I or J cushion?

[carrottop]

I saw the great post with plenty of great-looking J diamonds. Are there any good cushions out there with I or J colors? Is it possible to get an I or J well-cut cushion that doesn''t look overly "warm"?

I have a budget of 7-8k for a diamond I''m wanting to buy for my GF in the next month of two. I''d really like to get something with a diameter of over 7.0 - 7.5mm, and am thinking that sacrificing color or a bit of clarity might make that possible.

My GF is not a diamond person (and neither am I) and she has expressed that as long as it looks good to her untrained naked eye, she will be super happy.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

 

[lmurden]

Have you seen I or J color cushions in person???
If it were me I would stick with H -I color or better. Fancy cuts tend to hold more color than rounds. Before you buy look at cushions in person.


http://www.bluenile.com/diamond_search.asp?track=56

http://secure.bluenile.com/diamond_comparison.jsp?track=cm&mod=basic

http://www.goodoldgold.com/cushion.htm

 

[carrottop]

No, I haven''t seen any I or Js in person, but I have heard that may be the case. Thought I might try to sneak a few peaks of any that are out there before I go in and even ask to see them. It seems the consensus may be that I or J will not work in anything besides a very well cut round brilliant.

Thanks!

 

[mrssalvo]

slammie just started this thread about a "j" cushion. definitely worth reading to see what her thoughts are

 

[slammie]

thanks mrssalvo..was just about to post the link. The J was too warm for me. At first I wasn''t sure, but I think it was because i''m so desperate for a stone hehehe!!
I would go no lower than H myself. Good luck!

 

[rubybrierley]

Hi,
Not sure if I''d completely agree - I think the cuts have to be really good but cushions sometimes benefit from a lower colour. Don''t be put off by the grading, you need to see it. I like the vintage effect of a lower colour.
Cheers

 

[slammie]

Yep, I agree with Ruby. If you''re looking for a vintage look, then I''d go for it. The cuts I''m looking at are more modern so I decided I need the higher color.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/24/2006 6:41:27 PM
Author:carrottop

I have a budget of 7-8k for a diamond ... with a diameter of over 7.0 - 7.5mm

That means about 1.5 cts for a cushion (could it be some other cut? thinking of ovals and radiants).

And for the money, G/H-VS2/Si1 should fit in. Something like these:

Weight: 1.54
Size:8.10x6.44 (average diameter: 7.27)
Grades (GIA): H/VS2
Depth: 62.7%
Table: 62%
Fluorescence: faint
Finish:gd/vg
Culet:no
Girdle:med


Weight: 1.51
Size: 7.93x6.32 (average diameter: 7.12)
Grades (GIA): G/Si1
Fluorescence: faint
Depth: 60.6%
Table: 56%
Finish: gd / gd
Culet:no
Girdle:vtn-xtk


Both are under 8k and listed by several sellers. If either sounds good, all for the better. They were mentioned just to show what size and weight and price may fit in with the requirements in your post... in general.

If I were to call in one of these - the size difference wouldn''t be important to me, but the ''eye clean'' quality of the Si one and cut quality sure would.


My 2c. Hope some helps

 

[Garysax]

Date: 1/24/2006 7:35:53 PM
Author: carrottop
No, I haven''t seen any I or Js in person, but I have heard that may be the case. Thought I might try to sneak a few peaks of any that are out there before I go in and even ask to see them. It seems the consensus may be that I or J will not work in anything besides a very well cut round brilliant.


Thanks!

What I found very helpful was to go to some B+M jewelers and just tell them upfront you want to see the difference between colors and to a lesser extent clarity. Going in and seeing diamonds lined up under similar conditions that were J-H and up really enabled me to decide what my "comfort" zone was with color. I''m a pretty snobby color guy and I don''t think personally I''d go below H as I don''t like any color in my diamond.

So if you have a little time, that''s what I''d recommend doing and finding your own tolerance for color.

 

[ceetee]

I have an I cushion. If you dearch my name you can find a pic. I actually preferred i to the G cushion I was shown. I like the softer look of an I.

 

[curlygirl]

I have an I cushion with medium blue flourescence. It may not be icy white but it''s not yellow either! I don''t consider it warm at all, to me it looks pretty darn white. I think it''s all in the eye of the beholder. With cushions and other fancies, you really need to see them in person to determine how they look, in my opinion. While the numbers are definitely helpful, my own vision was the true test for me.