Nervous about "J"

[sam2]

Online I found a GIA cert/0.95 carat/ideal cut round/VS1 that gets a "1.3 Excellent" on Holloway Cut Adviser. Price is under $3500, which is near the top of my budget. Everything seems great, except the stone is "J" in color. I think hubby is somewhat sensitive to color, but she would also like a 1-ct. Going even one or two notches whiter increases the price a lot -- more than I can comfortably afford.

How big a deal is the "J" color? Without direct comparison to other stones, will she be able to notice any yellow tint?

I want a really nice stone, don''t have lots of money, and everything seems great about this stone except the color.

Thank you!

 

[kenny]

Nobody can say.
Several people here love their Js.
Others would never go that low in color.

Every person needs to see diamonds of various color grades in person to discover their own personal color comfort zone.
Photographs are not the same.

 

[yssie]

She may, she may not.

Put the J next to an E and she''ll definitely notice. A J in a WG/plat. prong setting, all on its own - from the side she''ll probably see some tint, from the top - maybe, maybe not. In a bezel or YG setting the colour will be harder to distinguish. An excellent cut betters your odds considerably

The only way to know for sure is to take her to a store that sells reliably-graded stones and start comparing.

If you''re not comfortable with the idea of a J, would you consider dropping clarity to a nice eyeclean SI1 (should be very doable in this size) and going up in colour? You don''t need VS1 to perform well.

 

[swingirl]

I have no problem with colors like J K L M in nicely cut stones. It''s personal preference. If you are concerned maybe you should look for lower clarity and move up to an I.

 

[sam2]

Thank you for the quick replies. Glad to see some other night owls. I''m still processing...

I''ve been lurking for a long time, and may finally be getting close to buying. I really appreciate all the information this community provides!

 

[FB.]

Unless I knew that the person liked the warmer colours, or that size was important (such as achieving 1ct), I would not recommend a J if you can go higher - except if set in yellow gold.
I suggest dropping the clarity from VS1 to SI1 or even a verified eye clean SI2, and allocate the difference towards a better balance of colour and clarity - or a bigger stone to break the 1ct level.

By dropping to SI1-SI2 clarity, you should be able to increase colour to G-H and still get an excellent cut, which will be much less noticeably tinted.

Or, by going to SI1-SI2 clarity, you might be able to get a I-J SI1-SI2 that pushes just above the 1ct level. Perhaps 1ct is important to you?

 

[vanderaf]

To make you feel better, my e-ring is an E color and I also have a J. The J was my grandmother''s OEC that was chipped and had to be recut. I sent it to Brian Gavin and he cut it into one of his ideal cut signature rounds (AGS0 graded). Well, blow me down. The diamond looks incredibly white! I could wear it with my f color diamond band. Nobody, not even a jeweler could tell it was a J. The only time I could tell the difference was from the side. There was a slight hint of color but not yellow at all. Also, if there is color in a room it would pick up the color of the wall a bit while my E does not. I would most definitely by another J stone if I have the opportunity. I had always assumed that they had more color.

 

[kenny]

Date: 12/17/2009 6:26:06 AM
Author: vanderaf
Also, if there is color in a room it would pick up the color of the wall a bit while my E does not.

How could a J pick up more color from the environment than an E?

I really don''t think of a diamond''s color grade affecting how much color it pick up from the environment.

 

[LGK]

Go look at some excellently cut, properly graded Js. Jared''s peerless, Hearts on Fire are good brands carried at brick & mortar retailers. That''s the only way you can tell if it''s gonna be OK with you or not.

A J is not likely to look actually yellow. Warm, especially from the side, yes. Different than a D, yes. But not yellow.