H and I color question for fancy shape stone

[Alexiszoe]

Hi all, I am currently looking to upgrade my J round brilliant to a 3 carat pear, but I don''t know how much color it will show on a fancy and in that size. It''s getting confusing since threads I have been following have showed some ladies with large I/J fancies without much color while the experience seems to be different for others. Would H or I stones show a lot of color for fancies? Does cut play a factor in how color shows? I intend to work with a PS vendor so getting it sight unseen makes me a little nervous. Thanks!

 

[LGK]

A 3 ct stone will also show more color, too. I don''t know about a pear in particular, but yes, I would think you''re likely to see some warmth. Whether it will bother you or not, I''m not sure... personally, I like a bit of warmth in diamonds; others prefer very icy and no hint of color at all. A good, sparkly cut should mask some color, though, yes. Since you''re already wearing a J in a RB (is it ideal cut?) I''d think you''d be more likely to be OK with an H or I in a pear... just a guess though!

 

[neatfreak]

A pear in particular will show more warmth in the ends than other cuts. I would try to see some in that size if possible, that also will play a factor. I would think you'd be fine with an H though if it were graded reliably considering you are fine with your J round right now.

And if it were ME buying a 3 carat rock, I would want to have it sent to a local appraiser first so I could see it before purchase since it's a fancy cut.

 

[Alexiszoe]

My J is an ideal cut, so it doesn''t really show any color ( I couldn''t tell the difference between my J and my girlfriend''s G), although with a fancy I am worried that it would look worse than what i have now!

neatfreak,

I have tried going to local B&M stores to take a look but the only one which had a nice selection of pears had store lights which made anything other than D look yellow - my J looked like a fancy intense yellow under those lights!

 

[marcy]

IMO I''ve noticed fancy shapes show color more than an ideal cut RB so I would go with a H or higher especially in that size of diamond. I can''t wait to see what you get.

 

[Lorelei]

My 2ct GIA graded H colour pear shows a very tiny tint of warmth in the tip sometimes if the lighting is right and you are looking for it, but it looks very white most of the time and the only time I do see some tint is at the tip.

Explain your concerns to the vendor you work with and they will advise accordingly.

 

[Indira-London]

Date: 12/17/2008 4:28:41 AM
Author: Lorelei
My 2ct GIA graded H colour pear shows a very tiny tint of warmth in the tip sometimes if the lighting is right and you are looking for it, but it looks very white most of the time and the only time I do see some tint is at the tip.

Explain your concerns to the vendor you work with and they will advise accordingly.

Good advice from Lorelei and the other posters here.
Pear shapes do show colour more (especially in th tip) face-up than round brilliant diamonds so D-H should be safer than below H but that is a generalisation and the cut off depends on your own tolerance - some I and J can be fine depending on your tolerance and the style of ring.

If possible I would recommend that you try and view pears in person before you order e.g. by visiting some of the quality shops and getting an idea of how different colours look face-up in a ring although the retail lighting conditions in stores will render this less effective than if you could meet your PS vendor and see the loose pears in person under different lighting conditions including normal lighting too.

Moreover, as I have just posted in another thread re. pears - the shape of each pear varies enormously - some are fatter, some are longer and there are no agreed ideal proportions so in my option, its good to be able to see the pears in person if choosing or at least photos and ASET if buying remotely.


This picture shows 3 pears that are just over 3 carats each (each one is the same carat to within 0.01) and in D-F VS range to show you how individual each one is!

 

[Lorelei]

I would give that baby on the left a good home Indira!!

 

[Indira-London]

Date: 12/17/2008 5:09:57 AM
Author: Lorelei
I would give that baby on the left a good home Indira!!

and i am sure that you would wear it well

It just shows that tastes are very individual as middle diamond is the one that got sold from this set - my client preferred fuller pears as that is the kind that Harry Winston seems to favour in their shops and that is where she first fell in love with a pear shape! I must admit that I liked no2 and no1 best and not no 3 at all but seeing them in the "flesh" was the only way to decide which one suited!

 

[purrfectpear]

Different tastes for everyone, I guess that''s why they cut them differently.

I don''t care for any of the three since I only like pears that are quite rounded (like a RB) on the end. The ones that are more shield shaped leave me cold.

I have a 2.06 L that shows some color under office lighting. Less than you would expect as it has strong blue fluorescence.

 

[LD]

And I love elongated skinny pears so it just goes to show that we''re all different!

I''ve got an I colour pear cut (elongated and skinny!) that shows absolutely no warmth whatsover. However, it has strong blue fluor. In sunlight it has a blue white look but in all other lighting it just appears white. Next to my F and G''s you''d be very hard pressed to see any difference.

 

[Alexiszoe]

indira, i love the second stone you posted!

i love my ideal cut J, but the hint of yellow face up in certain lighting conditions drives me nuts - and I am worried that a pear will be even more tinted than my J! I like the blue-white look though - would strong fluorescence affect a H negatively?

 

[LD]

Date: 12/17/2008 10:50:34 AM
Author: Alexiszoe
indira, i love the second stone you posted!

i love my ideal cut J, but the hint of yellow face up in certain lighting conditions drives me nuts - and I am worried that a pear will be even more tinted than my J! I like the blue-white look though - would strong fluorescence affect a H negatively?

9/10 times you can't detect fluor without using a UV light. In some cases, strong fluor can make the diamond have a milky or oily appearance but in almost all of the diamonds I've seen, that hasn't been the case. Some might argue that it affects the price and this is true to some extent. You tend to find that diamonds with strong fluor are slightly cheaper - although I believe there's a resurgence in their popularity now.

I'm sure people are sick of seeing my photos of this pear but here it is - you can see that the fluor hasn't affected its beauty.

Inside under electric light: Outside in bright sunlight (looks blue white but there's no haziness - photo's not that good)

 

[Indira-London]

Date: 12/17/2008 10:50:34 AM
Author: Alexiszoe
indira, i love the second stone you posted!

i love my ideal cut J, but the hint of yellow face up in certain lighting conditions drives me nuts - and I am worried that a pear will be even more tinted than my J! I like the blue-white look though - would strong fluorescence affect a H negatively?

If the J in the round brilliant bothers you then an H or I in a pear might bother you too - to coin a phrase from another person at it is harder to find mind-white than just white.

For the blue-white look you are better off with D-F/G. I myself have 2 large pears one is an H and the other is an E. The H is fine except that the E is crisper and whiter - given what I do for a living and seeing diamonds every day - I do prefer to pay for better colour than for clarity e.g. I try to look for DEF/G SI when looking for diamonds for me! I also have a large oval which is G VS2 - I am very happy with that and saw that side by side from the top and side next to F colour and higher ovals but prefred the overall combination of this diamond.

Hope this helps.

 

[strmrdr]

I like the fat pear on the right, then the middle, the left one not so much.

 

[strmrdr]

To answer the question a 3ct J pear has to be seen in person.

 

[Phoenix]

I have a 3.50ct H coloured pear and on its own, it looks perfectly white, face up or otherwise. However, when I put it right next to my 3.02ct F coloured RG, the F colour looks more crisp, more white. I am quite happy with both stones, as the pear is my RHR and my RB is my (upgraded) e-ring so the RB being whiter and having better specs is better for that purpose. Most of the time though the 3.50ct pear (which is in a Leon halo'ed setting) looks much larger and actually looks more expensive/ more blingy and I receive more compliments on it!! Funny that!!

I agree with the other posters that you really have to see a pear in person and judge how it looks on your own hand. Are you in SG - if I remember correctly? If so, you could pop into Larry's or Selena's (sp?) in the Paragon. They have lots of larger stones you can try out (though I do not recommend buying from either of them).

Oh and I would most definitely not go lower than an H in a pear, if the J in your RB already bothers you. I am not sure how much blue fluor would help with a lower colour. It'd most likely help, in my novice opinion, but there's such a thing as "mind-clean" too (and that is very much a personal "thing", I'd say).

(Indira, I love all the pears you posted, though mine is more like the one in the middle and I think that shape is most suited for my short fingers, he he).

 

[Alexiszoe]

LovingDiamonds,

thanks for the pics of your pear, you have a beautiful stone

Phoenix,

yes, I am currently in Singapore for work. funnily enough, two colleagues i spoke to recommended that i buy from Larry''s or Selena. can you let me know why you feel those places are not recommended for buying?

on an aside, i absolutely love your pear (found your thread somewhere while searching for pears on PS). it''s like my inspiration pear!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 12/18/2008 1:18:16 PM
Author: Alexiszoe
LovingDiamonds,

thanks for the pics of your pear, you have a beautiful stone

Phoenix,

yes, I am currently in Singapore for work. funnily enough, two colleagues i spoke to recommended that i buy from Larry's or Selena. can you let me know why you feel those places are not recommended for buying?

on an aside, i absolutely love your pear (found your thread somewhere while searching for pears on PS). it's like my inspiration pear!

Alexis,

That's soooo sweet of you, thank you.

I would not buy from either place, particularly Selena's because of several reasons:

1) their mark-ups are very very high;

2) they have no upgrade and no return policy (absolutely none);

3) Selena's service is atrocious.

Larry's is the lesser of the two evils. Their Lazare line is quite nice, but the mark-up would kill you![:] and frankly in my opinion isn't worth paying for. Their service is not too bad. Overall, though their no return/ no upgrade policy makes them a poor vendor.

By all means, go in to have a look. You will be dazzled by what's on display. Speaking of that though, Mondial has recently opened a shop there too, just a few steps away from Selena, right at the end. They have lots and lots of HUGE, beautiful and high-end diamonds and the craftmanship of their jewellery is quite superior, IMO. But alas, again, their high mark-up makes it impossible to shop there.

I am going to be around at Paragon either tomorrow or Sunday (I am there almost every weekend, to get my mani and pedi). Let me know if you want to meet up for a short while. I can take you to these places, if you'd like. If not, just go there yourself, it'd be a real eye-candy treat. Have fun!!

 

[AprilBaby]

I had an I colored pear and the warmth was too much for me so I traded for an F.

 

[Alexiszoe]

Date: 12/18/2008 7:38:46 PM
Author: Phoenix

Date: 12/18/2008 1:18:16 PM

Author: Alexiszoe

LovingDiamonds,


thanks for the pics of your pear, you have a beautiful stone


Phoenix,


yes, I am currently in Singapore for work. funnily enough, two colleagues i spoke to recommended that i buy from Larry''s or Selena. can you let me know why you feel those places are not recommended for buying?


on an aside, i absolutely love your pear (found your thread somewhere while searching for pears on PS). it''s like my inspiration pear!

Alexis,


That''s soooo sweet of you, thank you.

I would not buy from either place, particularly Selena''s because of several reasons:


1) their mark-ups are very very high;


2) they have no upgrade and no return policy (absolutely none);


3) Selena''s service is atrocious.


Larry''s is the lesser of the two evils. Their Lazare line is quite nice, but the mark-up would kill you![:] and frankly in my opinion isn''t worth paying for. Their service is not too bad. Overall, though their no return/ no upgrade policy makes them a poor vendor.


By all means, go in to have a look. You will be dazzled by what''s on display. Speaking of that though, Mondial has recently opened a shop there too, just a few steps away from Selena, right at the end. They have lots and lots of HUGE, beautiful and high-end diamonds and the craftmanship of their jewellery is quite superior, IMO. But alas, again, their high mark-up makes it impossible to shop there.


I am going to be around at Paragon either tomorrow or Sunday (I am there almost every weekend, to get my mani and pedi). Let me know if you want to meet up for a short while. I can take you to these places, if you''d like. If not, just go there yourself, it''d be a real eye-candy treat. Have fun!!

Hi Phoenix,

thanks for offering to bring me to shop! I would have to work this weekend so I will probably try to pop by paragon next weekend instead. one thing that I like about Singapore though is the custom work here seems more affordable based on the experiences of others here - they make me feel like I paid through my nose for my custom pieces in San Diego!

If i remembered correctly you got your stone from WF? How was the experience like? I might be in Houston early next year and thought of popping by and seeing the stones in person!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 12/18/2008 10:26:03 PM
Author: Alexiszoe

Date: 12/18/2008 7:38:46 PM
Author: Phoenix

Date: 12/18/2008 1:18:16 PM

Author: Alexiszoe

LovingDiamonds,


thanks for the pics of your pear, you have a beautiful stone


Phoenix,


yes, I am currently in Singapore for work. funnily enough, two colleagues i spoke to recommended that i buy from Larry's or Selena. can you let me know why you feel those places are not recommended for buying?


on an aside, i absolutely love your pear (found your thread somewhere while searching for pears on PS). it's like my inspiration pear!

Alexis,


That's soooo sweet of you, thank you.

I would not buy from either place, particularly Selena's because of several reasons:


1) their mark-ups are very very high;


2) they have no upgrade and no return policy (absolutely none);


3) Selena's service is atrocious.


Larry's is the lesser of the two evils. Their Lazare line is quite nice, but the mark-up would kill you![:] and frankly in my opinion isn't worth paying for. Their service is not too bad. Overall, though their no return/ no upgrade policy makes them a poor vendor.


By all means, go in to have a look. You will be dazzled by what's on display. Speaking of that though, Mondial has recently opened a shop there too, just a few steps away from Selena, right at the end. They have lots and lots of HUGE, beautiful and high-end diamonds and the craftmanship of their jewellery is quite superior, IMO. But alas, again, their high mark-up makes it impossible to shop there.


I am going to be around at Paragon either tomorrow or Sunday (I am there almost every weekend, to get my mani and pedi). Let me know if you want to meet up for a short while. I can take you to these places, if you'd like. If not, just go there yourself, it'd be a real eye-candy treat. Have fun!!

Hi Phoenix,

thanks for offering to bring me to shop! I would have to work this weekend so I will probably try to pop by paragon next weekend instead. one thing that I like about Singapore though is the custom work here seems more affordable based on the experiences of others here - they make me feel like I paid through my nose for my custom pieces in San Diego!

If i remembered correctly you got your stone from WF? How was the experience like? I might be in Houston early next year and thought of popping by and seeing the stones in person!

Hi there,

No worries. The offer stands if you change your mind. I am having to work this weekend too. I have to pop into the office after my mani and pedi and a few other errands. Work is pretty hectic at the moment

.

Custom pieces here really *are* much cheaper but so far I've not found anyone that does the settings the way that Leon does.

I actually got my pear from James Allen. Jim Schultz helped me all along. He's a real sweetheart. I find their magnified images very helpful (the colours actually do show somewhat on the pictures, particularly if you look at their E or F and then look at their I and J immediately afterwards). Jim would also be happy to take additional pictures and/ or offer his honest opinions, I am sure. In fact, I even asked Jim to put various pears next to each other onto someone's hand (whose ring size is similar to mine) to get an idea and he happily obliged and took several photos for me to see.

I was actually thinking also that as my stone is a 3.5ct and is H colour (faint fluor), it'd be really good for you to see it in person. I am at work practically 12-15 hours a day every day this month (working on an urgent assigment) but I am in the CBD, so if you're nearby I'd be happy to meet you for about 15 mins or so, so you can look at my ring to get an idea, if you can't meet me at the weekend. I'd just need at least a day notice or so, so I can make arrangement to meet you if that's what you'd like. If not, no worries. Happy shopping!!

 

[Alexiszoe]

Hi Phoenix,

thanks so much for your help! I go through the CBD area from time to time but I don''t think I can PM you here and am not sure of the forum rules - am i allowed to list some kind of contact email here? my apologies to adminstrators if this is not allowed!

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 12/20/2008 1:47:41 AM
Author: Alexiszoe
Hi Phoenix,

thanks so much for your help! I go through the CBD area from time to time but I don't think I can PM you here and am not sure of the forum rules - am i allowed to list some kind of contact email here? my apologies to adminstrators if this is not allowed!

Good morning Alexis!

I don't think you can PM me, but what you could do is write a reply the day before you'd like to meet, and say that you'd like to meet me at so and so place at this time, then I reply and we look for each other (letting each other know what we're wearing that day etc). I think it'd be easy for you to identify me : I'd be the one wearing my two diamonds - the RB on my left and the pear on my RH, and look for my Leon halo'ed ring, he he. I've not seen anyone in SG wearing anything like it.

We could say meet at at Starbucks, the one between the two DBS buildings in Shenton Way. SG is quite safe and we'd be meeting in a crowded place, we should be ok.

I am definitely not working on Xmas eve, Xmas day and Boxing day. Probably not this coming weekend either (well, most probably will not, but there's a chance I might have to). Otherwise I'd be around.

Lemme know.

 

[Lynnie]

Hi! I don''t really have much else to add that others haven''t, but I wanted to wish you good luck with shopping!

I have a 1.33 ct K, no flourescence (a la avatar). Whether or not I can notice the K color totally depends on the lighting I''m in. Most times it faces up perfectly white (sunlight, halogen lighting... I love it at the ballpark, even right now by the white computer screen). I notice more color under flourescent lighting... the worst is in my kitchen with the flourescent lighting coupled with yellow walls. I do notice the color difference when placed next to RB''s of higher color (girls at work have D/E/G RB''s), but not to the point that my stone looks yellow... just warmer, or less white. I also can see more color, no matter what lighting, by viewing the stone from the side.

I am by no means an expert, but a well cut H or I 3ct pear will show some warmth in certain lighting conditions (IMHO)... whether it is too much warmth, well, I think that only you could be the judge of that! Definitely try to see the stone in person under lotsa lighting conditions, if possible. And make sure you have a good return policy, if you''re that worried about it.

Phoenix, your pear is drool-worthy!

Yay to PS for you two going shopping together! If I were nearby, I''d tag along just to check out that rock!

Good luck, and remember to post lots of pics when you find your beauty!!

 

[Alexiszoe]

Lynnie,

thanks for the heads up - I understand it''s best to see it in person, and i am really excited about finding the rock! it makes me a little nervous to buy a pear online rather than a RB but hopefully it works out.

Phoenix,

thanks! I will definitely post here a day or two before i pass by the CBD area - just hope it won''t be too much trouble for you. and forgive me if i start drooling all over your hand

 

[Phoenix]

Alexis, you'll be welcome to, on both counts, esp the drooling bit, he he

.

Lynnie, thank you

, you're too kind.