Possible upgrade -- Pics!

[Demelza]

Needless to say, these pictures do not do either diamond justice. The smaller stone is my ideal cut H&A 1.53 G, VS2 that I'm wanting to upgrade to this ideal cut H&A 2.35 I, VS2. My main concern is the color. I absolutely love my 1.5 and the fact that both the color and clarity are reasonably high. Oddly, this provides me with a sense of peace and comfort. Even though I was not able to detect any color in the I color stone, I'm concerned that it will bother me psychologically. I realize that going up to a G in this carat size is prohibitively expensive (we're talking an extra 10k) and I doubt it would be easy to find a stone with these specs in any color. I love the size!! It's very large, but not so much that it makes me uncomfortable. And the stone sparkles just like my 1.53. In fact, they look pretty identical in all respects. The appraiser I took the stone to said that she would lean towards calling this stone an H. That makes me feel a little better. I know intellectually that the only way for me to get a stone in this size (and boy do I want one!) is to drop a bit in color. Anyone else have this dilemma? What did you do to get over the irrational fear of going down in color, clarity, or both? What is behind the fear if it's not actually about the beauty of the stone?

These pictures don't show anything about either stone other than the size difference. Lighting is terrible. But it gives a good idea of the jump in size.

 

[hlmr]

Love it, love it, love it!

If you''re looking for opinions - I say GO FOR IT!

Heather

 

[momothree]

Ditto ditto ditto!
I can''t tell you how to get over your fears but I can tell you that the stone looks gorgeous and HUGE!

 

[sarita]

Hi Demelza,

Sorry I can''t comment too much on the psychological misgivings except to say that I think of I color as "good". Maybe in a J I would start to worry, when it starts to get (to me) noticeably yellowish, esp. in larger sizes. But I too have got to say wow! you can really notice that difference in size. Fabulous. Good luck with your decisions... it''s a lovely stone.

 

[Demelza]

Thanks for encouragement!

One thing I forgot to mention is that I plan to send my ering back to Signed Pieces to have them install the bigger head, but also to make it so that the bands sit flush. After wearing my ering and wedding band for a couple of months, I realized that it really does bother me that there is a space between the rings. I''m very excited about that.

 

[Demelza]

Here is what the stone looked like when we plopped it in my empty mounting. Again, not a great picture, but you get the idea.

 

[Kaleigh]

Demelza,
That''s going to be amazing, good for you!!!!!!

 

[MissAva]

Oh wow! The green eyed monster is out in full force!

 

[moremoremore]

Alright. here's my take. No bs.

I could not do an I color mentally. I can't do an H mentally. But that's partly b/c I can see color and partly b/c I'm mental

I'm not saying that to discourage you...I actually say go for it- Here's the deal. When I was stone searching I was mental about inclusions (some were, not eye clean) and I obsessed. No one would ever notice. So, I passed on a lot of stones.
Then comes my cushion. I LOVE it. I noticed a black inclusion face up which is visible (eyeball to stone in bathroom lights LOL)...WELL, I love the stone so much I don't care. The stone was *that* good that I got over the mental clarity issues.

SO, i you really love the stone and it sounds like you do, I bet you will get over it. Also, people just don't notice these things. Gals notice size and sparkle....

Also, they have an upgrade policy and it looks like a new stone could easily be set into your setting...So maybe down the road if you decide you can't stand it...switch...that *option* helps you get over some mental issues too! Just knowing that one day you COULD up the color if you wanted to and could do it financially...

Of course, if you can actually see color and it *really* bothers you, that's another story!

I think it's a great looking stone

 

[ame]

Date: 8/5/2005 10:48:43 PM
Author: moremoremore
Alright. here''s my take. No bs.


I could not do an I color mentally. I can''t do an H mentally. But that''s partly b/c I can see color and partly b/c I''m mental

HAHAHAHHA!!!!!!

I kind of agree with you, not about the mental...but the I. I wear an H but the cut of mine makes it look almost F, maybe whiter...that said, I am a little put off when I get past an H. I always said G or better and then we found this. I loved the stone so much I just got over it. Took a day but it wasn''t that big of adeal

That stone looks DEAD ON your other as far as color and sparkle. And for the size I think it''s NOTICEABLY a honker by comparison.

I think that if it looks good to your eye, your brain will be inclined to agree.

 

[diamondchick]

I think it looks Great!!!!! How would you feel about staying with G color, if thats easier on the mind, and going SI1?

 

[diamondchick]

Oh- 1 more thing- have you had the I color stone in different lighting conditions? The Marquise I had , it was an H and in certain lights I could see a hint of yellow- It kinda bugged me sometimes,- but under other lights it was very white- Kinda funny I ended up with that yellow monster!!!

 

[MrsFrk]

From the pics, it looks stunning!
And huge, the size diff is substantial.
I too had "G" as my psychological cutoff point. "H" made me leery, though G-J are the ''near colorless'' family.
My dear grandmother-in-law gave me her mother''s engagement ring, a gorgeous, lively, white stone.
Much to my surprise, it was appraised by a very well regarded appraiser as an "I".
I''m now over my mental color snobbery, I just go with my eyes.
I can detect color easily, and though I also inherited an "F" colored RB, I find myself reaching for my "I" more often than any other.
Side by side I see the color diff, but in a blind test I definitely prefer the warmer one.
I say go for it!

 

[DiamondLover23]

Brutally honest reply: I say get over the color and go for it! It is a gorgeous stone!

I am encircled in a cloud of green!!!!!!



(I always thought I would want no lower than G, VS2: Then I saw ideal H&A stones in person and I have a K Si1 eye clean)

 

[moremoremore]

Anyone who looks at it will only see blinding sparkle and a huge diamond. I say do it do it do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Demelza]

Thanks for all the great feedback!! I'm definitely leaning towards getting it.

Diamondchick: Unfortunately, I can't go lower in clarity because I have eagle eyes when it comes to finding inclusions. And I'm not sure going down to an SI1 would make a huge difference in price -- not nearly as much as going up or down in color.

The thing is, if I didn't know that the stone was an I, I would have no idea it wasn't as white as my G. I just don't see it. I looked at it in many different lighting conditions and sometimes thought I saw a little yellow, but then I would look at my G and see the same cast. It turned out it was the lighting in the store and not the stone. In natural daylight, both stones looked completely white and gorgeous.

They always say that an ideal cut stone masks color up to 2 grades. So, does that mean that the I color stone faces up like a G and the G color stone faces up like an E?

 

[MrsFrk]

No, I think it means that a well cut J will look closer to colorless, not that a well cut G will look like an E.
I have seen a lineup of well cut diamonds in different colors.
The lower colors looked colorless. But not like Ds and Es
The Ds and Es have a character (to me) all of their own. A bluishness to them.
I find the ''warmer'' stones more pleasing to the eye.
Of course, everyone perceives differently.
I think once you have this beautiful diamond on your hand, this will all be moot.

 

[Mara]

Personally, I think if you already have a G then going to an I will not be such a huge drop that you''d be appalled at what you will see. For me dropping from a G to an H was no difference and then dropping from a J only a very very tiny difference.

I went into a jeweler today and tried on an ideal cut (had arrows) 2.38c stone and it was huge compared to my 1.6c stone. Honestly it made my 1.6c stone look like a tiny pinpoint, like something like a 1c. LOVED IT. It''s definitely my next upgrade area, size wise.

The stones side by side look stunning to me. I say get it!!! I think you will be so happy with the size difference. For me the size difference was so great in going from the 1.29 to the 1.60 for relatively little $$ that I was willing to overlook the very tiny difference in color and I am glad that I did. I am planning to stick with a J next time around too. I think that if you can find a lower color that faces up whiter due to the excellent cut, it''s a deal.

Good luck!! Oh and the stone looks HUGE in your mounting. Gosh I can''t wait to see hand pics!

 

[icekid]

ummm, buy it! I agree- that baby will look like nothing but SPARKLES!

 

[Sundial]

You said yourself that if you didn''t know it was an I you would have thought it was the same as your G. It is a beautiful stone and significantly larger than your old one. Once you have it mounted and on your hand receiving all those compliments you will forget all about the color grade!

 

[Brooke]

Demelza,
That stone is gorgeous!

I can''t wait to see hand pics!

 

[diamondchick]

How long have you been looking at the stone? Just take your time and your gut will tell you what to do. But I think you have already made your decision!!! If when you think about it, and you say...I love it , but.........Then maybe you should look for another- But if you just love it and are giddy every time you see it and are dying to look at it when you dont have it, then I think its a no - brainer- I went through the same thing when trying to decide between my marquise and that big yellow diamond! I saw the yellow, and it just got me- and it was like THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!! but I kept ttrying to talk myself into the one I had, and then IMMEDIATELY when I said- Im keeping what I have, I would pull the yellow out and just drool on it (not literally)- I kept it in a box and carried it around everywhere!!!!!!!I just would get separation anxiety when I did not have it- (SICK HUH!) I kept going back and forth- FOR ABOUT THREE WEEKS THIS WENT ON!! The point is- I made a decision in 1 direction, and It did not feel right--It did not bring me a peaceful mind- I kept goiong to the other one. Then I decided to go for the change. I took my marquise out of the setting to trade it and it felt like a HUGE weight had been lifted! I knew I made the right decision. Now that its all done I look back and realize that I am completely at peace with my decision, and sometimes you have to go through the back and forth thing, because that will help you reach a decision.

 

[diamondlil]

There was a time when I would have said no way to anything lower than a G. After spending a couple of years here at PS and comparing colors next to each other, I have definitely become more tolerant. Since I prefer the biggest stone I can get for my budget, I would go to an I color for sure. I see no difference in the color of the 2 stones picture, and if you see no difference, than the is what is most important.

I also have no problem with dropping the clarity down to SI1. Heck, I''m happy with SI2 or even I1 in an ideal cut if the inclusion was only visible with super-close inspection. If I have to hold a diamond a foot away from my eyes and study it for 10 seconds to find a tiny inclusion, that is tolerable to me. Even a VVS1 diamond will look included at the end of the day when it collects a few specs of dust/dirt.

Much of this is a mind game we play with ourselves. Thanks to PS, we can get some unbiased opinions to help us get over it.

 

[curlygirl]

Go for it! The stone is huge and beautiful and will look stunning in your setting. DO IT!!!!

 

[MissAva]

Okay I was trying to figure out how diffrent it would look on your hand. I found a pic from your old post about your wedding set and put it next to the one earlier in this thread. The wedding set is slightly larger in the newer picture (you can tell by looking at the bands) but I think this gives a general idea.

 

[Demelza]

Thanks, Mata, for the comparison shot. That's weird that my wedding set looks so much different in that second picture. It's the same one. I'm really excited to get the new head installed so that the bands sit flush. That's going to make me so happy!!!

Mara -- Isn't it amazing the size difference! I definitely think that 2.3 is a perfect size. The jump from 1.5 to 2 just wasn't big enough. But an extra 80 points is a huge jump!!

Diamondchick -- I wish I could spend more time with the stone. Unfortunately, my jeweler is over an hour away and in a different country, so it's not easy to pop in and take a quick look. I spent about 2 hours with the stone yesterday comparing it to 3 other stones. Honestly, they were all so beautiful. What made this one stand out was its size, the fact that it is an AGS ideal H&A, and that my jeweler said it was the highest "I" of the bunch. And such a great value. It was only about $1,500 more expensive than the 2.03 I, VS2.

You guys are being so helpful!! This is such a big decision.

 

[Mara]

Oh and I love how the prongs are so small and unobtrusive in that second picture of your set with the bigger stone, I think they are better that way, having had large prongs myself and then requesting they be shaved down. The stone looks more like it''s floating. And also love the flush thing, I think I posted about that way back when but I love that my rings can be flush or not (they move around a bit), it''s kind of like having different styles!

Can''t wait to see pictures and hand shots!

 

[Patty]

Date: 8/6/2005 1:27:08 PM
Author: Mara
Oh and I love how the prongs are so small and unobtrusive in that second picture of your set with the bigger stone, I think they are better that way, having had large prongs myself and then requesting they be shaved down. The stone looks more like it''s floating. And also love the flush thing, I think I posted about that way back when but I love that my rings can be flush or not (they move around a bit), it''s kind of like having different styles!

Can''t wait to see pictures and hand shots!

Mara, the stone is just sitting in her mounting in that second picture with the larger stone. That''s why the prongs look so unobtrusive...they aren''t there.

 

[laney]

You may have recently read my drama - I "broke" my F diamond and replaced it with an H 2ct diamond.

SO F to H is a bigger jump than G to I - but I will tell you I noticed a difference. Where before I couldn''t tell the difference - after wearing my stone for so long when I put on the H I could tell the color difference.

It bothered me originally. Like you.. I was "proud" of my F color.. lol! But after wearing the stone for a week or so - it bothered me less and less. And now, when I look at it -I don''t see the color at all -but a nice white big shiny diamond.

So, if you do get the stone.. give it some time..

 

[cutes814]

I think you should definitely go for it. You mentioned that you weren''t so sensitive to color. When you get this baby on your finger, all you''ll notice is the sparkle and the size. That''ll be the first thing anyone will notice when they see it. Jumping from G to I is not a huge difference. I think I color is still very white, esp. when mounted.

That comparision photo of the loose stones stole my heart!

I would love to own a stone like that size one day. Meanwhile I can gaze at yours until I get mine! Let us know what you decide. I think this one is a winner. Remember to post the handshots first thing!