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G Vs. H color...

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Matty

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Feb 16, 2007
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on a round 1.5ctw stone. Are they really hard to tell the difference?
 

Lynn B

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IMVHO, yes... difficult (if not maybe even impossible) for most people to tell apart, especially when mounted.

ETA: Assuming we are talking about well-cut stones.
 

justjulia

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By whom and how far away? I do not believe friends/family looking at a G or H will be able to tell the difference easily, especially when mounted--provided your diamonds are cut well. Of course, there are those diamonds that lean one way more toward lower G or higher H... it''s subjective really. I can pick out a G vs an H, especially with larger stones, but does it bother me? Nope. If the diamond speaks to you, then that is what matters. I would make sure that you have the option of returning any diamond within a reasonable amount of time, so that you can see it in person to try it in different lighting, look at it from all angles, and see if you find it appealing overall.
 

Dee*Jay

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I can''t begin to tell a difference until I get to H vs. I stones, and even then it''s on a case-by-case basis. (Let me caveat that the only comparison I''ve made this on is 3+ ct stone; my guess is that on smaller stones it would be even harder to see a difference.)
 

blingless

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One of my favorite things to do is visit jewelry stores and look at their diamonds. My wife has a D and an H that she wears all the time and I use them as a refernece when I'm out looking. I know my wife's stones are properly graded because they were graded by GIA and checked by and independent appraiser. Many of the stones I see in stores are misgraded. There is a fair amount of documentation that indicates that mounting a stone will make it look possibly one color grade higher than when unmounted. In my observations (I am as novice as you could find) I can't tell the difference between a properly graded G and my wife's mounted H when I hold them next to each other. However roughly half of what I look at graded H in B&M stores looks noticably yellow next to my wife's H. My conclusion is that unless the stone is GIA H there is probably a chance that it is actually two levels lower than stated. This could just be in my area of the country but GIA is the rule for me. I can see the differnece between D and H very easily especially with a reference stone. To my eyes a two grade difference in any direction is noticable but to my wife everything above I looks the same. I would say that unless they are next to each other in a setting, a properly cut and graded G and H would be very hard to differenciate. The problem is that there doesn't seem to be consistent grading in uncertified stones. Two cents from a total amature.....
 

curiopotter

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Date: 2/17/2007 10:03:46 PM
Author: blingless
One of my favorite things to do is visit jewelry stores and look at their diamonds. My wife has a D and an H that she wears all the time and I use them as a refernece when I'm out looking. I know my wife's stones are properly graded because they were graded by GIA and checked by and independent appraiser. Many of the stones I see in stores are misgraded. There is a fair amount of documentation that indicates that mounting a stone will make it look possibly one color grade higher than when unmounted. In my observations (I am as novice as you could find) I can't tell the difference between a properly graded G and my wife's mounted H when I hold them next to each other. However roughly half of what I look at graded H in B&M stores looks noticably yellow next to my wife's H. My conclusion is that unless the stone is GIA H there is probably a chance that it is actually two levels lower than stated. This could just be in my area of the country but GIA is the rule for me. I can see the differnece between D and H very easily especially with a reference stone. To my eyes a two grade difference in any direction is noticable but to my wife everything above I looks the same. I would say that unless they are next to each other in a setting, a properly cut and graded G and H would be very hard to differenciate. The problem is that there doesn't seem to be consistent grading in uncertified stones. Two cents from a total amature.....

They probably look more yellow too because the stones in the jewelry stores you compare them to aren't cut very well and therefore show more color.

I tend to like AGS0 gradings better than GIA. I feel they're more strict and the data is better.
I agree with everyone on a 1.5, G and H will be difficult to disginguish between. (assuming they're excellent/ideal cuts)
I have an AGS0 H and it faces up beauuuutifully.
 

diamondseeker2006

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I''d have to disagree that AGS is more strict on color than GIA. If anything, GIA may be stricter on color. Harriet''s AGS I grade diamond getting a J appraisal is a good example that comes to mind.

That said, I think G and H are hard to distinguish. I was buying a GIA H and it was evaluated on a colorimeter and it scored a low G every time they tested it. So stones on the borderline can go either way. But I am extremely happy with my stone. And I bought 2 AGS H''s for earrings and they look great, too. Hearts and arrows stones face up very white even lower than H.
 

Cehrabehra

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Date: 2/18/2007 12:17:12 AM
Author: curiopotter

I tend to like AGS0 gradings better than GIA. I feel they''re more strict and the data is better.

DS is right... from everything I''ve seen including some studies done (one is listed in the knowledge section of ps) that while what you''re saying might be true for CUT it isn''t true for color. GIA is stricter for color. For cut you can go either way as long as YOU know the numbers you want but yes, AGS is often preferred for cut.
 

kcoursolle

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Very very slight differences nearly imperceptable to the naked eye. An H color would be fine in a well-cut 1.5 carat stone.
 

Midway

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Nov 29, 2006
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I have to echo everyone thoughts, in well-cut round brilliants around 1.5 carats it will be very difficult (if not near impossible) to tell the difference between a true G and a true H. Understand also that color grading is subjective and the system is not perfect.

That said, I was considering stones very similar to yours for my fiance (around 1.5 carat and between a G and an H). I had two stones flown out to an appraiser and I looked at them for a while unmounted, on white card paper, upside down, right-side up, etc. I could not tell the difference between an H and a G from the side. Face-up, there was no difference. I was a bit concerned, since G had been my original cut-off, but now that the H is mounted, I have no concern about the color. I don''t detect warmth, even from the side. It faces up incredibly white and beautiful. I think of well-cut H stones as a great place to get great bang for your buck.
 
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