Question About Round Brilliant - Not Certified

[sarapm1104]

My boyfriend and I are discussing marriage and he has not yet purchased a ring. When out of town visiting my parents, my mom informed me that my late grandfather had a ring with a round diamond in it. It was purchased in the 80's at the Hotel del Coronado, but if it had a GIA or other certification, we no longer have the paperwork. My mom and her siblings do not feel a great sentimental connection to the jewelry from later in his life, and have decided to sell it.

When hearing that we were talking about marriage and my preference for round diamonds, my mom suggested using this as a center stone. She had it appraised at a local jewelry store who estimates approx. 1.14 carats, VS2 and I or J color. To me (with little experience with diamonds or jewelry in general) it looks awesome. I was originally planning on a 1.25-1.5 carat, VS1 or better, G or better solitaire. However, I do value the significance of a family stone.

My biggest concern is the color - it is set in yellow gold now and looks amazing. Would an I-J color appear to have more color when set in white gold or platinum? I'm a little concerned about a yellowish tint. Also - if the appraiser is GiA certified, do you feel this is pretty accurate or should we obtain multiple opinions before purchasing insurance?

Thanks for your help!

 

[04diamond<3]

There's quite a difference in size between a 1.14 and a 1.5....could you make the family diamond into a necklace? J will have a tint. If it has fluorescence it may look whiter. Are you going to send the stone to GIA to get it graded? I would suggest getting the stone you want and putting the family stone for a different piece of jewelry.

Are you open to other options for the stone? if so, what's the budget?

 

[John P]

My boyfriend and I are discussing marriage and he has not yet purchased a ring. When out of town visiting my parents, my mom informed me that my late grandfather had a ring with a round diamond in it. It was purchased in the 80's at the Hotel del Coronado, but if it had a GIA or other certification, we no longer have the paperwork. My mom and her siblings do not feel a great sentimental connection to the jewelry from later in his life, and have decided to sell it.

When hearing that we were talking about marriage and my preference for round diamonds, my mom suggested using this as a center stone. She had it appraised at a local jewelry store who estimates approx. 1.14 carats, VS2 and I or J color. To me (with little experience with diamonds or jewelry in general) it looks awesome. I was originally planning on a 1.25-1.5 carat, VS1 or better, G or better solitaire. However, I do value the significance of a family stone.

My biggest concern is the color - it is set in yellow gold now and looks amazing. Would an I-J color appear to have more color when set in white gold or platinum? I'm a little concerned about a yellowish tint. Also - if the appraiser is GiA certified, do you feel this is pretty accurate or should we obtain multiple opinions before purchasing insurance?

Thanks for your help!

What a beautiful tribute to your family! If your lady is the kind who will appreciate the gesture I think the sentimental value you're looking-at could be off the charts.

No worries about color, as long as the I-J cited by the jewelry-store is in-line with top standards. In the interest of preserving a record and properly insuring the diamond I strongly suggest you have it professionally examined and appraised before making decisions. Have this done by an independent with modern equipment and the ability to tell you of any damage, as well as where it ranks in common lab metrics. Not everyone can do this, but it's increasingly relevant as lab standards evolve.

I would not suggest you send it blindly to the GIA: If the diamond has some small damage and repair-need - or will receive odd grading - a professional appraiser will alert you to that and provide advice beforehand. It would be unfortunate to spend the money and time (currently 30-45 days) for a GIA report, only to learn a small/quick repair was needed that could have improved things immensely.

Neil Beaty is a frequent poster here and provides such services at the highest level for a song. Jeff Averbook and Dave Atlas are also contributors on PS and experts in the field. All three specialize in long-distance interactions.

Neil Beaty: http://www.gemlab.us/
Jeff Averbook: http://www.metrojewelryappraisers.com/
Dave Atlas: http://datlas.com/

These professionals can also provide strong guidance in terms of how to approach setting the diamond into a new mounting (there are questions of liability, insurance, etc) and could possibly recommend setters in your area if you have not arranged it.

 

[sarapm1104]

I honestly never wear jewelry so the only reason I was concerned about size in the first place is because I feel like I have kind of chubby fingers... I thought maybe we could make up for the smaller size by adding side stones or something like that to ensure greater finger coverage.

The original budget we discussed for a diamond was $9,000-$10,000, which I don't think would afford us more than a 1.25-1.3 carat diamond at the specs we were looking at anyway.

Attached are photos (just from an iPhone) to reference.

Thank you very much for your reply. Lots for us to consider!

 

[sarapm1104]

John - Thank you for the great information! We will consider those options. Appreciate your help!

 

[John P]

John - Thank you for the great information! We will consider those options. Appreciate your help!

You're most welcome. Keep us updated, this is a nice story.

 

[motownmama]

Your mom & sibs decided to sell it - so are they GIVING it to you?

 

[TheGeckoLady]

As for your concerns about the color in a white setting, you might consider setting it in unplated white gold. White gold is commonly dipped in rhodium to give it a whiter appearance but natural color of white gold is very pretty. It’s still white but with a slightly warm tone. So if you see too much color in the diamond compared to platinum that may be a good option as there will be less contrast.

 

[John P]

As for your concerns about the color in a white setting, you might consider setting it in unplated white gold. White gold is commonly dipped in rhodium to give it a whiter appearance but natural color of white gold is very pretty. It’s still white but with a slightly warm tone. So if you see too much color in the diamond compared to platinum that may be a good option as there will be less contrast.

"White Gold" whiteness varies quite a bit, depending on the alloy chosen.

Traditional 18K White Gold, often called Nickel WG, is 75% Gold, alloyed with nickel - or copper or zinc.
> It's not white at all, and typically rhodium-plated: Image 2 below.

18K Palladium White Gold is 75% Gold, 25% Palladium.
> It may or may not be rhodium-plated: Unplated image 3 below.



As nickel content increases in WG its color point moves toward the Platinum alloys, but in order for it to get to their whiteness level enough nickel must be added that the alloy becomes unworkable and subject to fire cracking. That's why even Palladium WG may be rhodium-plated.

Article on common alloys: http://www.pricescope.com/journal/overview_common_alloys_used_jewelry

You can ask your jeweler about proprietary alloys (Stuller's popular WG is called X-1) which come unplated at different purity and whiteness levels. They are not offered everywhere but it doesn't hurt to ask. For a practical investigative comparison you can research where those unplated alloys fall on the chart below. As with nickel WG, be aware of metal content as it relates to possible skin allergies for the wearer.


Graphic from 'The Metals Book:' Reproduced with permission.

 

[yssie]

More on metal colours in Rosebloom's thread here: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/diamond-color-and-metal-options.191295/#post-3486507#p3486507']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/diamond-color-and-metal-options.191295/#post-3486507#p3486507[/URL]

And a pic from that thread - the five middle rings are unplated 18k WG w/ different compositions:


I'm a big fan of pairing lower coloured stones with unplated WG and I've got quite a few different pieces in various alloys. I love the nuances of colour and I love that eschewing the rhodium and embracing the colour is so uncommon. That said, different vendors will only work with certain alloys, different alloys are better suited to casting/handforging, some vendors are more willing to talk about exactly what's in their WG than others, and finding an exact colour match for an existing piece (which generally translates into replicating a specific alloy) can be a real PITA unless you've commissioned something in a proprietary alloy...