Issue with H-color stone

[TraceyG]

Due to something of a freak accident, I lost the H-color, SI1 diamond I'd been wearing for nearly 20 years on a vacation over the summer. After months of research, I recently purchased a replacement stone: A GIA-certified, VVS2, H-color diamond that's cut virtually perfectly:

Depth: 61.9 %
Table 56 %
Crown Angle 34.5°
Crown Height 15.0%
Pavilion Angle 40.6°
Pavilion Depth 42.5%
Star Length 50%
Lower Half 75%
Girdle Medium to Slightly Thick, Faceted, 4.0%

No culet, no fluorescence. HOWEVER...the loose diamond looks yellow to me. My original stone wasn't perfect by any stretch, but it always looked extremely bright white (maybe thanks to its strong blue flurorescence?). But this new stone looks yellowish to me, even against the black velvet box it came in and even when on my hand or near a silver band. Could it be my imagination, or it is possible that GIA graded this diamond incorrectly? It's so perfectly cut that I hesitate to return it (plus the VVS2 rating is due to three tiny pinpoints -- it's otherwise flawless) but I can't help but see hints of yellow amid all the sparkle. Thoughts?

 

[the_mother_thing]

I suppose it’s possible that GIA may have made a mistake, but is it possible anything in your previous environmental surroundings has changed? Did you paint your walls since the summer, change drapes, or anything that could be reflecting more color into your new diamond? Is the color still obvious to you in other environments (e.g., outdoors, at work, etc)? Is it the same cut/shape as your previous diamond? Same metal used for the setting?

Just trying to think through possible explanations, but I’d suggest you take it with the GIA cert to an independent appraiser for proper evaluation.

Do you have any pics you can post?

 

[scarsmum]

You might want to change your title to draw more attention to your post.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Do you have pictures of the stone?

 

[HappyNewLife]

It's possible you're color sensitive and you just didn't notice it with the SBF H stone. I'd keep trying diffierent lighting situations. Outside, shade, sunshine, near a window, etc. My diamond can look like poo if it's near a brown wall or with the wrong lighting

 

[TraceyG]

A photo of the stone is attached. Since it's a loose stone I've only looked at it in my office and at home, and nothing has changed from the original stone in either location. It's plenty sparkly thanks to the cut, but I see a lot of yellow here. Maybe I'm just romanticizing my lost stone, but the old one was very, very white and this one seems . . . less so.

 

[Golden_bird]

A photo of the stone is attached. Since it's a loose stone I've only looked at it in my office and at home, and nothing has changed from the original stone in either location. It's plenty sparkly thanks to the cut, but I see a lot of yellow here. Maybe I'm just romanticizing my lost stone, but the old one was very, very white and this one seems . . . less so.

It’s completely ok to see some yellowness in H ,but it will def change when it will be set ! Esp of the setting will have closed basket . I personally own GIA H and it was set before in 3 different settings and looked different in all three !it looked more colored in open 4 prongs one ,but coloress face up and from the side in white gold closed basket

 

[Doc_1]

It sure looks more yellow than H factoring in it seems to be bright which is supposed to hide color..!
Facing up with its well cut brightness it looks M.

 

[TraceyG]

Another pic, against the black velvet box...

 

[sledge]

Sorry you lost your original stone.

One thing is certain, you dont seem happy. That said I would return and get a refund so you can start looking for an alternate replacement. No sense beating a dead horse here.

FYI that J that @Doc_1 posted is freakin gorgeous!

 

[TraceyG]

It sure looks more yellow than H factoring in it seems to be bright which is supposed to hide color..!
Facing up with its well cut brightness it looks M.

OMG...we definitely did not (and would not) pay for an M-color diamond!!!

 

[Wewechew]

OMG...we definitely did not (and would not) pay for an M-color diamond!!!

My opinion- I have an M in my necklace and it does not look like an M.

Until recently I also had an H with medium fluorescence and could see warmth in it if I wasn't outside. I would return it and go with a G or better since you seem to be color sensitive.

 

[Doc_1]

OMG...we definitely did not (and would not) pay for an M-color diamond!!!

Please do not take my word as an expert, am not.
Ask Karl on the forum, he is very knowledgable.
But it sure looks darn yellow to my eyes.

 

[Doc_1]

J facing up:
It is color balanced camera:

 

[Doc_1]

You can see the hint of J yellow under the table hour 1, 11

 

[crbl999]

Due to something of a freak accident, I lost the H-color, SI1 diamond I'd been wearing for nearly 20 years on a vacation over the summer. After months of research, I recently purchased a replacement stone: A GIA-certified, VVS2, H-color diamond that's cut virtually perfectly:

Depth: 61.9 %
Table 56 %
Crown Angle 34.5°
Crown Height 15.0%
Pavilion Angle 40.6°
Pavilion Depth 42.5%
Star Length 50%
Lower Half 75%
Girdle Medium to Slightly Thick, Faceted, 4.0%

No culet, no fluorescence. HOWEVER...the loose diamond looks yellow to me. My original stone wasn't perfect by any stretch, but it always looked extremely bright white (maybe thanks to its strong blue flurorescence?). But this new stone looks yellowish to me, even against the black velvet box it came in and even when on my hand or near a silver band. Could it be my imagination, or it is possible that GIA graded this diamond incorrectly? It's so perfectly cut that I hesitate to return it (plus the VVS2 rating is due to three tiny pinpoints -- it's otherwise flawless) but I can't help but see hints of yellow amid all the sparkle. Thoughts?

Looking at the proportions this stone may have some obstruction issues. This can reduce the brightness of the stone and make the color more readily seen. I'm not an expert by any means, so someone correct me if I'm wrong.

The PA is 40.6 with a PA depth of 42.5%. This means the average PA is between 40.5 and 40.6, making the stone shallow in some areas with greater potential for obstruction.

 

[TraceyG]

Thank you for all of the replies. Back it goes.

 

[sledge]

Thank you for all of the replies. Back it goes.

Sorry to hear this, but it sounds like you were never going to be happy with it. That is a ring that should make you smile each time you see it. Not make you question it or cause frustration.

Let us know if we can help pick you a replacement.

 

[Karl_K]

Looking at the proportions this stone may have some obstruction issues. This can reduce the brightness of the stone and make the color more readily seen. I'm not an expert by any means, so someone correct me if I'm wrong.

The PA is 40.6 with a PA depth of 42.5%. This means the average PA is between 40.5 and 40.6, making the stone shallow in some areas with greater potential for obstruction.

GIA rounds both numbers to far for them to be useful for this kind of conclusion.
If they were all 40.5 actual angles it would be fine as its around ~40.45 that it goes over the cliff.

 

[Karl_K]

It is pretty much impossible to compare 2 stones color when both are not there.
There is a good chance you just never looked at you old stone that close in that exact conditions.
But that does not matter, if you not in love with it and have a return policy, return it and start over.

 

[OoohShiny]

I guess that the SI1 could have had some clouds that were lighting up and scattering the light, a bit like a morning fog over the fields, making the H look whiter?

 

[Junc80]

Perhaps you can take the stone to a local jewelry store like Ben Bridge where they show case many diamonds not set in a setting. You can be frank with them and say you purchased something but is not meeting your desires. You can compare the color of your stone next to many of theirs and see if you really have a H color stone and what color will suffice. You may need to act like you are open to their stones too so they help you look?

 

[whitewave]

Maybe it’s body color showing? GIA doesn’t declare body color under I think a K...

 

[Queenie60]

I would return it and purchase a CBI, Whiteflash or Brian Gavin stone. Do it right and you will not be sorry. Good luck.

 

[LaylaR]

So I thought I'd share a personal experience. Don't ask me why-- I do not remember it was so long ago now-- but for some reason I was convinced that my engagement diamond had been switched (which is funny for many reasons if you know what shape my original engagement diamond was) at one point early on when I knew little about jewelry.

I was convinced that it was a lower color than the original F. And I saw yellow in it all the time. It got so bad, I took my lab report to a local jeweler and asked them to match the inclusions, measure the diamond and let me know if it matched.(My diamond was not inscribed. Yes, I'm THAT old!)

Needless to say-- it did. And then a while later I found PS. PS broadened my experience with diamonds considerably. And at the first Pricescope GTG I went to, everyone took off their rings and passed them around. Two of ladies who had been long time PS members and had large diamonds-- and when their diamonds got to me, I-- still not knowing much about jewelry-- assumed for some reason that they were high color. I remarked how beautiful and white they were.

I was very surprised to learn one was an H. The other was a J. From that day on-- I realized that sometimes you see what you expect.

That's why when people go into one of our sister showrooms for a diamond viewing we ask them to have patience with us as we do a blind showing. Because we don't want people's brains interfering with their eyes.

Now, that's not to say that you aren't seeing the color in the H diamond. Obviously if the diamond is an accurately graded H it has some color to it. And if your eyes work correctly, you will see it at times.

What I am saying is-- you might be having what we call a 'mind-clean' experience. Some people call it being color-sensitive.

Diamond colors from D-K are like paint color samples. Have you ever gotten one of those HUGE paint fan decks? Where there are literally 100s of colors of whites? And when they are RIGHT next to each other you can TOTALLY tell that one is bluer/colder and one is a bit warmer and which one is one is TOTALLY warmer. Then there's one that's slightly greener. One that's slightly pinker? But really, they are all “white”.

Then you pick one after agonizing over this white or that white and when it's on the walls and people are like: "Oh. You painted again. And it's STILL white. Great."

And you're all... BUT it's BLUE white. Or it's a WARM white now. It used to be ____ white. It's TOTALLY different. It's like that. You are talking about shades of white. E is colder... H is warmer and J warmer still. But it's all white.

Being able to see the color just means your eyes work. Being color sensitive is not the same as seeing color. Being color sensitive means you see color and it bothers you. That’s a subjective, not objective, call. Only you can decide what bothers you. And if this diamond bothers you, return it for one that doesn't.

You don't have to justify it either. I mean-- what is the purpose of a diamond? It's entire purpose in life is to make you happy with all of it's light return, fire, and life. If it doesn't make you happy it's useless. And there is no call to spend thousands on something that is useless.

The first time I went diamond shopping in person one jeweler pulled out a J SI1 Hearts and Arrows diamond. I didn't even look at it. I heard the words J and SI1 and... nope.

Last year I bought a K. Happily. And I have another one in a pendant I got about 10 years ago. I can see the color still, probably even better than ever since I know what I am looking for now. But it doesn't bother me in the least.

 

[kmoro]

So I thought I'd share a personal experience. Don't ask me why-- I do not remember it was so long ago now-- but for some reason I was convinced that my engagement diamond had been switched (which is funny for many reasons if you know what shape my original engagement diamond was) at one point early on when I knew little about jewelry.

I was convinced that it was a lower color than the original F. And I saw yellow in it all the time. It got so bad, I took my lab report to a local jeweler and asked them to match the inclusions, measure the diamond and let me know if it matched.(My diamond was not inscribed. Yes, I'm THAT old!)

Needless to say-- it did. And then a while later I found PS. PS broadened my experience with diamonds considerably. And at the first Pricescope GTG I went to, everyone took off their rings and passed them around. Two of ladies who had been long time PS members and had large diamonds-- and when their diamonds got to me, I-- still not knowing much about jewelry-- assumed for some reason that they were high color. I remarked how beautiful and white they were.

I was very surprised to learn one was an H. The other was a J. From that day on-- I realized that sometimes you see what you expect.

That's why when people go into one of our sister showrooms for a diamond viewing we ask them to have patience with us as we do a blind showing. Because we don't want people's brains interfering with their eyes.

Now, that's not to say that you aren't seeing the color in the H diamond. Obviously if the diamond is an accurately graded H it has some color to it. And if your eyes work correctly, you will see it at times.

What I am saying is-- you might be having what we call a 'mind-clean' experience. Some people call it being color-sensitive.

Diamond colors from D-K are like paint color samples. Have you ever gotten one of those HUGE paint fan decks? Where there are literally 100s of colors of whites? And when they are RIGHT next to each other you can TOTALLY tell that one is bluer/colder and one is a bit warmer and which one is one is TOTALLY warmer. Then there's one that's slightly greener. One that's slightly pinker? But really, they are all “white”.

Then you pick one after agonizing over this white or that white and when it's on the walls and people are like: "Oh. You painted again. And it's STILL white. Great."

And you're all... BUT it's BLUE white. Or it's a WARM white now. It used to be ____ white. It's TOTALLY different. It's like that. You are talking about shades of white. E is colder... H is warmer and J warmer still. But it's all white.

Being able to see the color just means your eyes work. Being color sensitive is not the same as seeing color. Being color sensitive means you see color and it bothers you. That’s a subjective, not objective, call. Only you can decide what bothers you. And if this diamond bothers you, return it for one that doesn't.

You don't have to justify it either. I mean-- what is the purpose of a diamond? It's entire purpose in life is to make you happy with all of it's light return, fire, and life. If it doesn't make you happy it's useless. And there is no call to spend thousands on something that is useless.

The first time I went diamond shopping in person one jeweler pulled out a J SI1 Hearts and Arrows diamond. I didn't even look at it. I heard the words J and SI1 and... nope.

Last year I bought a K. Happily. And I have another one in a pendant I got about 10 years ago. I can see the color still, probably even better than ever since I know what I am looking for now. But it doesn't bother me in the least.

I think you bring up some great points, and your post makes me wonder if I see what I expect as well.

Until recently, I had a couple of GIA G color stones, nothing "whiter." From everything I had read, and from what it seemed to me, they did indeed look white in the face-up position.

But then I got a GIA D color stone. When I compared them side by side, I was actually shocked at the amount of color difference that I could see. Now I recognize, or think that I recognize, the yellow tint in the G stones in the face-up position, even when they are not beside the D color stone. I suppose that I am color sensitive, but I have not compared me to more than one other person who said they couldn't see the color difference in any position.

The other thing I discovered was how much I love the D color. I really really love love love the crisp clean white! This is bad for my wallet, lol. I will not even consider an F color in the future, as that is too close to the G that I now think is too yellow for my eyes.

If I was the one finding myself unhappy with the color of an H stone, whether anyone else could see the tint or not, I would definitely return it if I could. Looking at your diamond and wishing it was something else doesn't seem like fun to me!

 

[sledge]

So I thought I'd share a personal experience. Don't ask me why-- I do not remember it was so long ago now-- but for some reason I was convinced that my engagement diamond had been switched (which is funny for many reasons if you know what shape my original engagement diamond was) at one point early on when I knew little about jewelry.

I was convinced that it was a lower color than the original F. And I saw yellow in it all the time. It got so bad, I took my lab report to a local jeweler and asked them to match the inclusions, measure the diamond and let me know if it matched.(My diamond was not inscribed. Yes, I'm THAT old!)

Needless to say-- it did. And then a while later I found PS. PS broadened my experience with diamonds considerably. And at the first Pricescope GTG I went to, everyone took off their rings and passed them around. Two of ladies who had been long time PS members and had large diamonds-- and when their diamonds got to me, I-- still not knowing much about jewelry-- assumed for some reason that they were high color. I remarked how beautiful and white they were.

I was very surprised to learn one was an H. The other was a J. From that day on-- I realized that sometimes you see what you expect.

That's why when people go into one of our sister showrooms for a diamond viewing we ask them to have patience with us as we do a blind showing. Because we don't want people's brains interfering with their eyes.

Now, that's not to say that you aren't seeing the color in the H diamond. Obviously if the diamond is an accurately graded H it has some color to it. And if your eyes work correctly, you will see it at times.

What I am saying is-- you might be having what we call a 'mind-clean' experience. Some people call it being color-sensitive.

Diamond colors from D-K are like paint color samples. Have you ever gotten one of those HUGE paint fan decks? Where there are literally 100s of colors of whites? And when they are RIGHT next to each other you can TOTALLY tell that one is bluer/colder and one is a bit warmer and which one is one is TOTALLY warmer. Then there's one that's slightly greener. One that's slightly pinker? But really, they are all “white”.

Then you pick one after agonizing over this white or that white and when it's on the walls and people are like: "Oh. You painted again. And it's STILL white. Great."

And you're all... BUT it's BLUE white. Or it's a WARM white now. It used to be ____ white. It's TOTALLY different. It's like that. You are talking about shades of white. E is colder... H is warmer and J warmer still. But it's all white.

Being able to see the color just means your eyes work. Being color sensitive is not the same as seeing color. Being color sensitive means you see color and it bothers you. That’s a subjective, not objective, call. Only you can decide what bothers you. And if this diamond bothers you, return it for one that doesn't.

You don't have to justify it either. I mean-- what is the purpose of a diamond? It's entire purpose in life is to make you happy with all of it's light return, fire, and life. If it doesn't make you happy it's useless. And there is no call to spend thousands on something that is useless.

The first time I went diamond shopping in person one jeweler pulled out a J SI1 Hearts and Arrows diamond. I didn't even look at it. I heard the words J and SI1 and... nope.

Last year I bought a K. Happily. And I have another one in a pendant I got about 10 years ago. I can see the color still, probably even better than ever since I know what I am looking for now. But it doesn't bother me in the least.

Great story @LaylaR!!!

You forgot the part where there is some poor husband/fiancee/boyfriend out there that is pulling his hair out and asking can we PLEASE stop painting the wall white over and over and over again!?

In seriousness I think there is lots of truth to what you said. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Wewechew]

So I thought I'd share a personal experience. Don't ask me why-- I do not remember it was so long ago now-- but for some reason I was convinced that my engagement diamond had been switched (which is funny for many reasons if you know what shape my original engagement diamond was) at one point early on when I knew little about jewelry.

I was convinced that it was a lower color than the original F. And I saw yellow in it all the time. It got so bad, I took my lab report to a local jeweler and asked them to match the inclusions, measure the diamond and let me know if it matched.(My diamond was not inscribed. Yes, I'm THAT old!)

Needless to say-- it did. And then a while later I found PS. PS broadened my experience with diamonds considerably. And at the first Pricescope GTG I went to, everyone took off their rings and passed them around. Two of ladies who had been long time PS members and had large diamonds-- and when their diamonds got to me, I-- still not knowing much about jewelry-- assumed for some reason that they were high color. I remarked how beautiful and white they were.

I was very surprised to learn one was an H. The other was a J. From that day on-- I realized that sometimes you see what you expect.

That's why when people go into one of our sister showrooms for a diamond viewing we ask them to have patience with us as we do a blind showing. Because we don't want people's brains interfering with their eyes.

Now, that's not to say that you aren't seeing the color in the H diamond. Obviously if the diamond is an accurately graded H it has some color to it. And if your eyes work correctly, you will see it at times.

What I am saying is-- you might be having what we call a 'mind-clean' experience. Some people call it being color-sensitive.

Diamond colors from D-K are like paint color samples. Have you ever gotten one of those HUGE paint fan decks? Where there are literally 100s of colors of whites? And when they are RIGHT next to each other you can TOTALLY tell that one is bluer/colder and one is a bit warmer and which one is one is TOTALLY warmer. Then there's one that's slightly greener. One that's slightly pinker? But really, they are all “white”.

Then you pick one after agonizing over this white or that white and when it's on the walls and people are like: "Oh. You painted again. And it's STILL white. Great."

And you're all... BUT it's BLUE white. Or it's a WARM white now. It used to be ____ white. It's TOTALLY different. It's like that. You are talking about shades of white. E is colder... H is warmer and J warmer still. But it's all white.

Being able to see the color just means your eyes work. Being color sensitive is not the same as seeing color. Being color sensitive means you see color and it bothers you. That’s a subjective, not objective, call. Only you can decide what bothers you. And if this diamond bothers you, return it for one that doesn't.

You don't have to justify it either. I mean-- what is the purpose of a diamond? It's entire purpose in life is to make you happy with all of it's light return, fire, and life. If it doesn't make you happy it's useless. And there is no call to spend thousands on something that is useless.

The first time I went diamond shopping in person one jeweler pulled out a J SI1 Hearts and Arrows diamond. I didn't even look at it. I heard the words J and SI1 and... nope.

Last year I bought a K. Happily. And I have another one in a pendant I got about 10 years ago. I can see the color still, probably even better than ever since I know what I am looking for now. But it doesn't bother me in the least.

Your post had me smiling because it’s so true

So I have to ask- what shape was your original stone?

 

[Karl_K]

Last year I bought a K. Happily. And I have another one in a pendant I got about 10 years ago. I can see the color still, probably even better than ever since I know what I am looking for now. But it doesn't bother me in the least.

Or as I have been saying for years,
Color grade is a color grade, not what your eyes/mind find beautiful.
Some of my all time favorites are nmo even out to s-t in high performance cuts.
In some lighting they are light buttery and in others they are eye frying white and blazing fire in others.
That you can get much larger diamonds for the same money is a huge plus.

 

[lovedogs]

Or as I have been saying for years,
Color grade is a color grade, not what your eyes/mind find beautiful.
Some of my all time favorites are nmo even out to s-t in high performance cuts.
In some lighting they are light buttery and in others they are eye frying white and blazing fire in others.
That you can get much larger diamonds for the same money is a huge plus.

Exactly how I feel!!!! Love the different personalities in the lower colored stones. And my wallet is (slightly less) upset.