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Princess Cut - K colour?

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samwise

Rough_Rock
Joined
Nov 30, 2015
Messages
2
Hi Everyone,

I've been scouring the forums, trying to get an idea of what to expect when the e-ring is delivered to me. I was hoping to get some valuable insight from the forum :)

Right off the bat, I'm trying to stay within a budget of $4k USD. My girlfriend is crazy about princess cut diamonds, and a setting with a halo. Walking through the B&M stores in the mall, the pricetag quickly jumps up to $8-9k, which I simply can't afford. That's why I've looked online and found a couple diamonds and settings which I like.

I know for a Princess Cut, the cut is the most important factor and that AGS is the best certification body. The problem that I'm having is that I've found a K-color, ideal cut diamond with negligible fluorescence, that is also my ideal size (0.9 cts), and at the right price.

However, the colour is K, and a J is $1k more. I live outside of the US, so I can't have it mailed to me to inspect to determine the difference. Their 360-degree photos look the same to me.

What do you expect the diamond to look like? Will it be yellow, even with an ideal cut?

Thank you in advance!

https://cdn4.jamesallen.com/Sets/Diamond/417946/cert.jpg
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.90-carat-k-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-417946
 
I think it's going to be a pale yellow or ivory, pretty much what you see on the screen. Stones with pointy ends (princess, marquise, pear) tend to concentrate colors in the point. And deep stones like Asscher and some princess and other fancies also, due to the extra mass, concentrate color. People generally say the cutoff is H / I if you want a "white-looking" princess. I'd say maybe H. I've seen I color in some lines like Hearts On Fire, and the I color princess stone was a definite ivory. I have trained myself to see pale tints, but I never noticed the I ivory tint in my I color diamond before I joined Pricescope. Now that I see it, it doesn't bother me.

All of that said, that doesn't mean reject K. You didn't say what setting. But I think you could definitely make good use of a K in a halo that has a center bezel so that the side view of the diamond is hidden. Asscherhalolover on here has an L color Asscher set in a halo. L is definitely in the pale yellow range. This is one photo of hers. You can look up her userid and Topics and probably find the Show Me The Bling Thread. Unplated white gold halo with J color melee and perhaps a yellow gold shank would work nicely with K. iirc, Knox Diamonds web site shows a halo with white metal top and yg shank.
Po-asscherhalolover.jpg


(eta: They show one ring with yg shanks. But look at halo design #3054 for princess stone with some tint set with a bezel. The metal of the bezel gives a little separation between the center stone and the halo diamonds, which are whiter.)

There are lots of vintage diamond rings out there that have a pale yellow center, like K through M or even P, and the mounting has bright white sidestones. I found yellow tints like that "shocking" the first time I saw then, like maybe 20 years ago. I would not have wanted them back then, but I appreciate the warmer tints now. I have a modern H&A RB that I've posted pictures of.

Everybody is capable of making compromises. Some people value a colorless stone and don't want any tint. Some people are drawn to the warmer tones of J / K / L. Some people have size as the main priority. You'll have to figure out what your gf likes and if she can deal with a pale yellow tint.
 
I know nothing about princess cut, but here is a shopping tip.

Are you in a hurry??
It is a terrible time to buy/find a AGS graded diamond. Not too long ago until early November, when I was shopping for a 0.9 J VS1 AGS000 ROUND, I had at least three amazing options, which were $3300~3500. Princess cuts were significantly cheaper.

Now all these stones are gone, and what's left is AGS000s that are marketed as True Heart($$). And that's what you see; J VS1 princess is priced at $3200

I would keep searching, and wait for new inventory, rather than grabbing what's available.
 
samwise|1448893840|3955596 said:
Hi Everyone,

I've been scouring the forums, trying to get an idea of what to expect when the e-ring is delivered to me. I was hoping to get some valuable insight from the forum :)

Right off the bat, I'm trying to stay within a budget of $4k USD. My girlfriend is crazy about princess cut diamonds, and a setting with a halo. Walking through the B&M stores in the mall, the pricetag quickly jumps up to $8-9k, which I simply can't afford. That's why I've looked online and found a couple diamonds and settings which I like.

I know for a Princess Cut, the cut is the most important factor and that AGS is the best certification body. The problem that I'm having is that I've found a K-color, ideal cut diamond with negligible fluorescence, that is also my ideal size (0.9 cts), and at the right price.

However, the colour is K, and a J is $1k more. I live outside of the US, so I can't have it mailed to me to inspect to determine the difference. Their 360-degree photos look the same to me.

What do you expect the diamond to look like? Will it be yellow, even with an ideal cut?

Thank you in advance!

https://cdn4.jamesallen.com/Sets/Diamond/417946/cert.jpg
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.90-carat-k-color-vvs2-clarity-sku-417946
Click to expand...
Where you are most likely to see color in a near colorless ideal cut princess is from the profile view. Since you are considering a halo, that view will likely be obscured. You do have to be a bit careful that the diamonds in the halo do not look obviously whiter than the center. But a halo is a great way to get the biggest look for the money. Color sensitivity varies greatly from person to person. It would be advisable to go out and compare colors (AGS or GIA graded diamonds) to see where you draw the line.
 
AGS is an important certification with Princesses. But an experienced shopper can find a nice GIA stone that performs excellently. That's where I come in.

I would not want a K in a princess. I would try to stick to I or better in a halo so there is no contrast with the halo.

Here's what I'd advise you to buy:
Setting
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/14k-white-gold-pave-halo-diamond-engagement-ring-princess-center-item-17453
Stones, in order of preference:

If eyeclean this stone :
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.01-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-sku-741029
Or this one (also, if eyeclean):
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.00-carat-i-color-si1-clarity-sku-774142
Or this one (if eyeclean):
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.01-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-sku-741065
Or this one (if eyeclean):
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.01-carat-h-color-si1-clarity-sku-778722

If none of those works out, then these are the stone choices:
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.90-carat-i-color-vs2-clarity-sku-775415
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/0.90-carat-i-color-vvs1-clarity-sku-775423
http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/princess-cut/1.00-carat-j-color-vs2-clarity-sku-647132

With this setting:
http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/halo/14k-white-gold-pave-halo-and-shank-diamond-engagement-ring-princess-center-item-17433

Okay. If you stick to the above, you will get a nice ring.

I personally would much rather have an eyeclean SI2 than a K.
 
[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pics-of-my-ring.14068/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/pics-of-my-ring.14068/[/URL]
1.55 ct K princess. Thread from 2004, and the settings people were buying back then had more '80s/'90s leanings. But you can see that the stone concentrates tint more than a RB does. Set in it a YG bezel with a halo around it might be very flattering to it. YG can whiten up a J or K diamond, when white metals might accentuate the slight yellow tint. You'd just have to try the K against rose gold to see if it works or not. Warmer diamonds can have secondary body tints of yellow, green, gray, brown, and are a bit chameleon-like.
 
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