' instagram

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[jeunessedoree]

Would you consider trilliant diamonds for the side stones?

I just had my champagne diamond ring made, and it's sort of similar in terms of spec. It's 1.18 carats, but it's a square radiant, and I fell in love with trilliant diamonds as side stones, when I was debating between that and baguette diamonds.

I went with two 0.15 trilliant diamonds.

Just to give you an idea.






Here were a couple of pics that I used as inspiration when commissioning my ring.


This style above could work if you wanted the side diamonds to not have the same width as the main diamond?

 

[Mreader]

Do you have a pic of the stone? Some kind of cup underneath could enhance the color.

This! We would love to see photos. Half moon diamonds also look pretty with radiant.

 

[Serg]

Hi, I'm looking for a fancy colored diamond engagement ring for my girlfriend. My instructions are to get a fancy (non-yellow) colored diamond with a simple design, probably small side stones. I have a few specific questions below but also interested in general advice!

1. I see this article (https://www.pricescope.com/education/colored-diamonds) says that yellow diamonds are commonly cut as radiants because that brings out their hue better. Is there a similar "best cut" for pinks? Blues? Greens?
2. Can a green diamond be an everyday ring? What about a blue? I'm concerned that the green (and to a lesser extent blue) would be hard to match with outfits (especially the pale versions of those colors that diamonds typically are)
3. I know that the selection process depends a lot on the specific person's desires, but are there general "best practices" when choosing a color/size/saturation/cut?
4. I see a lot of colored diamonds set with a halo (is this to bring out the color?) -- is it ok to just have the diamond by itself, or would that look bad?

Thanks so much!

Radiant and some oval designs (not the classical oval design, of course) work well when you need to enhance the absorption of a certain part of the spectrum by increasing the path of light inside polished diamond. This method often works for yellow hues, but it's not necessary for all yellow stones. There are types of spectra where Vivid will work in almost any cut, and that's when cutters often choose Emerald cuts because they showcase the material's quality. If, for example, the material requiring a Radiant cut were cut into Emerald, you'd end up with Fancy color, Fancy light, or even Colorless (P-Q, M) instead.

For some pink rough diamonds, you need a cut with a shorter light path, like the Round Brilliant Cut (RBC). If you use Radiant cut for such material, you'd get Dark Pink instead of Fancy Pink.

All of the above applies only to natural spectra. If the color was obtained through irradiation, which is typical for green and blue diamond colors from LGD (Lab-Grown Diamonds), then the cut doesn't matter at all because the color is concentrated only in the diamond's surface layer, about half a millimeter deep.