Fancy colored stones for engagement rings

[nht]

Hi,

I''d like to get something different from the ordinary and I was thinking of a natural colored diamond in the .8-1.2 ct range (using the ballpark of $10K/carat pricing).

There are a lot of great guides here and elsewhere on picking out traditional diamonds but I''m not sure how much I need to tailor that advice for colored stones.

I''m guessing from my inital forays into the stores that canary is the cheapest and most common of the colored stones and set into gold looks great IMHO.

But seeing any is pretty hard. Very few jewelers seem to keep any in stock so I haven''t got a good idea about the possibilites in my price range.

For example, she mentioned that of all the diamonds in the Smithsonian exibit she thought the Pumpkin to be the prettiest (fancy vivid orange). Is intense orange anywhere close to my budget? The Moussaieff came second (I think) for her (fancy red).

I''d consider "enhanced" diamonds...what are the downsides other then the obvious "they aren''t real"? One jewler told me these fade (or at least used to fade) over time.

How much should I care about clarity? I was thinking SI1 eye clean as the bottom end.

Should I still get one of the scopes to check out cut or does the emphasis on enhancing color over brilliance kind of make that less important?

Any suggestions would be helpful...including "Don''t do this, the novelty will fade over time". I ran into some of that with my first ring with a nice diamond (E color, excellent cut) with a large occlusion in the shape of a flying dove...extremely neat looking. Without the loupe it kinds look like just an oddly shaped flaw. When I heard that comment I knew I was in trouble and just should have gotten a more traditional stone.

Thanks!

-N

PS I was thinking of a oval or radiant cut with G-I color trillions gold setting. Should they be whiter to accent the color more?

 

[mike04456]

Shopping for fancy-color diamonds is not for the faint of heart--or wallet. Most of the rules for colorless diamonds don't really apply. Color is paramount, and while cut is important, fancy-color diamonds are almost always cut differently to intensify the color. Don't bother with the various "scopes." You won't see ideal proportions, and in fact you're likely to see mainly fancy cuts instead of rounds because the rough is so much more expensive and weight rentention becomes much more important. Clarity is really not that big a deal, and colored diamonds are often more included than colorless. I've seen attractive colored diamonds in the I1-I2 range, so don't get stuck on SI1.

At $10k/ct, you're going to be looking at yellows only. Tell your girlfriend to forget the Smithsonian diamonds--those are museum pieces. Natural fancy reds and oranges are firmly in the "if you have to ask you can't afford it" range, although brownish-oranges are more affordable (the more brown, the cheaper they are). I think you might be able to find some nice yellows in that range though not beyond Fancy yellow. Anything else in an attractive color is wildly expensive.

Treated color diamonds are certainly an option. I don't believe there are permanancy issues with treated reds and oranges because the color is the result of radiation + heat. Irradiated blues and greens, however, can be unstable and fade if exposed to excessive heat. Keep in mind that the colors often don't match natural colors exactly and can sometimes "look fake" especially to someone who knows anything about diamonds.

I'd recommend partnering beforehand with an independent appraiser who has some expertise with fancy colors. An appraiser like that should know which jewelers specialize in colored diamonds (you don't want a jeweler who doesn't) and can point you in the right direction. Otherwise you're taking a real risk of getting stuck with something overpriced or substandard.

I think G-I side stones will be fine, especially with a yellow center stone.

 

[winyan]

Hi LawGem...

I read your post and realized this created a big question in my mind. I have 1/2 carat irradiated blue diamond earrings, and a tennis bracelet. Are you saying my wearing these in the sun, while, for example, sightseeing can cause the color to fade? Thanks so much for your reply!

I have to admit, I rarely take either off, I like them so much.

win

 

[mike04456]

Looks like I misspoke. I went and looked it up to be sure, and it turns out that while heat is a risk with green and blue-green diamonds, sunlight is not. So not to worry.

(post above edited to remove said error)

 

[winyan]

Thanks so much LawGem, that makes me feel a lot better about such constant wearing of my blues!

win

 

[elmo]

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On 7/23/2003 12:41:44 PM LawGem wrote:

At $10k/ct, you're going to be looking at yellows only...I think you might be able to find some nice yellows in that range though not beyond Fancy yellow. Anything else in an attractive color is wildly expensive.

----------------

I think you're talking about b&m retail here - my jeweler located a fancy intense yellow cushion in the 90 point range, VS clarity, with GIA full report, for me in the $6-7k/carat range last week. We're going to get something else, but I'd be happy to introduce you via private message if you wish.

LawGem, could I get you to comment on HPHT treatment on Ia type stones to deepen color? The most notorious use I think is on IIa's to get a colorless result, and it's not widely publicized that light yellow Ia's can also benefit. From what I understand, it's been only in the last several months that all or most such treatments could be detected by the GIA, and that stones with older reports should be sent back in for a report update to check for this.

 

[mike04456]

Fancy intense is just one bump past fancy yellow and the differences tend to be subtle, but that does sound like a deal. No need to put me in touch with him--I already know plenty of wholesalers.

You're correct that any B&M store is going to charge an arm and a leg for attractive natural fancy color diamonds. This is why we have the Internet.

With regard to the HPHT treatment, if we're talking about the same thing--that is, HPHT treatment of type Ia brown diamonds to produce intense yellow to greenish-yellow diamonds--GIA first reported on this in 1999 and published a study on identification of it in mid-2000. So "the last few months" isn't quite accurate. The process is very new and only came out shortly before GIA reported on it, so I doubt too many stones would have slipped through. Given the price differential between natural and treated intensely saturated yellow-green diamonds, if you have any doubt about a particular stone, sending it to GIA for an origin of color report is certainly a good idea. But if it already has one from the last couple of years, I think you can trust it.

 

[nht]

Thanks for the info! Elmo, I'd be interested in a lead. I did find that one of the sites recommended here is local to me and they carry fancy yellows at a good price (about $6K/ct).

Regards

-N

 

[FLiP7983]

My advice to you is to pay a visit to Diamond district 47th street in NYC, there you'll find what you're looking. Jewelers there will show you a different kinds of lose stones to choose from. Although, im not sure if you'll find something that fits your budget. I know fancy color stones are pricey.

 

[valeria101]

I know I am late to write... but maybe still can help. First of all, most fancy colors are not cut in the US, but in Antwerp, Australia (Argyle is the primary source of pinks) or Israel (because this type of stones are small and problematic to cut while stile worth the wile). So... it is harder to get them in the US! To get a good look at what the color range is see: www.fancydiamonds.net (this is, a century old business which carries anything between little cheap stuff to seven digits) and israel-diamonds.com (retailer contracting with many diamond cutters, very, very well priced). And, with your budget, you can get any color, as long as you stay below 1ct (way below, for some colors). Now: how about a set of 4 (say green, orange, pink and blue)10 pointers aside a very white center (or a less expensive color center of greater size)? This should not brake the bank. And going through the roof with these is very easy: the worst examples I know are a below 2ct intense green sold for 150000 and a 0.5ct vivid blue of lower clarity sold for 50000! If the blue is not really blue as a sapphire, a 0.5 could be 2000... no joke. Aside from this, go for it: platinum and colored diamonds make a great combination (especially the warmer orange and yellows). For a little orange hart look on Ebay at Diamondsbylauren.

Cheers!


Ana