Question for Missy and others with L color diamonds

[Tourmaline]

I have been driving myself crazy, trying to decide why my setting bothers me. It might be that the melee is G-H and my stone is L, so I feel like my stone doesn't match the setting in temperament. I want to ask you (Missy) if the difference in color between the platinum setting and your L diamond ever bothers you, because I am wondering if a platinum solitaire would solve my issue or if I should be thinking about maybe 14k yellow (which would make my diamond seem a bit whiter without adding too much yellow to it) or rose gold (which would celebrate the slight yellowness and make it colorful). I am interested in hearing from anyone with a warmer diamond about what works or doesn't work for you. I love my diamond and I want it to be in a setting that supports it. In some lighting, it's totally fine, but in other lighting, the difference between the main stone and the melee bothers me.

 

[Dizzie]

My stone is a K, but I guess I can relate to your question. When I was looking for a setting, I realized that I was only comfortable with having smallest diamonds in my setting. As soon as the side of the stones in the setting would become enough to recognize the color (which in my case happened already with .01 pointers), I would see the diffence.

In the end my solution was to have a ring in unplated white gold. It was custome made with the smalles stones my jeweller could source ( half-pointers) and I am extremely happy with the result. It gives the bling and my cushion looks just as I wanted it to be

 

[braga123]

I had the same issue bc my stone is egl USA j which is prob more like an L so what I decided to do was to celebrate the cut. My stone is a transitional and since I have always been ok with lower colored oec's bc the facets are so appealing, I have decided that an antique like setting makes my diamond look better. While the color is still there, it becomes a part of the entire package. So to sum up, I went with a unique setting.
And paired it with lower colored bands.

 

[Tourmaline]

Thank you, Dizzie and braga123. I am very much wanting a vintage-style setting, because the color makes the stone feel vintage, and my current setting feels modern to me. I want 8 small, pointy prongs (I don't like my 6 chunky ones). Hmm...unplated white gold. That's an idea! I am so torn on which direction to go. I change my mind every five minutes. I am leaning toward OWD to make a custom setting for me. Here are some possibilities I have been considering, all solitaires (no melee or side stones).

1. Platinum edwardian style, but without stones - perhaps like this antique one from New York Estate Jewelry, not sure if I'd want the setting to be large enough to be seen around the edge of the diamond or not:




I don't know if jewelers like to do that kind of work with unplated white gold...I think of that more as a metal to cast.

2. Something like above, but with a contrasting shank made of 14k yellow or rose gold. Check out this yummy Victor Canera rose gold/platinum basket/light yellow diamond combination:



3. Thin Belcher-style like this antique one, 14k yellow or rose gold:

 

[missy]

Hi Tourmaline, that is exactly the reason I changed my wedding bands and decided on no diamonds in my ER setting as well. I hated the color difference. MRB diamonds of high color do not look right with my L OEC. The diamond faces up colorless for me but when paired with any high colored or modern cut diamonds it just looks off.

My setting is perfect with my diamond because it doesn't show the L color and faces up bright and white (to me). Of course as most old cuts do it shoots off pastel colors depending on the environment but I like that.

I like your first choice of setting and pairing it with lower color antique bands is perfect. I have a swiss cut diamond (like single cuts) plat band and it looks great with my OEC as does my engraved plat band.

I prefer platinum for all types of ring settings but that is just my personal preference. Not sure if your diamond might take on the color of the rose gold-I like the neutral color of the platinum if that makes sense.

 

[Tourmaline]

I prefer platinum for all types of ring settings but that is just my personal preference. Not sure if your diamond might take on the color of the rose gold-I like the neutral color of the platinum if that makes sense.

Missy, that totally makes sense, and thank you for the pictures. I guess I should be thinking of platinum as neutral rather than as white. I think (well, hope) if there aren't other things (like whiter diamonds) contrasting with my diamond, the platinum won't bother me.

I've told you before that your ring was open on my computer desktop for months during my diamond search, and that I was leaning toward an OEC but went with my diamond because of the spread (and because my husband wanted me to get a MRB rather than an OEC...I like both, as long as they're cut attractively). I believe my diamond to have been recut at some point from an older diamond, because its color and cut/proportions (though not size) pretty much exactly match my mom's diamond, which was (tragically) recut from my father's grandmother's OEC when my parents got engaged. I'm rambling now.

If I go with a platinum ring like the one I posted the photo of, a wedding band won't sit flush against it (or anywhere near the band), which bothers me with my current ring. Maybe it wouldn't bother me with a different ring. I don't know.

 

[missy]

I prefer platinum for all types of ring settings but that is just my personal preference. Not sure if your diamond might take on the color of the rose gold-I like the neutral color of the platinum if that makes sense.

Missy, that totally makes sense, and thank you for the pictures. I guess I should be thinking of platinum as neutral rather than as white. I think (well, hope) if there aren't other things (like whiter diamonds) contrasting with my diamond, the platinum won't bother me.

I've told you before that your ring was open on my computer desktop for months during my diamond search, and that I was leaning toward an OEC but went with my diamond because of the spread (and because my husband wanted me to get a MRB rather than an OEC...I like both, as long as they're cut attractively). I believe my diamond to have been recut at some point from an older diamond, because its color and cut/proportions (though not size) pretty much exactly match my mom's diamond, which was (tragically) recut from my father's grandmother's OEC when my parents got engaged. I'm rambling now.

If I go with a platinum ring like the one I posted the photo of, a wedding band won't sit flush against it (or anywhere near the band), which bothers me with my current ring. Maybe it wouldn't bother me with a different ring. I don't know.

I actually like the WB not to sit flush with the ER because I like the look of 2 separate and individual rings. When they sit flush it can sometimes look like one big band on the ring. I like the delicateness of the separation. But it does come down to personal preference and if your preference is to keep them together you need to find that perfect setting for you that will allow them to sit flush. I am sure a good jeweler can help you figure out just that design that will show your diamond off in the best possible light (pun intended haha) and play down anything you don't care for i.e. color.

 

[Tourmaline]

I actually like the WB not to sit flush with the ER because I like the look of 2 separate and individual rings. When they sit flush it can sometimes look like one big band on the ring. I like the delicateness of the separation.

I certainly like how it looks on your finger! Your finger is considerably more sleek than mine. I haven't considered really thin bands like the wedding bands you are wearing, but it sure looks pretty on YOU!

 

[missy]

Thank you Tourmaline. That is very nice of you to say. I only got the thin wedding bands because it matched the width of my ER and anything else didn't look right. That was the key. Width. I don't like matchy matchy but the keeping the widths of the rings similar was critical to getting it to look just right. Good luck with your quest-I know you are going to find your perfect match(es) too!

 

[Tourmaline]

Good luck with your quest-I know you are going to find your perfect match(es) too!

Thank you so much for your input! Your ring has been a huge inspiration to me.

 

[luvsdmb]

http://antiqueengagementrings.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=5256

I thought of your thread when I saw these.

http://antiqueengagementrings.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=4609

 

[CharmyPoo]

My opinion is that if you are not happy with your diamond color - no setting will make you happy about it. So you have to decide if it is really the color difference that bothers you or the actual color of the diamond.

 

[braga123]

My opinion is that if you are not happy with your diamond color - no setting will make you happy about it. So you have to decide if it is really the color difference that bothers you or the actual color of the diamond.

I disagree. Yellow and rose gold bring out the warmth in some stones and sometimes that is enough to make them look more tinted but they can look perfectly fine in platinum. At least, that has been my experience.

 

[oldcutclubmember]

My engagement ring is GIA M square cut emerald/asscher (so it shows quite a bit of color in some lighting). I have it set in an antique repro setting in platinum with satin finish. I have a few bead set melees on the shank with milgrain edges so the difference is not too noticeable. I do think that the antique repro setting helps with the whole "vintage look". The satin finish also plays well with the setting because it's not too shiny and polished. My stone definitely looks like it belongs in the setting and I really love my ring as a whole. I have a feeling that I would not like it as much if it were in a different setting.

 

[missy]

My opinion is that if you are not happy with your diamond color - no setting will make you happy about it. So you have to decide if it is really the color difference that bothers you or the actual color of the diamond.

I disagree. Yellow and rose gold bring out the warmth in some stones and sometimes that is enough to make them look more tinted but they can look perfectly fine in platinum. At least, that has been my experience.

I agree with both of you. If you are unhappy with the absolute color (when the diamond is on its own and not in a setting that highlights the color to an extreme) then it will be difficult to find the setting that will change your perception. But it sounds like tourmaline is very happy with her diamond and that it is the contrast of the whiter melee against the L diamond that she doesn't like and I totally get that. I think the setting makes a big difference.

I love my L OEC when she is not against MRB's- so if she was in a different setting with MRB's or higher color diamonds I would not care for the combo at all. But in the setting she's in now she makes me swoon. But then again she can really hold her own. And I think that might be the case for tourmaline too or at least remove the high colored melee so she can shine.

Of course if you are unhappy with your diamond then no setting in the world can make you fall in love with it but in this case it sounds like it is a matter of tourmaline finding the right setting to bring out her diamond's unique and special beauty.

 

[arkieb1]

I do and don't agree with everything that has been said. On the one hand you are never going to make an L coloured diamond that is really tinted face up really white, if you hate the colour in general you will always hate the colour, but putting much higher coloured smaller diamonds next to it is going to play up not tone down the fact it is tinted. I notice that with both of my stones.

I almost sent my transitional back to JBEG when I first got it because the colour of it bugged me and then I asked everyone that saw it their opinion and it's a high J not a low J set into a F/G halo and it looks more tinted than it actually really is most of the time because of the halo.

I have a "tinted white" L which during my first attempt to set it, I bought a $7000+ preloved Israel Rose setting to put in into, which had filigree and a number of much much whiter smaller melee down the sides it was a quite ornate setting, the result - I hated the look of it and settled for a simple platinum 8 prong instead. Getting the setting right with a mid coloured old cut or any mid coloured diamond if you are trying to minimise the colour is trial and error. You might need to go to somewhere if you can and sit your stone into a range of settings this will allow you to see what works best with your diamond..... I owned a J/K coloured H & A RB once and the colour totally disappeared in a 18K yellow gold setting. I owned another different sized J/K H & A RB which looked much more tinted when sitting in the same setting, it depends in the under lying tint and body hue of the diamond as well....

The big gal's an L and the smaller stone is a J in a F/G halo the big gal is a very white facing L and because of the white melee in the halo contrasting the J most of the time the two stones look like they are the same face up colour;

 

[missy]

Beautiful rings arkieb. I agree with you that In those settings (from these pics at least) your L looks whiter than your J because of the whiter melee around the J diamond IMO. Both gorgeous diamonds and good example of how the setting can make a big difference.

 

[arkieb1]

When I got the tranny in the setting (I have never seen it out of it) at first, I freaked because it faces up the same colour or worse than the L I own. I asked Victor who set the tranny, what he thought and he said it was a high J the JBEG girls swore to me it was a white facing J as well. Then I went and compared it to a heap of J/K stones and it is fine but YES the really white melee makes it visually appear more tinted than it really is so the point being if Tourmaline is noticing a huge contrast between the melee and the centre stone it possibly is making her diamond look more tinted. Having said that this L is certified as being "tinted white" & is the whitest facing L that I have ever seen (it faces like a high J, sometimes a low I and a K at it's very worst) so it is possibly not a fair comparison, but even it looked a bucketload more tinted when it was in a setting with E/F/G, coloured melee....

 

[Tourmaline]

I do totally love my diamond. I had it unset for a while and I adored it. It is the contrast of the L diamond with the higher melee and "blingy" style that is bothering me. I think a vintage style platinum solitaire is in my diamond's future. I've drafted a detailed email to send to Adam at OWD, but I am still fine tuning it (and waiting a little while to make sure I don't change my mind, hee hee).

 

[valmanin]

Gah...I'm in the same boat as you!!! I agree with Arkieb...setting a mid color diamond can really be trial and error. I have been trying and erring for a while.

My experience has been that a YG setting with YG prongs DOES add color to a diamond. Of course that could have just been MY diamond (the EGL 3.33 M that I used to own). It was set in a YG OWD setting and while I loved it in some environments, I really disliked the yellow tint in other environments. But, then go look at Coati's YG bezel on her M and it looks bright white. I suspect part of it has to do with how much of the stone you can see...my OWD setting you could see the profile very well which added to the tinting.

My next setting is a UWG head/18k RG shank. The stone is GIA 3.55 M (which Adam says is less tinted unset than my previous stone). While I LOVE colored metal I was trying to minimize the tinting I had in the last setting. I think it does look less yellow, but I still see more tint than I would like AND this particular UWG alloy is very grey which gives the stone a dirty look at times which I don't like at all. Of course most of the time it looks great. I plan to send it back to ERD to have the head rhodium plated. Chris and I discussed it and I realized I had to make a choice...UWG blends more with the stone but also gives it a bit of a darker look. The rhodium will be more contrast with the stone but give it a brighter look.

So, after all this, here is what I would say. If I REALLY wanted to minimize the color in a mid-range stone, I would set it in a white metal (at least the head) and minimize how much of the stone you can see in profile. I think the first pic you posted would accomplish this. I should add that I think doing this is the least risky. YG and RG can make a stone look whiter, but it's a toss up on which way a stone will go AND I think you need a setting where you can't see much profile.

Good luck! I can't wait to see what you pick!!!

 

[luvsdmb]

I love your diamond, can't wait to see what you pick!!

 

[valmanin]

Oh...just thought of one more thing. The RG shank on my ring is very delicate...I think it tapers to 1.5mm so my ring looks really good stacked with super thin bands. It looks amazing with the RG Tiffany metro for example even though the diamonds in the metro are white white. I think the fact that the diamonds are so tiny and they are set in colored metal does the trick. So, with the right size shank and colored metal you really can wear melee with your larger lower colored stone. I have also stacked it with a combo of think YG eternity and a plat eternity...they all looked good with it and there was no discernible contrast.

 

[Tourmaline]

Thank you so much, valmanin! This thread has been very helpful!

My daughter told me last night that if she were to inherit my diamond, she'd want it in its current setting. Ha! (This will not determine my course of action, hee hee).

 

[Tourmaline]

Luvsdmb, I love the little circles to the sides of the bottom of the crown on the photo you posted!

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Hmmm, I have an L color OEC set in G/H halo in 18kt WG and I rarely see a contrast. My L looks very white most of the time...

So, you love the color of your diamond, but just don't like the contrast it gives off sometimes? Hmm

 

[Tourmaline]

Hmmm, I have an L color OEC set in G/H halo in 18kt WG and I rarely see a contrast. My L looks very white most of the time...

So, you love the color of your diamond, but just don't like the contrast it gives off sometimes? Hmm

In indirect natural light, it's lovely and there is not contrast. But I have a wooden ceiling in my living room, and I don't like how the diamond looks in its setting at night. It's where I spend most of my time, so it's an issue. The setting is modern, and I don't feel that it matches the diamond in temperament. Based on the small culet and some other factors, I think my diamond was recut from an older one, and I just feel like it should be in a vintage style setting. I didn't know that before I set it (obviously), but it keeps occurring to me.

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Hmmm, I have an L color OEC set in G/H halo in 18kt WG and I rarely see a contrast. My L looks very white most of the time...

So, you love the color of your diamond, but just don't like the contrast it gives off sometimes? Hmm

In indirect natural light, it's lovely and there is not contrast. But I have a wooden ceiling in my living room, and I don't like how the diamond looks in its setting at night. It's where I spend most of my time, so it's an issue. The setting is modern, and I don't feel that it matches the diamond in temperament. Based on the small culet and some other factors, I think my diamond was recut from an older one, and I just feel like it should be in a vintage style setting. I didn't know that before I set it (obviously), but it keeps occurring to me.

I'm with you. Vintage setting sounds amazing. But then again, I'm a sucker for those

 

[TC1987]

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/buying-a-ring-in-los-angeles-local-and-online-reviews.174086/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/buying-a-ring-in-los-angeles-local-and-online-reviews.174086/[/URL]
^ there are some vintage settings in that thread, halos.

Erica of JBEG had several gorgeous vintage reproduction mountings made by SingleStone starting back in 2007 or 2008. They were posted here, but I couldn't locate those threads. Her diamonds were all large, and L and M color, as I recall. The were stronger light yellow than your L. The mountings were platinum with white diamonds. The center stones showed tint, but there were a lot of "Cape colored" diamonds back in the day that were deliberately mounted in platinum settings with very white sidestones or pave'.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Have you considered having the stone recut into a transitional or OEC? Because I think you still may not be 100% pleased with a modern round brilliant in an antique style setting. I had that conflict myself until I changed to an AVR which works better with my other antique style pieces. You have a very large stone. Jonathan could have it cut into a gorgeous AVR for you and it would still be a very large stone!

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

My ER is a GIA L asscher in a halo of G-H melee and it doesn't bother me, it never really has. I do think a different style of setting may work for you better though since your stone has an antique flavor to it.