I am looking to buy an I color. Am I going too low on the color scale?

[psrome]

I have been looking for a diamond for a while now and have found some nice stones. It is between a couple of them now. They are between 1.33 and 1.52. The larger of the two is in the front running(girlfriend likes the bigger stones)but we are wondering if it''s I color will be noticeable or not. We compared it with stones of the e-f grades and noticed a difference, but set by itself will it be noticeable. The diamond is an ideal cut with an SI1 Clarity. I started out thinking nothing lower than a VVS2 on clarity but there are a lot of very nice SI1 stones out there. Thank you in advance for your response.

 

[Summer]

psrome,

This probably doesn't help you much, but it sounds like a question only you and your girlfriend can answer. Sounds like you've done some comparing. The question is does an I color make you two happy.

I'd prefer to have a better color even if it means a smaller stone but that's my personal choice.

Good luck in your search.

Summer

 

[optimized]

Hi Jerry,

As Summer mentioned, a lot of the decision will come down to what you and your sweetie's priorities are. While "I" color is not among the "whitest" of grades, it is perfectly suitable for a ring, and shouldn't be discounted out-of-hand. There are a lot of people who would start to hesitate after passing the "G" level, but in reality an I color stone isn't exactly an eyesore either.

A couple factors play into this decision. First, the brilliance of an ideal cut stone will tend to drown out a lot of the "off" color of the diamond. If the stone truly is of excellent make, it will sparkle and look beautiful even with the lower color grade.

Another factor that you will probably want to take into account is the type of setting the stone will be living in. The yellow of the diamond will be much less noticeable if set in a yellow gold ring since contrast between the (very yellow) gold and the (slightly yellow) diamond will likely make the diamond look whiter. Conversely, a platinum (or fine white gold) setting may look whiter than the diamond, which would be decidedly bad for the overall appearance of the ring.

Personally, I would probably look for something a bit whiter, but if size is important and the budget is already strained I wouldn't worry too much about buying a slightly less valuable color grade. Sometimes concessions must be made to size, and as long as the cut is excellent and the setting will flatter the stone there's no reason to kill the budget along the way.

My $.02...

-Tim

 

[Mara]

You mention you see a difference when compared with a colorless grade. But what about when it is not next to the colorless graded stone...do you see color at all? Probably not if you do not mention it in this post already.

If you have seen the stone in person..and you like it, and are willing to make the compromise to get the larger stone (that's a big carat weight jump as well!), this could be a good way. If the *I* stone is pretty white facing up, chances are it will be fine in a setting. I hesitate normally to recommend *I* stones to those who buy online as you never really quite know what sort of *I* you may be getting. But in person is another thing entirely.

I saw an *I* stone when we were first looking, old Euro cut, set in platinum, looked white to me! Then again that was before I knew anything about stones...but we liked the look of it when we saw it at the time and thought it was gorgeous. For an extra .20c of weight...*I* may be the way to go!

Would also suggest that if you are looking at a setting with side stones to the center stone, stick with the color grade of your center stone (e.g. I center stone, I side stones) or as close as possible in order to keep the look uniform. You don't want to have F side stones and an I or J center stone because then you may be doing yourself a disservice by the comparison. Best to have it all match if that is the look you want.

Good luck!!

 

[fire&ice]

I have a 3c "I" stone set in Vatche 3 stone platinum ring. Side stones are F/G & I see no difference in color. If you have seen the stones and see little difference. I would go for the less expensive larger stone.

As I said in the other forum, choose which one that speaks to you more. There is nothing wrong with chosing the larger stone. Shrinkage happens rather quickly.

Good luck

 

[carbon]

psrome,

Eyeballing color is subjective at best. You should go with the larger stone... if you view it by itself and the color isn't noticable to you then go with it. Once it looks right and feels right to you - that's all that matters .