M COLORED DIAMONDS

[YMA]

I know in a idealistic world we would all buy the perfect diamond, but when on a budget would anyone consider a M colored SI1 3 carat princess cut diamond.

Is it true the bigger the stone the more color you would be able to see?

 

[Kaleigh]

Yes the larger the stone the more color you will see. Have you considered a smaller stone?? That way you could get a better color . Is this a stone you have seen in person??

 

[YMA]

I haven''t seen it yet but I am going to look at it tommorrow and just wanted to know if it was worth my time. I would love to see some J-m colored stones.

 

[Kaleigh]

For educational purposes, go have a look. IMHO a 3 carat princess that is an M in color will definetly show some color. You haven''t mentioned the cut, that is also very important. Princess cuts are tough to judge and I am no expert on them so hopefully others will chime in. Good luck and let us know how it goes.

 

[WinkHPD]

Don''t forget that many people love the color so that is not automatically a bad thing. I am more concerned about the SI3 grade personally...

Wink

 

[YMA]

STATS ON RING:

COLOR: M
CLARITY: SI1
7.67 X 7.2 X 6.13
DEPTH 85.1
TABLE 70.0
CROWN 12.5
PAVILION 65.7
GRIDLE: THIN TO VERY THK
POLISH: VERY GOOD

Are the stats on this stone O.K., honest hard truth.

 

[Kaleigh]

Wink I thought the same thing when I first read it. He said SI1 3 carat, not SI3. I know if that were the case I''d really be leary!!!

 

[IrishEyes]

85% depth?

 

[YMA]

The EGL report said 85.1 depth is that bad????????????????

 

[IrishEyes]

Typically, princess cuts should have a range from about 64% - 75% for total depth. This is for those stones considered "Ideal cut" class through International Fine Trade Cut, class 2a-2b ( this is information from the link here at pricescope regarding fancy cut diamond cutting standards). However, keep in mind that "ideal" standards have yet to officially come about for princess cuts, although it is supposedly happening soon. So it is not written in stone that a princess with a 65% depth will be great, or an 80% depth horrible. There''s just no strict "rules" on fancy cuts as of yet

Best advice I can give, and I''m by no means an expert; use your eyes! If you look at the stone face-up, and you see a "dark" area down through to the culet, it may be too deep. If you see a "fisheye" pattern ( kind of like a cloudy ring), it could be too shallow. But buy what you think is beautiful! Princess cuts are a little harder than rounds to "shop by the numbers". You need to use your own judgement!

Good luck!

 

[YMA]

What about the M color? Any comments on that?

 

[IrishEyes]

Well, with a 3 carat, you will probably see the color fairly well. But this depends on what you want to do with the stone. Are you going to have it as a solitare or will it be the center of a three-stone, or surronded by melee ( small diamonds)? Will it be in yellow gold, or white gold ( or platinum)? If, say, you are having it as a solitaire in a yellow gold ring, the color won''t be as obvious as it would be in a platinum setting ( which would make the color of the stone "show" more). If you are going to have it surrounded by other diamonds, you may have to go a little warmer in color with those stones, as IMO, having a large M stone surrounded by say, two E colored stones would be a difference in color that could be too noticeable ( but that''s me, some may prefer that contrast).

Honestly, I don''t see anything really wrong with an M color. I would be more concerned about inclusions. Have you seen the plot for the stone? What kind of inclusions does the cert describe, and where are they located? Are they very eye-visible? Dark in color, or whiter?

I would take a three carat M stone that is relatively eye-clean, vs. a three carat E color that has very noticeable, dark inclusions any day!! But that''s me.....

 

[rms]

I will be interested to hear about your trip when you get back. If you like it, and set it is a cool yellow gold setting, the outcome might shock us all!!!

 

[valeria101]

Well, unless that extra depth makes the stone less brilliant or smaller, I do not care all that much about the technicality.

It just so happens that I am one of those who do not insist on their diamonds being colorless - all of them have their charm, IMO. If this one is ok with you, why not.

Regardless of grades, it should be bright... That has nothing to do with the color and SI1 clarity cannot hinder brilliance. Some less than nice cut can. Without proper brighteness, what''s the use ? That''s all diamonds know to do in the first place

 

[quicksvo]

I recently bought a 3 ct M color, although it was a rb, not a princess which I don''t know much about. I think the cut has a lot to do with how much color is actually observed. In almost all lighting conditions, my stone faces up white. In some lighting conditions, you can see some warmth, and you can see a bit of color from the side, but overall, I don''t think it is bad at all. You can see some pictures of it here.

3.02 ct M

 

[denverappraiser]

M doesn’t look especially like D but it can be quite lovely in it’s own right. The presumption that less color is ‘better’ is a matter of taste for the customer to decide. Have you seen this stone? Do you love it?

I agree that the depth figure is a bit suspicious. I’m also always nervous to see a thin girdle on a princess. Princess cuts can be quiite fragile and this makes it even worse. Don’t buy this without a professional opinion from someone who can actually see the stone and specifically ask about the durability of the stone.

As a completely unrelated observation, I’ve noticed that it’s a good sign when a dealer describes a stone as an M. Why? Because the worst misgradings that walk in my door are stones that are sold as I-J that are actually M-N. When a dealer calls it an M, this is usually the case. The stone is what it is; however the dealer chooses to describe it. If they call it an M, and price it like an M then everybody can walk away happy. It’s when they call it an I and give you a ‘deal’ that there starts to be a problem.

Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ISA NAJA
Independent Appraisals in Denver

 

[valeria101]

How much is it ? Ballpark ? Just in case there seem to be several options between 8k and 10k around here... Perhaps one such stone turns out to have a nice cut (in case that one does not already) and that would really make a difference, IMO.


And then there is this 2.9cts K/VS1 a bit LARGER than your super-deep 3 carat princess cut HERE ...


Actually, even 2.5cts could have that size if cut at about 65% depth - which is desirable, but rather uncommon for princess cuts. A radiant is more likely to have better spread and this one delivers.


Best of luck !

 

[YMA]

The price of the stone is 9383.00.

 

[YMA]

The worse part is......I am hearing that j-m colored stones look better in yellow gold and I already have a platinum setting with side stones, I was hoping to just upgrade my center stone.

 

[valeria101]

If the J color radiant looks good to you in white metal, chances are M would too. It just depends to whom you listed: some would say yellow metal hides the tint, some that white metal does it better... Who knows ? Maybe both work!

I was more concerned about the size of that stone - it does not quite show off the 3 carats and finding something below the 3 carat mark might give more leeway for color /clarity.

How about THIS

Cut RADIANT
Carat 2.72
K, SI1 (GIA)
Price $ 9334
Measurements 8.91 x 7.51 x 4.98 mm (definitely larger than 7.6 x 7.2mm)
Depth Percentage 66.3 %
Table Percentage 66 %
Culet N
Polish EXCELLENT
Symmetry GOOD
Fluorescence NONE


L/VS2 sounds better than M/SI1 for this
Princess cut
Laboratory: GIA
Carat Weight: 2.62
Color: L
Clarity: VS2
Price: $7343
Shape: Princess
Depth: 73.2%
Table: 76%
Polish: VG
Symmetry: GD
Culet: NO
Girdle: TN-STK
Fluorescence: None
Measurements: 8.28x7.32x5.36 (still larger than 7.6 x 7.2mm)

 

[fire&ice]

Are you set on a square? If not, then Round Brilliants can mask more color.

 

[YMA]

Man Valeria,

You really know your stuff!!!! Thanks for all your help!!!!!!1

 

[researcher]

I wouldn''t bother with the stone you found. The girdle is all over the place (TN-VTK) and the stone is extremely deep. It sounds as though you''re really interested in size and not so interested in color, so I would do as Valeria101 is suggesting and at least go for a stone with a great cut (the stone will not only look bigger, it will be more brilliant and have more fire which will help hide some of the color). One other thing to note--I''ve seen "I" colored princess cut diamonds that were extremely yellow, yet my "I" faces up white, white, white! So, there''s no reason you can''t find an "M" colored stone that faces up like a "J". Just make sure you see the stones in person, and find one with a great cut!

 

[LadyluvsLuxury]

Any updates and pics?

 

[Mara]

Deleted my lengthy response because this is an OLD THREAD! I need to learn to read the last post first.