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Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when set?

camomof4

Rough_Rock
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Sep 5, 2015
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I'm in search of an OEC and have been trying to judge my tolerance for warmer tones (GIA J, K, L or maybe even M) since so many OECs land in this color range.

My question is this: if I'm looking at a loose diamond (for ex a J) and love the color face up, even when compared to a higher colored diamond such as my own GIA G, can I trust that I'll also love it when set? Or does the setting have the potential to make a warmer stone's color more noticeable?

I definitely plan to set in platinum. Probably no halo, but likely some sort of pave on the shank. Also to the extent it's relevant it will be a larger stone (3+ carats). Does platinum make warmer colors look more yellow? Or less yellow? :confused: As for the melee, obviously if the stone is an L and the jeweler uses E colored melee, that could be a problem. But doesn't melee come in all different colors? Wouldn't warmer melee solve that potential problem?

Any thoughts appreciated.
 

distracts

Ideal_Rock
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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

With regards to the melee, if you do a search on this, you'll see that for standard brilliant cuts, the melee color doesn't really matter to some extent - because of the way your eye interprets the sparkles as white light, smaller diamonds will appear whiter than larger ones, even when they are the same color. Somewhere Gypsy I think posted a really good explanation of this. If you were to go with something like rose-cut melee, or french cuts, then it'd be less of an issue. But otherwise you can always expect the melee to appear whiter than the stone.

FWIW I don't think you'll have that much of an issue with a J or even a K. But below that, certainly. Have you seen J/K/L/M stones set? With J and K I know I personally am not bothered by the tint, except with K sometimes from the side, but with L and M it is noticeable to me. As always, even if it is not noticeable in the faceup view, it may be in the side view, so that is something you'll want to look at and think about when choosing a setting.
 

Sphene

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

IRL we spend a significant amount of time looking at the side profile of our rings and unfortunately thats where you will notice the color most in a diamond - most especially above J seem to have a little tint so could you live with that view day in day out

I know I can I love all diamonds but overs can be very sensitive - are there any antique jewelers in your neck of the woods go try warm colored diamonds on - only way to judge
 

Tourmaline

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

Yes, in my experience with my L stone, the warm tone was MUCH more noticeable with whiter melee, and is also more noticeable (than unset) in a platinum setting. I am going to reset in rose gold. Also, no, they really don't produce melee in warm tones, and many designers refuse to use even midrange color melee.
 

AdaBeta27

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

L/M is a pale yellow. They can face up incredibly white, but you'll still see the pale yellow if it's beside a whiter stone. My M color diamond was 1.12 ct and about 6.9mm when I bought it, and it was set in a Tiffany knockoff, YG shank and WG head. I never really noticed the pale yellow in that setting. I reset it in a different YG mounting with emeralds, and all that green + YG really turned up the yellow in that stone. It's in a rhodium plated WG mounting with lots of baguettes now, and there is a contrast between the pale yellow and the white baguettes. I had that diamond recut by Brian Gavin, and it would probably be graded L now. I posted photos of it in a thread on lower color diamonds.

If you really want a white diamond in the side you are considering, your only option is to go up in color as you go up in carat weight. I'm also assuming you want a round diamond, which washes tint better than other cuts. Anything with pointy ends or corners, like pear, marquise, or princess will concentrate tint at the points. Any deep stone, like Asscher, emerald, cushion, and some princess, will also concentrate tint.

If you are going to get a big diamond in a color warmer than G or hh, you'll have to be okay with the tint. There is no fluorescence or metal that will make that stone of I or lower color look colorless in all lighting types and conditions.
 

akoya

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

I have same dilemma as you
Bought a one carat k color v strong fluro n hasn't set it yet !
One co is asking me to set in rose gold for this diamond n the side stones on white band. I am wondering if it will look more warm or pink. I don't monk a pink if it can look pink!
 

camomof4

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

Thanks all. For reference, here is a photo of a warmer colored OEC I considered next to my GIA G. (Ignore the blue reflections - turquoise phone case.)I could see the difference from the side, but face up, to me, it just looked bright and white white white (and seriously comparable to the G) in all lighting situations. (I believe I am not very color sensitive so possibly others could see the difference more easily.) So I felt good about the color, but then it occurred to me that perhaps it might look more tinted in platinum or next to a pave shank. I tried holding up up against my pave setting, but it was just really hard to tell. Anyway, thanks for all the input.

oec_5.jpg
oec2_2.jpg
 

Tourmaline

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

This (yours) is an interesting comparison. I think the platinum might leave a gray cast on the diamond. I notice this phenomenon on my ring.
 

camomof4

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

Tourmaline|1444665213|3937467 said:
This (yours) is an interesting comparison. I think the platinum might leave a gray cast on the diamond. I notice this phenomenon on my ring.

Yeah I mean, that OEC is kicking the sh*t out of my cushion, isn't it?
 

distracts

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

camomof4|1444662117|3937460 said:
I could see the difference from the side, but face up, to me, it just looked bright and white white white (and seriously comparable to the G) in all lighting situations. (I believe I am not very color sensitive so possibly others could see the difference more easily.)

To my eye, the OEC is significantly more tinted, but because of the differences n the cut, you're getting much more light reflected from it than you are from the cushion, which makes it look lighter. As well, any leakage in both stones is acting differently - the leakage in the cushion would be showing the shadow of the interior of the setting, whereas the leakage in the round would be showing the white background.
 

iluvshinythings

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

My e-ring is an EGL L set in platinum and I think she looks whiter now that she's set. I guess it depends on the setting and the diamond though. Mine depends on the lighting. Outside she's always bright white. In some lighting inside I can see some color from the side. Sometimes I see body color but that's mostly in my bathroom which is painted a golden yellow.

My melee is J colored single cuts and the color difference doesn't bother me. There is a difference in color though. I guess it depends on how sensitive you are.
 

Tourmaline

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

camomof4|1444665577|3937469 said:
Tourmaline|1444665213|3937467 said:
This (yours) is an interesting comparison. I think the platinum might leave a gray cast on the diamond. I notice this phenomenon on my ring.

Yeah I mean, that OEC is kicking the sh*t out of my cushion, isn't it?

Haha!! The OEC is very bright, indeed.
 

daydreamergrl

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Oct 12, 2015
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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

3ct stone will show a lot of color as facets are bigger. From the pav view a J can be an ugly yellow color. They also tend to pick up surrounding colors and look more yellow in a lot of settings. Stick it in a full bezel to avoid any ugly yellowness.
 

sugarski

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

There is a lot of disagreement about this, but I have an AGS N stone and when I put it next to platinum, it looks yellower, and kind of dingy in comparison, to my eyes. And next to rose gold, it looks green. I'm going to set my stone in either yellow or unplated white for this reason. My N looks vibrant next to yellow (contrast) and "matches" unplated white in a very pretty way, imo.

THBS, there is a big difference between AGS/GIA J and N. J stones generally look fine with platinum, imo, although I've not seen a 3-carat J irl.
 

momhappy

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

distracts|1444666245|3937471 said:
camomof4|1444662117|3937460 said:
I could see the difference from the side, but face up, to me, it just looked bright and white white white (and seriously comparable to the G) in all lighting situations. (I believe I am not very color sensitive so possibly others could see the difference more easily.)

To my eye, the OEC is significantly more tinted, but because of the differences n the cut, you're getting much more light reflected from it than you are from the cushion, which makes it look lighter. As well, any leakage in both stones is acting differently - the leakage in the cushion would be showing the shadow of the interior of the setting, whereas the leakage in the round would be showing the white background.

I agree - I can easily see the warmth/tint in the OEC.
 

camomof4

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

Thanks all. I guess to me, the OEC looks maybe a bit warmer in the sense of not being a steely silvery gray, but still looks very white and very bright. Either way, I like it! Not being color sensitive has its perks! :cheeky:
 

solgen

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Re: Is the color of a warmer diamond more noticeable when se

While the tint is noticeable especially in comparison I rather like it. In OEC cuts the warmth seems to compliment the broader flashes of fire.
 
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