How does a colored stone halo affect center diamond color?

[Rosa]

Someone please help! I searched the archives for this question but didn't see a clear answer...

If I know I want to put colored stones, probably blue sapphires or tanzanites, but maybe something green like tsavorites or demantoid garnets, in a halo around a diamond, can I predict how that will affect the appearance of whiteness of the diamond?

The ring will be white gold.

I tried to reason it out but don't know enough.

Either the colored stones make the center stone look whiter, which would be great so I can buy a "warmer" stone, or they make the stone look warmer so I had better buy a whiter stone! Or maybe there is no effect?

Please see the attached photo to give you an idea what look I am going for.

If anyone has created a ring like this, specifically, am wondering the lowest I could go on color in order to get a better cut and bigger diamond...

Thank you!

 

[thecat]

Re: How does a colored stone halo affect center diamond colo

My guess is that cool colors like blue will have no effect on center diamond color while warm colors like pink will make complement a warm center stone. I'd love to hear what others have to say too.

 

[TC1987]

Re: How does a colored stone halo affect center diamond colo

These are my guesses:
colorless down to G and probably H: No effect. But, the more colorless the center stone, the whiter it's going to look. D color against some jeweltone like sapphire/ruby/emerald will look whiter than H against the same color, just because D is colorless.

I : It's going to depend on what the undertone of the diamond is (gray/brown/pink/green or other? or none? blue fluor or none?) and also what color you put up against it. Blue sapphire should have a whitening effect. Ruby probably will be neutral. Emerald or other green might play up yellow. This was a beautiful ring, but I think the lilac color just didn't work [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/can-an-i-color-i1-clarity-diamond-be-beautiful.135541/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/can-an-i-color-i1-clarity-diamond-be-beautiful.135541/[/URL] with an I color center, and [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finger-coverage-is-a-good-thing-tm-pics.137390/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/finger-coverage-is-a-good-thing-tm-pics.137390/[/URL]

Here is the same ring with the original M color center [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/im-seeing-purple-photos-from-wink-of-my-purple-sapphire-halo-setting.128291/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/im-seeing-purple-photos-from-wink-of-my-purple-sapphire-halo-setting.128291/[/URL]

Dark blue sapphire seems to downplay the yellow of L/M, to me. I have an M color RB, and it looks far whiter in white metal with white sidestones than when I had it mounted in either YG with emerald sides, or YG with ruby sides. It looked dang yellow in those, haha.

I don't think anything will make a N or P or lower look "white." They will be yellow no matter what color of halo.

L/M color center, like a 1.44 ct, in YG with a dark red ruby halo. Here: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/say-hello-to-my-little-friend-shes-an-oec.64886/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/say-hello-to-my-little-friend-shes-an-oec.64886/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/little-ms-sunshine.98871/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/little-ms-sunshine.98871/[/URL]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pics-of-colored-halos-please.96397/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pics-of-colored-halos-please.96397/[/URL]

 

[thecat]

Re: How does a colored stone halo affect center diamond colo

TC, that's a comprehensive post. Thanks for the read.

 

[MarionC]

Re: How does a colored stone halo affect center diamond colo

TC1987, this is a very helpful thread. I was considering pastel colored stones for my EC and can see that the more contrast there is the better the center stone looks.

 

[chrono]

Re: How does a colored stone halo affect center diamond colo

I set a J diamond with blue sapphires and it made the J a bit cooler looking.
I later replaced the J with a F diamond and it made the diamond look extremely cold.
Later, I revamped the ring again, this time with an L diamond. It looked all right with blue sapphires but there wasn't an appreciable difference. It warmed up when set next to warm red spinels.

 

[Rosa]

Re: How does a colored stone halo affect center diamond colo

Thanks everyone for the comments, and TC, what a great collection of links you included! Very, very helpful to see and read those posts.

So in looking at diamonds last night, it seems like the color comes out more in step cuts and not as much in round brilliants - is that true?

I am leaning toward a step cut with a halo, and wondering how low the color can go and still look "white" ?