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Help me understand diamond color please!

sheezacowgurl

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 5, 2022
Messages
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Hi there! we bought a IGI certified LGD earlier this year and felt it was too warm for a F color and returned it, took a break from it, and have started to look again. These are two diamonds that are both D color and look very different to me. Could anyone explain why the 1.55 is bright and the 1.70 looks kinda dingy or yellowish, but they are both D color? Not interested in either of these, but these are both great examples that confuse me when trying to find a diamond that I’ll be happy with the color of.


Thanks in advance
 
I think the 1.70 has a brown tinge. There’s definitely some kind of tinge happening with it. Brown, grey and blue are common LGD tinges, I believe. And none are disclosed on the certificate.

Not I’m not an expert, so maybe an expert will chime in. Good luck on your search!
 
I'm hedging my bet on external influence...someone was probably wearing a yellow shirt when they photographed the 1.70

$3800 for a 1.70 D VS1...if you aren't tied to JA, please let us know and we'll find you some great alternatives to have a look at.
 
I like the yellow shirt idea better. But gosh you’d think they’d know better when they do these videos! Sheesh! :lol:
 
I'm hedging my bet on external influence...someone was probably wearing a yellow shirt when they photographed the 1.70

$3800 for a 1.70 D VS1...if you aren't tied to JA, please let us know and we'll find you some great alternatives to have a look at.

Not tied to JA at all. I just thought these were really good examples of what confuses me when trying to select color. I’d appreciate the help! Thanks.
 
Not tied to JA at all. I just thought these were really good examples of what confuses me when trying to select color. I’d appreciate the help! Thanks.

We'll be able to provide some recommendations.

Carat weight range (or diameter)
Color...assuming D, maybe E if there are no weird color hues
Clarity...VS1 or better?
Budget cap for the loose diamond?
 
I’m thinking roughly 1.5-2. Maybe sweet spot around 1.75 or if there’s a great deal on a certain one. I’m more flexible on carat weight. I had one a little over 2 and felt I could have went smaller for a whiter diamond. Yes, for D E color. I really like the bright white, but do not want any tints or blue nuance. I tried a F to eliminate that hopefully, but I felt it was too warm for me. It was suggested it was probably closer to H in color. It was IGI and maybe going GIA would be an accurate color grade. Not sure if that’s true. I’ve found the best values at eco light diamond and Ritani, but most of those videos appear to be dingy looking or shows a tint to my eyes. A good example is the 1.70 JA diamond I asked about in this thread.
 
I’m thinking roughly 1.5-2. Maybe sweet spot around 1.75 or if there’s a great deal on a certain one. I’m more flexible on carat weight. I had one a little over 2 and felt I could have went smaller for a whiter diamond. Yes, for D E color. I really like the bright white, but do not want any tints or blue nuance. I tried a F to eliminate that hopefully, but I felt it was too warm for me. It was suggested it was probably closer to H in color. It was IGI and maybe going GIA would be an accurate color grade. Not sure if that’s true. I’ve found the best values at eco light diamond and Ritani, but most of those videos appear to be dingy looking or shows a tint to my eyes. A good example is the 1.70 JA diamond I asked about in this thread.

What's your comfort zone for budget?
 
What's your comfort zone for budget?

I’d say 2-3k tops. Don’t want to overpay what it’s worth. JA does seem pricey compared to others sites, but maybe the quality is better? The one I previous got was much cheaper than JA, so not sure if the low cost is what made the stone’s color not appealing to me or not.
 
I’d say 2-3k tops. Don’t want to overpay what it’s worth. JA does seem pricey compared to others sites, but maybe the quality is better? The one I previous got was much cheaper than JA, so not sure if the low cost is what made the stone’s color not appealing to me or not.

I've found a potentially great option for you:
GIA graded HPHT 2.00 D VS1 40.6/35/55 combo for about $2000

I don't want to post the link or the video (it has the grading report number shown) so that you miss out in case an anonymous lurker snipes it away before you've had an opportunity to check it out.
 
I've found a potentially great option for you:
GIA graded HPHT 2.00 D VS1 40.6/35/55 combo for about $2000

I don't want to post the link or the video (it has the grading report number shown) so that you miss out in case an anonymous lurker snipes it away before you've had an opportunity to check it out.

Specs sound good! Would you say a higher priced 2ct like this one will be better quality and no tints compared to 2cts around $1000 D VS1? I just couldn’t believe the F I had was so warm in person.
 
Specs sound good! Would you say a higher priced 2ct like this one will be better quality and no tints compared to 2cts around $1000 D VS1? I just couldn’t believe the F I had was so warm in person.

The one I found is GIA graded D color in HPHT flavor. Looks quite fantastic...I'll post when you are ready so that you can place an immediate hold/reserve on it while you give it your assessment and compare to any other options that you're looking at.
 
Beautiful! It looks very bright. I reached out to them to reserve it. Would you say there is somewhat of a grey tint to it?
 
Beautiful! It looks very bright. I reached out to them to reserve it. Would you say there is somewhat of a grey tint to it?

Hard to tell because of the lighting choice by whichever company/entity did the photography, but it's probably a very safe bet being a GIA D color.
 
@DejaWiz, Here is an IGI D color I found:


It's so confusing because this one and the one you linked are both D color, yet the videos look different to me. The 2ct looks brighter and I notice some grey/darkness. Maybe that's the lighting environment you said. This 1.53 looks more see through, but almost kinda cloudy. Maybe some blue tint in it. Thoughts?
 
Take into account that all these stones are being shot with different cameras. The videos are likely not white balanced all the time. The videos are more of a screening tool, so at some point you just have to see the stones in person.
 
@DejaWiz, Here is an IGI D color I found:


It's so confusing because this one and the one you linked are both D color, yet the videos look different to me. The 2ct looks brighter and I notice some grey/darkness. Maybe that's the lighting environment you said. This 1.53 looks more see through, but almost kinda cloudy. Maybe some blue tint in it. Thoughts?

1.53 may be a very slight blue nuance.

 
@DejaWiz, the diamond was no longer available after asking for it to be reserved. Next time, I'll just buy it right away! Since then I've been looking for comparable dimensions and specs as the one you listed and the only thing I've come across between 1.5-2 carats is this one.
Do you mind telling me your thoughts on it?

 
I'm unable to see which diamond it is linking to
 
Looks like you found a great alternative that begs hands and eyes on it!
 
Just for comparison, I also came across these two after I posted. Any advice between these two and the above one I found? All D color, but the videos look very different, so it makes it hard for me to tell it's there's any weird tones to them or not. Thanks!



The 1.7 looks beautiful. The 1.5 has subtle blue nuance.
 
The 1.7 looks beautiful. The 1.5 has subtle blue nuance.

Agreed...1.70 looks about perfect. 1.50 may also have a smidge of unevenness in the pavilion.
 
Thank you both! That one may be the winner then even over the original 1.5 I found. I just came across this 1.71. It looks darker, almost a little brown compared to the 1.7 you said looks great. For me to learn, will this one have a darker or brown hue in person or is it just the lighting you think? Both the 1.7 and 1.71 are D color.

 
Thank you both! That one may be the winner then even over the original 1.5 I found. I just came across this 1.71. It looks darker, almost a little brown compared to the 1.7 you said looks great. For me to learn, will this one have a darker or brown hue in person or is it just the lighting you think? Both the 1.7 and 1.71 are D color.


You don't want that one ...bit of a Ring of Death and sloppy cutting in the pavilion - will have some light leakage happening.
 
You don't want that one ...bit of a Ring of Death and sloppy cutting in the pavilion - will have some light leakage happening.

Thank you! With the 1.7 we like, it's a GIA Dossier report and doesn't specify CVD or HPHT. I guess there's no way to know if it's not on the report right? I prefer HPHT as it sounds like that is the best of the two.
 
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