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Help with Upgrade

gerbera222

gerbera222

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 27, 2020
Messages
27
Hi all,

I posted earlier about my wonderful upgrade to a 2.3 J VVS1 princess cut. I love it and it is stunning. However, I am not positive about the J color. Most of the time it is white, but occasionally I see a bit of warmth and yellow, and I am going back and forth about whether to keep it. My upgrade is with Blue Nile so I won't be buying a diamond from any other vendor, and I have a 30 day exchange period. This will most likely be my forever upgrade (this came about for my 50th birthday and 10-year anniversary), as I am a simple person in general and don't wear any fancy jewelry except my wedding ring. I'm definitely an everyday person and I loved my original setting choices so much I decided to keep them, I just wanted a bigger solitaire. Here is the new ring:
IMG_4697.jpgIMG_4707.jpgIMG_4739.jpgIMG_4716.jpg

I have been looking at additional available diamonds at BN in the "I" color. My original e-ring was 1.39, I, VVS1, and I loved it and never saw a hint of yellow. I told myself I would get the J to get to the size I wanted, but could always exchange it for an I if I didn't like it. About 90% of the time it seems perfect in color, but just sometimes I see the warmth. I have been looking at these 3 other rings on BN, but of course there are flaws with them as well. What do you think? Should I stick with my J or get another (bigger) I diamond? Thanks for your opinion!

Upgrade J: https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD13211496
Choice #1: https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD13501946
Choice #2: https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD13881618 (why does it say the symmetry is good, but the measurements are so wonky? Is that why it is only a "good" cut? Then what does symmetry measure?)
Choice #3: https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD13827454 (would I see that massive inclusion in real life???)
Original ering diamond: https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD01643179 (for anyone who is interested, DH bought it for $6358 in 2010, and I see it is now $7916)
 
If this is your forever ring, I wouldn’t settle. This happened to me when I upgraded. I went with a round I and the warmth bothered me. I ended up getting a whole new ring and diamond with E color. With that being said, my original engagement ring was a Round H color and I never saw any warmth I think in part because it was a smaller diamond and the larger the diamond the more body color you will see. My sweet spot is G no warmer. I guess I’m sensitive to color.
 
@gerbera222 -

I don't think an I color stone will do it for you. Princess cuts concentrate color in the corners due to the way they're cut. I'd be looking at an H at least, and preferably a G.

From J to H you'll see a significant color improvement, so I'd try that first. But I dont think an I will hit the spot.
 
Well, for starters, I think it is beautiful! But you really should love, love your forever ring. It should bring you joy, not make you want to make justifications in your mind.

Do you have any way of knowing if it's a "low" J or a "high"J? Would Blue Nile be able to tell you? I have an I that is a mid/high I and I love it, but I had a smaller I and some J studs years ago that I traded back in due to tint. Actually, one of the Js faced up pretty white, but the other was clearly lower. My current I still shows warmth from time to time, but it is much brighter than my old one and it is twice the size. The grade ranges are wider in I-J. Might be worth an ask.

@mrs-b brings up a good point about color concentrating in the corners, though. Princess cuts will likely not hide their grade as well as an ideal round, for example. If you do not want to go back and forth and want a no compromise white, I think you'd be looking at F/G. If you just want something a little brighter and want to stick to a similar size/budget, I'd look at H/I. (Especially since you've had an I and loved it.) Cut is obviously going to play into how a stone faces up as well.

With all of this said, if this stone isn't making you thrilled, there is one out there that will thrill you. These are big milestones to celebrate! Congrats!

ETA: I'm not an expert on PCs, but it seems like the first two stones you linked are getting up there in depth. That may exacerbate the color issue, I believe. I wonder about that VS2 being eye clean, too. I rather like the look of it.
 
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if it's going to be your forever ring and it's bothering you now, which is supposed to be the honeymoon period, then don't settle for it. go for something that truly wins your heart and put a smile on your face every time your see it. that's why we got an upgrade! =)2
 
If it's bothering you right now, go ahead and fix it while you can (you dont want any regrets down the road when its not fixable).

I like your first choice for a replacement. I think the inclusion in your 3rd choice may be visible (it is a large stone).

Symmetry has to do with how well the facets are cut and match up (size, shape, angles, and lines dealing with facets).
It has less to do with the overall measurements of the stone. Symmetry grade does play into the overall grade of the
stone. With that being said, the GIA report on the second stone, that you questioned, says that Symmetry and Polish are both Excellent.

One last thought to share...usually the bigger the stone the more the color shows up (just because the stone is visually bigger). Hence, you may
not have been able to see it in your 1.39 but are noticing it in your 2+ carat stones. This may require you to move up to an H depending
on your sensitivity. @Morenita21 pointed this out above. @mrs-b also pointed out this concern.

You may have to come down in size slightly to get an H (ouch, I know).
 
I think it’s lovely— but I also know what you mean. If it bothers you know, I don’t think it will stop bothering you. Years ago, I ordered a super ideal j and I couldn’t deal with the tint in some lights. I switched that one for an an H and saw no tint. That was in an 1.8 round. Typically, color becomes more apparent in larger stones.
 
I know absolutely nothing about picking square diamonds but watching the videos the one that has the most “activity” (facets flashing bright/dark as it moves) to me is this one:

2.51-Carat Princess Cut Diamond | Blue Nile

www.bluenile.com www.bluenile.com
 
I was worried about this with my J, but overall it seems pretty white. My pear diamond, a GIA H color seemed more tinted to me. But my J is a round and rounds hide color well, plus it has fluorescence. It looks blue-ish in bright light, but not overly warm. For me it was a matter of economics; I just didnt want to pay for a 4ct superideal H color, and there were no superideal I colors that I liked. But if this bothers you now, it may continue to bother you and that's a problem.
 
I am not certain how BN upgrade works... but do you need to stick with a princess cut only? Round stones hide color best (might be pricier as rounds usually are) and it would allow you to be more flexible as far as color.
 
daisygrl said:
I am not certain how BN upgrade works... but do you need to stick with a princess cut only? Round stones hide color best (might be pricier as rounds usually are) and it would allow you to be more flexible as far as color.
Click to expand...

I can choose any type of diamond for the upgrade, but I love the princess cut so I've decided to limit my search to those.
 
I agree with mrs-b - I don’t think going down to an I color will solve your color issue. I think your ring is beautiful but if the color bothers you, I would definitely consider H or maybe G color.
 
If it bothers you now, it will continue to bug you. Agree about looking at G/H if you want a color bump.

I know the preference of most on the board is a modern round, but you know what suits you and that's great. Hopefully they will have a stone that appeals in a slightly higher color for you.
 
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