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How much do colored diamonds sparkle?

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sugarplum

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do colored diamonds, specifically pink, sparkle just as much as white diamonds (with all things being equal- cut, clarity and size)? would pink diamond melee sparkle a lot?
 

purrfectpear

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All things being equal, yes they would.

There''s bad melee and good melee in colorless and colored.
 

sugarplum

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thanks for chiming in, purr. i'm considering a band with pink melee but have seen some in person that didn't quite do it for me compared to white diamonds. good to know that sparkly colored melee does exist. i was starting to think colored diamonds just don't sparkle as much as colorless ones.
 

Rockdiamond

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Hi Sugar,
I''d say that if we put any diamond with a lot of body color up against a colorless stone- if they were both well cut, and had good body brilliance- the colorless stone will be ...brighter.
I''d say that the color in a diamond is something different than brightness- and that buyers of natural colored stones are looking for that aspect.

There''s also no question that you''ve got really nice pink diamonds, and really crappy ones.......plus the setting and jewelry work for pink diamonds requires a special expertise.
I have seen some bad use of pink diamonds - including a bunch of stuff we made years ago experimenting......

What size were the stones you saw that you didn''t like- and do you remember how they were set?
 

sugarplum

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hi david- the ones i saw were about one pointers and in a pave setting.
 

Rockdiamond

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Set in pink gold?
Did the gold have a nice rosy color?
The gold used in jewelry is not always alloyed the exact same way- some pink gold is a lot pinker than others....

Also was the setting work very clean?
 

sugarplum

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yes, it was set in rose gold (a nice color) and it was well set. i think the stones were just not high quality ones.
 

LD

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In my opinion, yes they sparkle but perhaps not as much as white diamonds! Here are some of mine, natural pinks set in rose gold (head of ring) and claws in the pendant are rose gold but set in w/gold surround!
 

DiamondExpert

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If you consider HPHT/irradiated diamonds, then the color can be quite striking, and considerably more saturated than most natural colored stones of melee size (0.005ct. - 0.20ct.).


These are examples of dark purplish, pinkish red to pink (0.15ct - 0.18ct.). You can also get coated melee in slightly lighter pink color.



PinkMeleeComposite.jpg
 

Daisi2112

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As long as it''s got a good cut, it will sparkle (doesn''t matter if it''s pink, white, or yellow).
 

Moh 10

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Colored diamonds are cut to maximize the color grade not the light performance.

A higher color grade results is a much much higher price than a lower color grade with better light performance.

Heck, they frequently don't even bother grading the clarity on colored diamonds.

It's all about shooting for the heaviest diamond of the highest color grade that is possible from the rough.
 

brooklyngirl

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My e-ring has both pink, and white melee. The pink is just as sparkly as the white, and to my eye more fiery than the white. However, in some lighting they are not as bright, but that may be the cut.
 

diagem

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Date: 2/28/2009 12:00:26 AM
Author: Daisi2112
As long as it''s got a good cut, it will sparkle (doesn''t matter if it''s pink, white, or yellow).
I think your statement overly general...

The issue is much more complicated...., but if ''simply'' put:

-The elements that cause color in Diamonds can result in clear/transparent material (in this case your statement is correct).

-But some (i think the majority) material will consist of elements that will limit transparency..., in this case the sparkle will be hit.

Usually cut will be adapted to compliment the material...
 

diagem

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Date: 2/28/2009 12:07:31 AM
Author: Moh 10
Colored diamonds are cut to maximize the color grade not the light performance.

A higher color grade results is a much much higher price than a lower color grade with better light performance.

Heck, they frequently don''t even bother grading the clarity on colored diamonds.

It''s all about shooting for the heaviest diamond of the highest color grade that is possible from the rough.
When talking about the majority of colored Diamonds you might be correct...

But...., there is a market out there for beautifully cut fancy colored Diamonds. (not necessarily for max light performance but definitely for sparkle
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)

When the material is identified as true "fancy" colored material..., these Diamonds can be/are cut to standard cuts used for colorless cuts...
These Diamonds are usually graded for both..., clarity and color. (as there is nothing to hide).

But when taking cape (in the case of yellow hue) material and attempting to somehow to achieve the result of the "magic word" called "fancy" on Lab reports..., then your statement is 100% correct... "It''s all about shooting for the heaviest diamond of the highest color grade that is possible from the rough."...
 

Gailey

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Date: 2/27/2009 5:55:42 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
In my opinion, yes they sparkle but perhaps not as much as white diamonds! Here are some of mine, natural pinks set in rose gold (head of ring) and claws in the pendant are rose gold but set in w/gold surround!
Whoa! LD - where can I see bigger pictures of your lovely ring? I''m considering pink diamond melee for one of my projects right now and good pictures are hard to come by. Have you got a thread about your ring?

Gorgeous btw, just gorgeous!
 

LD

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Date: 2/28/2009 12:52:39 PM
Author: Gailey

Date: 2/27/2009 5:55:42 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
In my opinion, yes they sparkle but perhaps not as much as white diamonds! Here are some of mine, natural pinks set in rose gold (head of ring) and claws in the pendant are rose gold but set in w/gold surround!
Whoa! LD - where can I see bigger pictures of your lovely ring? I''m considering pink diamond melee for one of my projects right now and good pictures are hard to come by. Have you got a thread about your ring?

Gorgeous btw, just gorgeous!
Hi Gailey

No thread I''m afraid. The pinks add up to .55ct and then there''s the white shoulder diamonds on top. Here are two pictures. I hope they help.
 

LD

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kcoursolle

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They sparkle a great deal. However, there are some differences.... Colored diamonds often are cut to be well-cut, they are often cut to show color. This can sometimes reduce the amount of sparkle. In addition, compared to colorless diamonds they often show less dispersion. However, they are beautiful and shouldn''t really be compared to white diamonds because they have a beauty that is all their own.
 

Rockdiamond

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Diagem brings up some great points.
Just because a diamond is well cut does not mean it will sparkle- if the rough is dull, the polished diamond won't sparkle, no matter how well cut.
But that's a worst case scenario.
Say the rough is yellow, or light yellow. Generally it will make lot more sense to cut for radiant which gives a better yield form the rough, and also allows the cutter better opportunities to cut for the best possible color as well. Generally speaking, the design of a round brilliant minimizes body color.

It's true that the cape ranges- from M down to U-V have traditionally been an area where cutters weren't as interested in cut quality as the darker, or lighter stones.
But there are cutters that make incredibly well cut stones in the cape, or faint yellow ranges.

LD really nice ring!!!
 

T L

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I think my green grey diamond sparkles more and throws off more rainbows than many white diamonds I see. However, I think it's because it's well cut for a colored diamond. Even my SIL was amazed by it, and said, "wow it sparkles so much next to my ring" and I happen to think she has a very nice white diamond. I also have two 22 point pinks on either side of the green grey, and they don't even sparkle as much as that stone. I think that's because they're not as well cut.
 

T L

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Here is my small collection of colored diamond rings, and you can see the green grey in the middle in rose gold with the two pinks. The green grey is very lively and this picture absolutely does it no justice. However, all the diamonds sparkle in my collection, but the green grey sparkles the most by far. It's a 7mm stone though and I believe it's better cut than any of my other stones in this picture. As you can see, the pinks don't really sparkle that much even though they are clean stones. This rose gold is also not as pink as other rose golds. It's more coppery. The stone above the green gey is a champagne pink, and it sparkles, but it doesn't really throw off much dispersion. Scintillation/sparkle are not always the same as dispersion, that rainbow fire you get from diamonds. My green grey has lots of dispersion (perhaps because it has a larger table), and I see blue, red, yellow, orange coming from it.

color_diamonds_finger3.jpg
 

sugarplum

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thanks for the input everyone.
 
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