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K-L-M colors, advice please!

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jrich

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Nov 17, 2011
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Thanks for all the votes on the settings!!

Now I am curious on opinions for those who own/have experience with lower colored stones. What kind of difference do you see visually (primarily face up) between K-L-M? Are most of those people who are happy with their K's also happy with L's? M's? Again my solitaire will be in a yellow gold setting, and I don't want it to look noticably tinted face up. I have looked in all the folders and studied the GOG tutorials, just looking for some real life opinions.

Brian Gavin has got some of his "select" stones that are L colored with faint brown tint. From my research I know this doesn't mean it has MORE of a tint than another L, just that it tints to the brown range as opposed to yellow. These seem to be an excellent value. Does anyone have one? Does anyone think this would look more colorless than a regular L? Pictures or exapmles would be great!

Thanks again,
Jessica
 
jrich|1325870278|3096542 said:
Thanks for all the votes on the settings!!

Now I am curious on opinions for those who own/have experience with lower colored stones. What kind of difference do you see visually (primarily face up) between K-L-M? Are most of those people who are happy with their K's also happy with L's? M's? Again my solitaire will be in a yellow gold setting, and I don't want it to look noticably tinted face up. I have looked in all the folders and studied the GOG tutorials, just looking for some real life opinions.

Brian Gavin has got some of his "select" stones that are L colored with faint brown tint. From my research I know this doesn't mean it has MORE of a tint than another L, just that it tints to the brown range as opposed to yellow. These seem to be an excellent value. Does anyone have one? Does anyone think this would look more colorless than a regular L? Pictures or exapmles would be great!

Thanks again,
Jessica
Click to expand...

Here's my 2c on this -

1. If you knew nothing at all about diamonds and weren't interested in learning anything, you could probably be very happy with a nicely proportioned K/L/M and never realise that there was any more to it than "diamond in yellow setting".

2. The problem is that you do know something about diamonds, and your question indicates that you have at least some interest in learning more. And people who want are observant about what they want to learn about, and observant people tend to pick up on stuff that the ignorant won't. I don't think you're going to be happy with a K/L/M if you aren't going to be able to embrace the slight tint because face-up a 1.5 K is going to look warmer than G/H/I of similar size no matter what the metal to the observant eye. And, well, by developing an interest you've kinda cursed yourself with precisely that! :cheeky:

That isn't to say that a nicely cut K in yellow won't be lovely, because I'm sure it would be! But not if what you really want is "icy white".
 
Have you seen many stones in person? Are you typically drawn to warmer stones, or whiter stones?

If you aren't drawn to warmer stones, then I think it might be a mistake to purchase an L stone in the hopes that it won't look like an L. I own an O-P antique cushion and I LOOOOOOVE it, but I've learned that I'm drawn to warmer stones in general, so of course I love it.

I think it's a mistake to buy a warm stone hoping it won't look like a warm stone.
 
I do like the warmer colors more than icy white. In the stores I've been to I've seen GIA EX/EX/EX J's that looked more than perfect to me, so that's how I feel confident I'll still love a K. I just wonder if that means I'd also love an L or M. I can't get a real idea of how different a K would look from an L or M. I can't tell the difference between H-I-J when I look at them in person face up, so I wonder if that would be the case with K-L-M.

So the answer is no I definitely don't want or expect icy white, but I don't want it to look yellow either.
 
jrich|1325870278|3096542 said:
Thanks for all the votes on the settings!!

Now I am curious on opinions for those who own/have experience with lower colored stones. What kind of difference do you see visually (primarily face up) between K-L-M? Are most of those people who are happy with their K's also happy with L's? M's? Again my solitaire will be in a yellow gold setting, and I don't want it to look noticably tinted face up. I have looked in all the folders and studied the GOG tutorials, just looking for some real life opinions.

Brian Gavin has got some of his "select" stones that are L colored with faint brown tint. From my research I know this doesn't mean it has MORE of a tint than another L, just that it tints to the brown range as opposed to yellow. These seem to be an excellent value. Does anyone have one? Does anyone think this would look more colorless than a regular L? Pictures or exapmles would be great!

Thanks again,
Jessica
Click to expand...


Forgot to address this bit - yes, that's true, and I'd personally pick one over a "yellow" L, given the choice. The same amount of "brown" can be harder to pick up, and sometimes can turn the stone a bit pinkish...

I have a pair of OECs that (reliably) appraised as yellow and brown, I'm a bad PSer and can't for the life of me remember if it was J and L or K and L though! I know the larger 1.3ct is the "brown L" though. I posted some pics of it white metal here (pg4) [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/its-here-my-5-stone-8-prong-trellis-reset-by-dbl.170161/page-4']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/its-here-my-5-stone-8-prong-trellis-reset-by-dbl.170161/page-4[/URL] and loose here [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/forum/show-me-the-ring/my-studs-are-growing-up-t165839.html']https://www.pricescope.com/forum/show-me-the-ring/my-studs-are-growing-up-t165839.html[/URL] but I don't think those will really help you as they're more "pretty" pics - I might try and get some better ones for colour tonight... still different as you're looking at RBs, not old cuts, but maybe interesting...
 
I have two J stones - one a carat and a half, one two and a half. Despite what you'd expect, the larger stone faces up whiter: it could be a high J, or it could be that older cuts face up whiter (some on the board have theorized that it's due to the larger facets). Though I haven't bought any of the warmer hues (yet!), I think they look marvelous: there's an old cut around two carats set in a yellow gold halo in the window of my local jewelry shop that I've been eyeballing covetously, and I'd estimate that it's somewhere between M-verging-on-champage, and I'd bet that to the casual onlooker, it just looks pretty, but not "yellow."

Stones with brown body color definitely face up whiter to the eye, too, so there's that - but like Yssie said, it depends on the individual in terms of attention, tolerance, etc. Any chance you can get out to see some stones in person?
 
Yssie|1325872178|3096580 said:
jrich|1325870278|3096542 said:
Thanks for all the votes on the settings!!

2. The problem is that you do know something about diamonds, and your question indicates that you have at least some interest in learning more. And people who want are observant about what they want to learn about, and observant people tend to pick up on stuff that the ignorant won't. I don't think you're going to be happy with a K/L/M if you aren't going to be able to embrace the slight tint because face-up a 1.5 K is going to look warmer than G/H/I of similar size no matter what the metal to the observant eye. And, well, by developing an interest you've kinda cursed yourself with precisely that! :cheeky:

That isn't to say that a nicely cut K in yellow won't be lovely, because I'm sure it would be! But not if what you really want is "icy white".
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

I agree with Yssie's comment above. I think the more you learn about diamonds, the more you become aware of things. I had a 0.3 ct solitaire that I've had for YEARS. I never noticed anything about it except it's a blingy little piece. After I purchased my ring from BG and joined PS, I started examining all my previously bought jewelry. One day I was looking at the 0.3 ct and I noticed this HUGE (okay maybe not huge, but definitely visible) black carbon inclusion near the girdle. It's right next to a prong (not covered by the prong though) so it's not in the dead center. But I've NEVER EVER noticed that before and I've worn that ring for several years. After I noticed it I always look for it now. I don't wear that ring anymore but I was just surprised that I never noticed such a visible inclusion before. So I agree with the statement that "develop an interest you're kinda cursed yourself"!!!

With that said, I think you have to think about what you really want before you go reverse and say "Will a K or L be okay?". If you want a near colorless, then I/J would probably be the lowest you should go. If you think you'll be okay with some tint. Then K/L might work.
 
I think it depends. For Modern stones I am drawn to near colorless. I have a modern round brilliant that is a G but for old cuts I love warmer stones (it gives a romantic look to them) I love my L OEC!!! I do have an old mind brooch that is G-H in color but I love warmth to the old stones better. What kind of stone are you thinking about??

this link might be helpful and people look at stones face up, not from the side. The sides tend to show more warmth.
http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Color/FaintTint/
 
This will be for a modern RB, around 1.3-1.6- depending on what color I pick. I've heard you can't notice a difference between .1, but that you can notice a difference in size when the difference is .2mm. I am hoping to get to 1.5, that's my dream ring!
 
Yssie if that really is a true L, faint brown, I LOVE IT and would be perfectly happy to have it in my ering! Please do send more pics if you get a chance.
 
My new-ish earrings are probably J-K-L and it sunlight it's hard to tell any difference with my e-ring which is an I color. In lower lighting, though, I can definitely see the color difference between the two studs and my e-ring, but it doesn't bother me because I got much larger stones than I EVER thought I would (1 ctw). Diamond Bistro, how I love thee.

I think you'll need to see an K-L-M stone in person before you can judge if it will bother you or if you can appreciate it as an aspect of the diamond's uniqueness. Get it and have it sent to you before it's set and look at it in all lighting, esp. where you'll see it most (Gypsy took the AVC she had for a bit to her office which I thought was brilliant).

FWIW, I would take Haven's ring in an INSTANT and have no regrets about the 'low' color because that thing is blinding even in photographs and the faceting is gorgeous and the setting is amazing. :love: I hope to have a lower color AVC someday.
 
I like olc cuts in warmer tones, but not modern RBs. You need to see them in person to decide.
 
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