IGI colour grading

[CJS924]

So after poking around and reading a few posts about IGI grading, it seems that they''re not as tight on grading colour (and clarity). The IGI cert says that my oval stone is a G, but I''m wondering if it''s more like an H or I even...especially since I do notice some tint from the side and occasionally face up (it''s set in 18K WG).

I do consider myself to be quite color sensitive and I do love icy white stones. This being said, I''m surprised that I''ve been able to tolerate the slight warmth of my stone (that IGI says is a ''G'' but probably isn''t) and I''m now wondering if I can actually tolerate a J coloured stone. I''m currently on a mission to upgrade my stone + setting, but I''m honestly driving myself crazy figuring out how to balance carat, colour, and clarity.

I won''t lie. I want as big of a rock as possible I''m cool with SI2 if it''s eye clean (my current stone is ''SI2''). But when it comes to colour...I just can''t figure out what I want. For a while, I thought I''d go no lower than a G (looking at WF ACAs), but seeing as I''ve been okay with my loosely graded IGI stone, I wonder if I should just go for an I/J and maximize the size of my stone.

Anyway, I''d sincerely appreciate any advice or insight you might have for me. I know the whole should-I-go-with-a-J-colour-stone question has been asked ad nauseum here on PS, but my mind just feels jumbled right now

Thanks!

 

[sparkler-crazed]

You know, after talking with people from different jewelry stores (and I think people have said so on the forum), fancy cuts require a higher color grade to get a "white" looking diamond, but rounds generally do not. I just purchased a 4 ct I GIA round and - this will sound weird, I''m sure - it''s too white, IMO! I have a princess that''s over 3 and a G-H, and it is noticeably warmer now that I put the two side by side (before it looked pretty white). I think that''s the thing with rounds vs all other cuts - you can get away with lower grade. So if you are going to stay with an oval, you might want to keep a higher grade color - atleast, from what I have been told, if it''s not a GIA/AGS graded color. GIA you could probably get away with an I...
Hope this helps!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 11/20/2009 11:03:58 PM
Author:CJS924
So after poking around and reading a few posts about IGI grading, it seems that they''re not as tight on grading colour (and clarity). The IGI cert says that my oval stone is a G, but I''m wondering if it''s more like an H or I even...especially since I do notice some tint from the side and occasionally face up (it''s set in 18K WG).

I do consider myself to be quite color sensitive and I do love icy white stones. This being said, I''m surprised that I''ve been able to tolerate the slight warmth of my stone (that IGI says is a ''G'' but probably isn''t) and I''m now wondering if I can actually tolerate a J coloured stone. I''m currently on a mission to upgrade my stone + setting, but I''m honestly driving myself crazy figuring out how to balance carat, colour, and clarity.

I won''t lie. I want as big of a rock as possible I''m cool with SI2 if it''s eye clean (my current stone is ''SI2''). But when it comes to colour...I just can''t figure out what I want. For a while, I thought I''d go no lower than a G (looking at WF ACAs), but seeing as I''ve been okay with my loosely graded IGI stone, I wonder if I should just go for an I/J and maximize the size of my stone.

Anyway, I''d sincerely appreciate any advice or insight you might have for me. I know the whole should-I-go-with-a-J-colour-stone question has been asked ad nauseum here on PS, but my mind just feels jumbled right now

Thanks!

Try to view some J colour in person, try Jareds Peerless of similar size to the diamond you want or GIA Excellent.

 

[CJS924]

Date: 11/21/2009 1:24:14 AM
Author: sparkler-crazed
You know, after talking with people from different jewelry stores (and I think people have said so on the forum), fancy cuts require a higher color grade to get a ''white'' looking diamond, but rounds generally do not. I just purchased a 4 ct I GIA round and - this will sound weird, I''m sure - it''s too white, IMO! I have a princess that''s over 3 and a G-H, and it is noticeably warmer now that I put the two side by side (before it looked pretty white). I think that''s the thing with rounds vs all other cuts - you can get away with lower grade. So if you are going to stay with an oval, you might want to keep a higher grade color - atleast, from what I have been told, if it''s not a GIA/AGS graded color. GIA you could probably get away with an I...

Hope this helps!

So...a G graded oval would probably wouldn''t appear quite as white as a G graded round...is that right? That does make sense to me seeing as light reflection/dispersion/etc would be different in a perfectly symmetrical stone as opposed to a stone that is not.

Anyway, I''m so done with my oval...never did like the bow-tie. I''m ready for a RB! But again, I just can''t seem to get a firm grasp on what I want. Sometimes I think go bigger with an I/J SI1/2...then other times I think, go a bit smaller and get something icy white and a bit cleaner like an E VS1/2. I don''t know. I hate being so indecisive.

This all being said, are there any of you out there that decided to go with a bigger I/J then returned it in favour of a smaller E/F because you realized that while you could tolerate a bit of warmth, what you really wanted was something icy white at the end of the day? Of course, I understand that this is all subjective and what might appear warm to me might not appear that way to someone else.

*sigh*

 

[kenny]

Consider a well-cut low-color diamond mounted in a full bezel setting so you can''t see it from the side.

The side reveals more body color than looking into the top.

 

[CJS924]

Date: 11/21/2009 4:39:45 PM
Author: kenny
Consider a well-cut low-color diamond mounted in a full bezel setting so you can''t see it from the side.


The side reveals more body color than looking into the top.

Hmmm...well, this time around, I''m more interested in a simple 4-prong setting as opposed to a bezel (my current stone is tension set in a semi-bezel).

 

[sparkler-crazed]

Date: 11/21/2009 4:28:59 PM
Author: CJS924

Date: 11/21/2009 1:24:14 AM


This all being said, are there any of you out there that decided to go with a bigger I/J then returned it in favour of a smaller E/F because you realized that while you could tolerate a bit of warmth, what you really wanted was something icy white at the end of the day? Of course, I understand that this is all subjective and what might appear warm to me might not appear that way to someone else.


*sigh*

I think, from what I have read, if you get an excellent cut/ good clarity, a lower color can still look pretty white. The one I was telling you about is white face on and on the sides...

 

[CJS924]

Y''know sparkler...the more I read about and look at photos of our fellow PSers I stones, the more I think I might be leaning towards that myself. Great value for larger stones as compared to E/F/Gs...obviously. Plus, if an RB I stone (again I''ve been eyeing up WF ACAs) looks like my current loosely graded G oval in terms of the warmth...or better yet, faces up even whiter, I think I''d be really thrilled with that!!

 

[sparkler-crazed]

I think you''ll be surprised...I have been so far!
Of course, it may be a different story if you go with a diff cert, like EGL, IGI, instead of GIA or AGS. BUT I don''t know for sure since I haven''t seen them side by side (most local stores have terrible selections and I can''t drive very far right now!)

 

[CJS924]

Date: 11/22/2009 3:24:41 PM
Author: sparkler-crazed
I think you''ll be surprised...I have been so far!

Of course, it may be a different story if you go with a diff cert, like EGL, IGI, instead of GIA or AGS. BUT I don''t know for sure since I haven''t seen them side by side (most local stores have terrible selections and I can''t drive very far right now!)

Oh, I hear you about not being able to take a look at stones to compare. I don''t really know of any reputable jewelers here with a great selection. But yes, the more I think about an I stone, the more it appeals to me!