Newbie here, slow and dull witted.

[dtom]

Pricescopers,

I have a few questions about diamonds, about which I have become interested.

I was looking at what probably is a one carat round diamond, very clear, and it was distinctly light yellow. Not brown or dull. Just light yellow. What does that mean? You could see the yellow two feet away. It was in a white gold setting, and I think I read here that in a yellow gold setting the yellow would not be as noticable. The charts say there is less value when there is more yellow. So I am a tad confused.
When does the yellow begin to add value when the yellow in a diamond is more saturated?

Also, I was looking at a diamond and down 3/4 in the pavillion was a smoky flat area, but it disappeared when viewed form the top. I was told this was a reflection of and from the table. It was clearly eye visible from a foot away. What causes this? How does it affect the value?

Also, what is the opinion of European cut diamonds? I just bought a three stone (.53 carat each stone) ring of European cut, all very clean and bright, and full of sparkle, (I swear the diamonds have tiny little batteries and lights inside them) but how do these really add up or compare to hearts and arrows?


Thanks, and although new, I will be hanging around.

dtom

 

[urseberry]

Love the title of your thread, and welcome to Pricescope! For a very thorough explanation of color grades, complete with pictures, see this tutorial: http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Color/.

The table reflection you saw is visible in every (almost every?) diamond and does not affect the value.

Your three stone European cut ring sounds beautiful! Please post pictures in the Show Me the Ring forum, as I''m sure we''d all love to see it. Old cut diamonds have many fans due to their unique look and sparkle. They are a very different look than a modern round brilliant. European cut diamonds are much less symmetrical than most modern stones, and give off larger flashes of light. I''m a big fan of this video, also from Good Old Gold, that shows some examples of different styles of round diamonds.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/6/2008 11:56:56 PM
Author:dtom
Pricescopers,

I have a few questions about diamonds, about which I have become interested.

I was looking at what probably is a one carat round diamond, very clear, and it was distinctly light yellow. Not brown or dull. Just light yellow. What does that mean? You could see the yellow two feet away. It was in a white gold setting, and I think I read here that in a yellow gold setting the yellow would not be as noticable. The charts say there is less value when there is more yellow. So I am a tad confused.
When does the yellow begin to add value when the yellow in a diamond is more saturated?

Also, I was looking at a diamond and down 3/4 in the pavillion was a smoky flat area, but it disappeared when viewed form the top. I was told this was a reflection of and from the table. It was clearly eye visible from a foot away. What causes this? How does it affect the value?

Also, what is the opinion of European cut diamonds? I just bought a three stone (.53 carat each stone) ring of European cut, all very clean and bright, and full of sparkle, (I swear the diamonds have tiny little batteries and lights inside them) but how do these really add up or compare to hearts and arrows?


Thanks, and although new, I will be hanging around.

dtom

Welcome!

It sounds as if the diamond in question may have been a much lower colour grade, perhaps an O or higher, for it to be noticeably yellow. Generally once you hit the lower colour scale, prices drop considerably, until you start getting into what are called fancy colours, then the price skyrockets! Fancy colour diamonds such as fancy yellow are a whole different matter, and specially graded and evaluated, very highly prized for their colour and of course, the price matches the high demand for such stones.

Opinions vary, but some experts feel that setting a lower colour diamond in yellow gold with a white gold head, helps a diamond face up whiter, for example, lets consider we are discussing an L grade. This is because some feel there is less of a contrast between a warmer tinted diamond and the yellow band, it can make the warmth in a diamond less noticeable, as I have found. But you will find not everyone shares that opinion, some prefer plat or WG, also you have to consider the diamond in question, accuracy of grading, and other factors.

 

[dtom]

urseberry and Lorelei,

Thank you very much for the info, which I had not seen. I visited the links and bookmarked them.

dtom