Please help me evaluate these fancy yellow radiants

[CanaryGuy1990]

I have been shopping for engagement rings and have come across a few different stones in different settings (wholesale and retail). I feel like I have a general idea on quality/value, but would very much appreciate some additional, unbiased feedback between 3 stones. I'm not as much sticker price conscious as I am value conscious. I really like all 3 and probably prefer the first one the most, but I want to be sure I'm being given a fair price on not just that one but all three.

Any opinions would be most appreciated, here are the stones:

Stone # 1 3.15ct fancy yellow intense radiant. 1.23 l/w ratio, 70% table, 69% depth, medium to very thick girdle, internally flawless clarity, ~$50k


Stone #2 3.5ct fancy yellow intense radiant, 1.17 l/w ratio, 63% table, 64% depth, very thick to extremely thick girdle, VS2 clarity, ~48k



Stone #3, 3.06ct fancy yellow radiant, 1.20 l/w ratio, 76% table, 54% depth, thin to thick girdle, SI1 clarity, ~$36k

 

[Travelgal]

It’s hard to tell from the pictures you posted. The second one looks like the most saturated in color and generally I don’t prefer tables on radiants over 65. But without more information- videos or additional pictures, it’s really hard to evaluate or comment on value.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

The last one has a lot of dark zones.
Videos of them all together are helpful

 

[gregchang35]

when looking at FCD- it is all about the colour. and if you get good light return, bonus!!!

I like the colour of the first one. it speaks to me more. is there a way of getting the first two stones side by side or have stones in the same set up? the first one is in tweezers, the second is not. so the metal of the tweezers do influence the colour and the proportions. Also it depends on what your skin tone is as well.

the first one looks more square than cushion, but it is all relative with what we see. the tweezers def influence the overall look. THis then also brings about what you are going to do with the setting.. metal colour choice

Videos of them would be good, too.

I got an FVOY that looked amazing on video. i loved it and got it set in platinum for my pendant. it looked good on CADs etc.... when i received it, i knew something was amiss. The platinum did change the colour a little- gave it a more steely colour and the orange in it slightly disappeared. Given the price of the platinum setting, i couldnt justify changing it without additional costs. Admittedly, your stone is straight out yellow with no secondary colour.

So, try and see if you can get the stone first before setting it. And get the vendor to show the stone against the YG to see how it looks.

 

[CanaryGuy1990]

Appreciate the feedback thus far. I've attached some videos for reference as well as a picture on a generic gold setting. I am likely to go for a platinum setting however. In the picture below, the 3.5ct is on the left and the 3.15 ct is on the right. Same w/ videos linked below:

https://streamable.com/nlzem3

https://streamable.com/1bl9cj

 

[gregchang35]

Now that I see the video, I believe the larger one is better. It seems to ahbe more edge to edge brightness…. Or is it more saturated.

The smaller stone seems to have greyness around the edges.
The larger stone seems to have an even distribution of bright yellow.

In the temporary gold holder, it is where it shows the most obvious darker colour around selected edges of the stone.

 

[CanaryGuy1990]

Now that I see the video, I believe the larger one is better. It seems to ahbe more edge to edge brightness…. Or is it more saturated.

The smaller stone seems to have greyness around the edges.
The larger stone seems to have an even distribution of bright yellow.

In the temporary gold holder, it is where it shows the most obvious darker colour around selected edges of the stone.

Thanks for your reply, Greg. Given the larger one has a thick to extremely thick girdle, would you anticipate any issues with placing it in a setting. I've been told radiants w/ those types of girdles can cause issues with certain settings.

 

[gregchang35]

I am not sure about setting with thick to extremely thick girdles. Ask the jeweler.


That girdle means that a lot of diamond weight in the girdle area. It would have been better having a thinner girdle so that the weight is contributing to a bigger face up dimension. Some might say, extremely thick has wasted diamond weight in that area.


If setting this type of diamond in a bezel means more gold required. Bezel being like a thin band of metal that goes around the entire perimeter of the diamond- encasing the girdle area. It’s possible to do, but you paying for more gold to cover the thickness of that girdle.


Extremely thin girdles will mean it is more proned to chipping with claw/ prong setting. Some say that a bezel setting would protect that type of girdle more.

Given the size and also budget of the diamond that you are looking at, I would see if you can get better proportions, so that it faces up bigger for the diamond weight. It may not be of concern to you and you are happy with what you see- then go for it.

There are 2 main types of cut with cushions:
1) crushed ice - asymmetrical pavilions which is what you have shared
2) *** I forget the name (8 mains I think)but the pavilions are symmetrical

I like both cuts, but lean more to symmetrical Pavilions

I am not sure if you are on a specific time frame or fixed with this vendor; however, I can suggest Sam of icerock on Instagram. He seems to source what I think are beautifully cut stones. The symmetry of the stones, I think enhances the colour and beauty of a stone. There are other vendors that can do the same, but I think Sam does an amazing job with sourcing his stones.

The crushed ice also has big appeal, as it reflect light all over which throws the colour nicely thru out the stone, like the one you have shown.

Sometimes, it takes lots of time to find the stone that speaks to you. And, I not sure if any of the stones you have chosen speak to you.

Is the recipient of this ring made it known that they want a yellow diamond? Are they involved with design? Or have you been given free reign to do so? Some ppl have specifics on their ring, and others don’t as the giver (eg you) has taken the time to research/ collaborate in making the ring. It is quite romantic in itself. Making sure you are covering your bases.

I am terrible at finding stones, so I am hoping other posters can help you.

Leibish has great fancy colours. And I have a few pieces from them.
Diamonds by Lauren has a large selection of yellow diamonds.
Langerman also has a large selection of fancy colours.

It’s nearing midnight where I am, so I am heading to bed.

 

[CanaryGuy1990]

I am not sure about setting with thick to extremely thick girdles. Ask the jeweler.


That girdle means that a lot of diamond weight in the girdle area. It would have been better having a thinner girdle so that the weight is contributing to a bigger face up dimension. Some might say, extremely thick has wasted diamond weight in that area.


If setting this type of diamond in a bezel means more gold required. Bezel being like a thin band of metal that goes around the entire perimeter of the diamond- encasing the girdle area. It’s possible to do, but you paying for more gold to cover the thickness of that girdle.


Extremely thin girdles will mean it is more proned to chipping with claw/ prong setting. Some say that a bezel setting would protect that type of girdle more.

Given the size and also budget of the diamond that you are looking at, I would see if you can get better proportions, so that it faces up bigger for the diamond weight. It may not be of concern to you and you are happy with what you see- then go for it.

There are 2 main types of cut with cushions:
1) crushed ice - asymmetrical pavilions which is what you have shared
2) *** I forget the name (8 mains I think)but the pavilions are symmetrical

I like both cuts, but lean more to symmetrical Pavilions

I am not sure if you are on a specific time frame or fixed with this vendor; however, I can suggest Sam of icerock on Instagram. He seems to source what I think are beautifully cut stones. The symmetry of the stones, I think enhances the colour and beauty of a stone. There are other vendors that can do the same, but I think Sam does an amazing job with sourcing his stones.

The crushed ice also has big appeal, as it reflect light all over which throws the colour nicely thru out the stone, like the one you have shown.

Sometimes, it takes lots of time to find the stone that speaks to you. And, I not sure if any of the stones you have chosen speak to you.

Is the recipient of this ring made it known that they want a yellow diamond? Are they involved with design? Or have you been given free reign to do so? Some ppl have specifics on their ring, and others don’t as the giver (eg you) has taken the time to research/ collaborate in making the ring. It is quite romantic in itself. Making sure you are covering your bases.

I am terrible at finding stones, so I am hoping other posters can help you.

Leibish has great fancy colours. And I have a few pieces from them.
Diamonds by Lauren has a large selection of yellow diamonds.
Langerman also has a large selection of fancy colours.

It’s nearing midnight where I am, so I am heading to bed.

Thanks so much for your consideration and time in posting, Greg.

My girlfriend requested yellow and radiant, the rest is up to me haha.

Appreciate the info on girdles/settings along with the info you provided on facets.

I do think I'm more partial to the crushed ice look vs. symmetrical pavilions.

I really do like both of these, I just want to ensure the price I'm being given isn't totally out of line I suppose.

 

[tyty333]

I prefer the 3.5 also (from what I can see from the videos). The color seems to be more of a true yellow and it seems*
like it has better light return than the other. This is with the limited info/videos you have posted. In person I may feel
differently.

 

[CanaryGuy1990]

I prefer the 3.5 also (from what I can see from the videos). The color seems to be more of a true yellow and it seems*
like it has better light return than the other. This is with the limited info/videos you have posted. In person I may feel
differently.

Do you think the pricing is fair-ish? Hard for me to comp it tbh.

 

[Rockdiamond]

HI everyone!!!
Happy Canary Day!!!

No one has mentioned Fluorescence, which is one of the most important aspects to consider on Fancy Yellow Diamonds......including having a dramatic effect on pricing.....

 

[CanaryGuy1990]

HI everyone!!!
Happy Canary Day!!!

No one has mentioned Fluorescence, which is one of the most important aspects to consider on Fancy Yellow Diamonds......including having a dramatic effect on pricing.....

Hi David, apologies. The fluorescence for both is noted as none for both in their respective GIA reports.

 

[CanaryGuy1990]

Can anyone comment on valuation here? Are these stones w/in a range of fair-ish value?

 

[gregchang35]

2.57 carat, Fancy Intense Yellow Diamond, Radiant Shape, SI1 Clarity, GIA, SKU 432648

2.57 carat, Fancy Intense Yellow, Radiant shape Diamond with SI1 clarity. A vibrant Yellow Diamond with a super Canary color saturation. The stone has Good polish and Good symmetry. For more information about this item please contact our customer service department.

www.leibish.com

This is an SI1 - carbon spot is visible.
Colour pops more cos of the medium fluorescence. It’s also under 3ct.
I prefer to have a bit of fluorescence for this reason- the colour pops. Not a lot of ppl like fluorescence in diamonds, hence the lower pricing it gets.

The effect of fluorescence can vary, but my experience -it enhances the colour.

With a uv light, you can see the stone glow. A cool effect. I love that.

And sure you can ask if they have bigger ones, cos they don’t list all of them on their site.

The colour is pretty close to what you see in real life.

 

[gregchang35]

The Langerman’s website doesn’t show anything in the 3+ Fancy intense yellow. But shoot an email.

The diamonds by Lauren site is taking a while to load for me to find some stones.

Rock diamond (vendor on here) owns / director of diamonds by Lauren and he may not comment a lot about specific stones.

 

[gregchang35]

Parksfinegroupinc- Alex gets some yellows but have to be lucky enough to purchase. His stuff flies off as it is competitively priced. Whislt he gets some good cut stones, limited time to assess and buy. Cos ppl just buy.

 

[gregchang35]

Sam from ice rock has some beauties .

 

[gregchang35]

However, if you are making a decision between the 3 yellows that you posted: I would choose the bigger one for the reasons I posted above. It’s all about the colour, and that one has more edge to edge brightness of yellow.

 

[lovedogs]

Between those 2 I much prefer the 3.5 due to it looking more like an "intense yellow". But I agree with others that I would check Leibish, DBL, Langermans, etc.

 

[lovedogs]

As a comparison: https://www.leibish.com/yellow-diamonds/fancy-intense-yellow-radiant-40808

 

[CanaryGuy1990]

Ended up going with this 4 ct piece which was ~48. The quality probably isn’t up to the standard of the 3.5 or 3.15, but I loved the size and color/saturation. Note just the stone, the setting will be different (low set halo with platinum Pavet band) Thanks for all the help!

 

[gregchang35]

congrats. well done!!! hope that the engagement goes well! dont forget to show us pictures on her hand!!!!
do you have a side profile picture as well?

 

[CanaryGuy1990]

Thanks, Greg. It’s a bit hard to tell given the bulky setting but here is the side view.

 

[blingmeupscotty]

It's going to be a stunner.

 

[tyty333]

Congratulations @CanaryGuy1990 ! Very pretty!

 

[CanaryGuy1990]

Hi Everyone,

So I ended up getting the ring w/ finalized setting and unfortunately noticed what I think to be a pretty apparent inclusion after bringing it home. I'm bringing it back to the jeweler tomorrow to discuss options. While I think I can live with this, it's a bit discouraging that I didn't notice it before hand.

The jeweler upon being shown the images below thinks it's just a dark reflection, but it seems to be an inclusion?

 

[tyty333]

Look at the GIA report. It will show the inclusion on the report. Post the report if you can.

 

[CanaryGuy1990]

Look at the GIA report. It will show the inclusion on the report. Post the report if you can.

please see attached

 

[bright&shiny]

It's a lovely new setting! I don't see the dark spot in the original setting photo .