For those of you with warmer colored diamonds...

[pebbles]

I know most of you are going to answer "it''s all personal preference" as far as color is concerned, but I was just wondering what you would personally do.

For those of you with warmer colored diamonds (and to me, warmer means I or lower) would you go with the same color again, or "the next time" would you get a higher color?

I already know Mara''s answer.

Anyone else care to share their thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[E B]

I love my "I", but it''s the lowest I''d go. In a fancy cut (like a cushion), I''d try for a G or an H.

 

[AndyRosse]

Well, I don''t own a warmer colored diamond right now, but I thought I could still kinda answer your question

hehe.

Personally, if I really wanted a larger stone, I would be willing to go down to an ideal cut I or J. But I would really have to be getting a lot of size out of the deal.

Otherwise, I personally love love love my F colored RB.

 

[FireGoddess]

I had an I colored rb and when I upgraded to my pear, I got a D. Now that I've been spoiled in that manner, the lowest I'd probably go is an F, or a G with blue fluor.

Since Mara went with another J, a good question for her would be - what color would the FINAL stone be (realistically of course, not if I could have a free stone it would be..., etc)??

 

[pinkflamingo]

I would go lower, actually. I am trying desperately to find my dream earrings, in the 40 pt each range, K SI2, H&A, eyeclean with some blue fluorescence. I guess they are really rare... that combo with an ideal cut seems to be rarer than the D VVS combo, IMO.

 

[Lynn B]

As you probably know I have a J and I adore it. And you know what, if I ever upgrade I would certainly consider a J again -- or even a K!!! Have you seen the Killer K''s around here??! OH MAN! GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS diamonds!

I have a pair of (super ideal cut, H&A) studs, ~1 ctw. One is a J and one is a K, and so help me, unless I get out the high-power loupe and read the girdle inscription, I cannot tell which is which! Both are SO white and beautiful.

Now, granted, a 3+ ''er might "show more color" than a .5''er (and my next upgrade -- if there ever IS one

will be in the 3 carat range.) So I''d have to SEE it first... but yeah, I think it''s a likely possibility. I truly LOVE the rich color of the warmer stones, and baby, I LOVE the size I can get with the $$$ !!!

 

[Mara]

I actually have asked WF if they come across any K's that were cut to be J's or similar and don't make it with the grading labs in around that same 2.3c size to let me know. I mean I know the chances are like NIL but it's worth asking. I would love to see a K next to the J...after seeing Mrs. Jam's 2.56 K and Sevens K and all those other fabulous white K's due to the great cut, I am really intrigued. I think if I could eke out a bit more size for the same price, aka a 2.5c or similar, I would totally do it! Or at least seriously consider it.

Remember that 3c M we saw last year that was Stephans? If I could have upgraded then, I would have totally considered the M! While I adore size in my baubles, I don't want to overspend mentally. Could I afford an H or I stone instead of a J? Probably, but I don't *want* to pay more for size when I can't even see a real visual difference. I find that my eyes are not very good when it comes to spotting color or inclusions since they all kind of blend together for me, and so I think I could get away with more AND also with my skin tone I do think that the more near-colorless'ish diamonds look whiter AND better on my olive skin than someone with fair skin.

Sorry Pebbles, I don't mean to be a broken record, but FG mentioned asking what my lowest would be and I think I'd definitely consider a K for a large ring stone depending on how it's cut and how it faces up. Oh and for my future 3c or 3.5c or whatever the 'final stone' is...if we were floating in cash then I'd probably try to find an H SI1 or I SI1 or so...but I'd still buy a J if the stone was right (and the price would certainly be more right than H or I and I have other things I like to spend on too!).

 

[bstraszheim]

I will preface my opinion by saying that I have never seen an ideal cut J (that I remember), but my .598 I Ideal cut is amazing and I would happily do it again. I would also seriously, seriously consider a J or K. I can''t imagine that an I is going to look amazingly white to me, but a J or K will all of a sudden appear too warm, know what I mean? I also cannot tell a difference between my .30 G and the .598 I. All the better for me and my wallet : ) Perhaps in a larger size, things would be different to my eyes, but in the smaller ct weights, I cannot see a difference.

I wish you well,

Bridget

 

[Mara]

Bridget that is kind of what I am thinking, like if my J looks fabulously white 99.9% of the time then will going to a K make it what...96.9%? If so, I''d still take it!!! Esp for more SIZE.

Hey Lynn...think if you, me and Dem went in on the 5c stone (more affordable than the7c) that we could all share it? One person can wear it while the others are wearing the straightjackets? HHAAA!!!!

 

[glitterata]

I own an L and an F, both in the 1.5 carat range, both inherited, and I definitely prefer the color of the F. Neither has fluorescence.

I also own a pair of smaller stones: a .29 F with strong blue fluo and a .29 J with what looks like medium blue fluo. (It''s ungraded, so I''m guessing.) I briefly owned .82 E with what was supposed to be strong blue fluo, but I suspect was medium or faint blue fluo. I didn''t like the inclusions, so I returned it.

In artificial light, I couldn''t tell the difference in color between the E and the two Fs. I could definitely see color in the J. And, of course, I could see color in the L. I liked the whiter colors much better.

In sunlight, my favorite color was the F with strong blue fluo. It''s a lovely lavendary purple. Definitely purple rather than white.

If I were buying a diamond, it would be F-G with the strongest possible blue fluo. Probably not D or E, because I can''t tell the difference between them and F.

One thing I noticed, though. The J actually looked better against an antique white gold setting I was considering. The white gold has a slight creamy tint that matches the J.

I''m one of those people who cares much more about color than clarity. My two .29 diamonds are I1s, and I actively like the inclusions, particularly the one in the F--it''s a transparent crystal centered under the table. It looks like a baby diamond inside my diamond. The inclusion in the J is a feather at an edge, which I also find interesting and appealing.

My dream diamond is an at least .8 carat F I1 superideal cut, with very very strong blue fluorescence and an eye-visible transparent crystal right in the middle of the table. I expect it will be hard to find, though, so I''d settle for D-G. Maybe as low as H. But no lower color, and no higher clarity.

 

[glitterata]

I wonder how much of this has to do with skin tone. I have pasty-fair, freckly, burnable skin. I might love the look of warmer diamonds on those of you with lovely honey-colored or sandy-colored or cappucino or chocolate-brown skin tones. I don't just mean that the diamonds might look whiter against darker skin--I mean they might look better against darker skin than whiter diamonds would, the way people with different skin tones look better in different colors of makeup.

 

[dbgaap]

I have a J that is a beautiful sparkly diamond.
It faces up pretty white, but I see it from angles most of the time and I see the tint.
I have fair skin - I never wear yellow clothing.
Hmmmm but I do wear yellow gold (LOVE IT).

Anyway, I am currently shopping around for a whiter stone.

 

[ForteKitty]

I am Asian with yellow undertoned skin on the body, but pinkish undertone skin on the face.

During the short S. Cali Winter, i'm pasty white. However, i'm a nice golden tan during the rest of the year when the sun's out.

I can only wear white gold w/ rhodium dip or platinum w/ rhodium dip. Most platinum looks "ashy" on me.
If I wear yellow gold, it has to be 18kt or 19kt. 24kt is too yellow, and 14kt is not yellow enough.

Diamond-wise, i look best in D-F during the winter, and i can go as low as G-H during the summer when i'm darkest, as long as it has at least med. blue fluorescence. I prefer D-G with Medium to Strong Blue fluorescence. Dunno why, but i just can't go below H. They start to look yellow on me. maybe it picks up on my skin tone?

 

[slammie]

Hi Pebbles

. A couple of years ago I would have said G. Fast forward to 2006..I have I colored earrings and I can''t really tell the difference in color face up from my G ring. My SIL has a 1.7 I color stone from WF which is really white too. And after seeing all the awesome J colored stones here, I wouldn''t hesitate to go down to a J. Especially if it''s a 3 carat

 

[valeria101]

Digressing a bit...

It looks like the reason to accept a bit of tint (when colorlessness is preferred) is... getting a larger diamond, of course. However, these larger stones show color more than the smaller. Half carat J should look whiter than 5 cts J - by allot. It may not help much, but color grading is skewed this way. At least amount to some saving on smaller stones.


There''s allot more about any diamond than color alone... I wouldn''t know what to answer to the question that started the thread. My favorite kind of diamond is something with a bit of color - strong enough to put finger on it (not just a ''tint'' or ''darker shade'' not quite strong enough to be called color). That starts somewhere below M among the ''cape'' color grades.

 

[tawn]

All I know is that my J is whiter (and sparklier) than everything I see in the "Maul" stores!

 

[Lorelei]

for sure I would get another L in a well cut round!

 

[marriahlyn]

I have had a 1ct F, then 1.31 F, then 1.48 J now I''m back to E 1.02ct ideal. I wouldn''t care about color if dh would let me upgrade, I''ll go up to J for a 2 carat. However, HE''S the color snob and wouldn''t allow it even though he hasn''t really compared.

 

[Lynn B]

Date: 4/3/2006 9:07:21 PM
Author: Mara


Hey Lynn...think if you, me and Dem went in on the 5c stone (more affordable than the7c) that we could all share it? One person can wear it while the others are wearing the straightjackets? HHAAA!!!!

HAHA! Mara, that is a GREAT IDEA! Let''s PLAN on it!