Question for the Color Sensitive Ladies/Gents.

[sjz]

Date: 8/17/2005 12:48:07 AM
Author: Demelza
Alj -- I totally agree. I don''t think being ''color sensitive'' is only a psychological phenomenom. I guess I would be considered ''inclusion sensitive'' in that I have a very good eye for picking out inclusions, but I don''t have a very good eye for seeing slight variations in diamond color. What that says about my eyesight (which is very good as far as I know) I don''t know, but I do think it''s a real thing. I would imagine it takes some aspiring gemologists a long time to be able to make the subtle distinctions between a G and an H and for some it comes naturally. The psychological aspect of this issue comes in when a lower color stone looks perfectly good to your eyes yet you still have a hang up about having a lower color stone. I, for instance, am upgrading in size from a G to an I. I don''t perceive the difference visually, but I have been struggling with it psychologically.

Then you just conatradicted yourself. If it''s not only psychological, then why are you struggling if you can''t visually percieve a difference? The color issue should be a "no brainer" for you if you can''t *see* the color. I''m sure that there is some component of visual to the color sensitivity thing. Perhaps people who can''t differentiate the color difference as much as others don''t have the same visual accuity, or they have some degree of color blindness. My husband can''t tell black and blue apart, but he has no trouble with red/green colorblindness. But I think that there is also a pretty huge psychological component to this color sensitivity thing, nevertheless.

 

[Mara]

Here is a picture that WF took side by side of a 1.28 G (picture says 1.26 but it's a 1.2 and my 1.60 J .

I was unsure re: color before I went to J and this picture really helped clinch it for me. To me, there is a barely perceptible difference between the two, which I found interesting.

 

[sjz]

Date: 8/17/2005 12:51:07 AM
Author: Mara
I don''t have a picture of the two rings side by side but I will see if I can get something. However, I think you may not see a difference in the picture, because they are both set into rings, and there is a large size difference.

I will post a side by side of my original G and my H and then my J though, once I get a chance. All in the same setting.

Thanks Mara. However, I don''t know if side by side pics of different stones are going to prove much. I can take 5 different pictures of my same diamond, and the diamond in the same setting, and it looks a slightly different color in all 5 pictures. It would be more interesting to compare a G,H, and J side by side in the same picture, if you see what I mean?

 

[Mara]

and here is a side by side I did a few months ago when I got my new J. It's my old 1.29 H next to my new 1.60 J, same lighting in both pictures.

 

[sjz]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:01:15 AM
Author: Mara
Here is a picture that WF took side by side of a 1.28 G (picture says 1.26 but it''s a 1.2 and my 1.60 J .

I was unsure re: color before I went to J and this picture really helped clinch it for me. To me, there is a barely perceptible difference between the two, which I found interesting.

They do both look "white". The one on the right looks "brighter" to me, however.
That''s also the biggest difference I''ve noticed with the two J''s, the H, and the F stones I''ve had. I was trying to describe that difference to another PSer who PM''d me the other day. It''s like they are all white, but I used lightbulbs as my comparison. It''s like the J stone was a 60 watt bulb, the H was a 75 watt bulb, and the F was a 100 watt bulb. They all give off white light, but the intensity or brightness of that white light was different between the different stones. None of them looked the same to me. The two J''s were probably the closest, but even they looked a bit different. I attributed that difference more to cut than color, though, since one J was an ACA ideal cut and the other was not. They were very close in clarity (VS1 and VS2) and exactly the same size, though.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:04:52 AM
Author: sjz


Thanks Mara. However, I don''t know if side by side pics of different stones are going to prove much. I can take 5 different pictures of my same diamond, and the diamond in the same setting, and it looks a slightly different color in all 5 pictures. It would be more interesting to compare a G,H, and J side by side in the same picture, if you see what I mean?

I just posted three pictures of multiple stones in the same picture.....three of them.

The only difference is, you don''t know up front which is which. That, I believe, is the psychological effect.

It''s much easier to see what you think you''re supposed to see instead of seeing with unbiased eyes, and that''s what I think Demelza was trying to say. It''s why people are told to inspect a diamond without magnification before looking at it under a loupe or scope.....because in many cases they don''t see it until *after* they know where it is. They don''t see it unaided, but having found it with help, they they "see" it without help because they are supposed to see it.

Same with color. The only way to know if you are color sensitive for sure is viewing stones when you don''t know what answer is supposed to be. Are they the same, or are they different? If they are different, which one is the lower color?

If you know the answer BEFORE you look at the stones, you "see" what you think you''re supposed to in some instances instead of seeing precisely and *only* what your eye sees....meaning only information from your eyes without influence from your head.

 

[Mara]

The funny thing is that while the H may have been lower color, my J is actually a better looking stone to me, more CRISP somehow. I do see color in it sometimes and I wouldn't say that it 'faces up like a G' but I find it more attractive. IMO it's because I am not color sensitive and color is not important to me.

Dem makes a good point re: inclusions, some people are clarity sensitive and others are etc. It's just a fact and how someone is. Sure you may not have heard the term color sensitive in the real world, but I don't hear half the terms in the real world that we say here, aka diamond shrinkage syndrome!

There are no pictures of Greg's E next to my J in the same lighting...sorry!

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:00:41 AM
Author: sjz

Date: 8/17/2005 12:48:07 AM
Author: Demelza
Alj -- I totally agree. I don''t think being ''color sensitive'' is only a psychological phenomenom. I guess I would be considered ''inclusion sensitive'' in that I have a very good eye for picking out inclusions, but I don''t have a very good eye for seeing slight variations in diamond color. What that says about my eyesight (which is very good as far as I know) I don''t know, but I do think it''s a real thing. I would imagine it takes some aspiring gemologists a long time to be able to make the subtle distinctions between a G and an H and for some it comes naturally. The psychological aspect of this issue comes in when a lower color stone looks perfectly good to your eyes yet you still have a hang up about having a lower color stone. I, for instance, am upgrading in size from a G to an I. I don''t perceive the difference visually, but I have been struggling with it psychologically.

Then you just conatradicted yourself. If it''s not only psychological, then why are you struggling if you can''t visually percieve a difference? The color issue should be a ''no brainer'' for you if you can''t *see* the color. I''m sure that there is some component of visual to the color sensitivity thing. Perhaps people who can''t differentiate the color difference as much as others don''t have the same visual accuity, or they have some degree of color blindness. My husband can''t tell black and blue apart, but he has no trouble with red/green colorblindness. But I think that there is also a pretty huge psychological component to this color sensitivity thing, nevertheless.

I think you''re mistaking this comment for mine....it was Demelza, not I, who made that comment. She was talking about being inclusion sensitive, not color sensitive.

 

[aljdewey]

I'm surprised....I've posted several pictures nearly a half-hour ago, and no guesses offered yet. Guess determining color and warmth isn't exactly a no-brainer.

 

[sjz]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:15:32 AM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 8/17/2005 1:04:52 AM
Author: sjz


Thanks Mara. However, I don''t know if side by side pics of different stones are going to prove much. I can take 5 different pictures of my same diamond, and the diamond in the same setting, and it looks a slightly different color in all 5 pictures. It would be more interesting to compare a G,H, and J side by side in the same picture, if you see what I mean?

I just posted three pictures of multiple stones in the same picture.....three of them.

The only difference is, you don''t know up front which is which. That, I believe, is the psychological effect.

It''s much easier to see what you think you''re supposed to see instead of seeing with unbiased eyes, and that''s what I think Demelza was trying to say. It''s why people are told to inspect a diamond without magnification before looking at it under a loupe or scope.....because in many cases they don''t see it until *after* they know where it is. They don''t see it unaided, but having found it with help, they they ''see'' it without help because they are supposed to see it.

Same with color. The only way to know if you are color sensitive for sure is viewing stones when you don''t know what answer is supposed to be. Are they the same, or are they different? If they are different, which one is the lower color?

If you know the answer BEFORE you look at the stones, you ''see'' what you think you''re supposed to in some instances instead of seeing precisely and *only* what your eye sees....meaning only information from your eyes without influence from your head.

Just out of curiosity, did you look at the picture I posted, and if so, could you tell the stones apart?

To be honest, I don''t know whether to consider myself ''color sensitive'' or not. I have to say that I definetly can *see* differences between stones of different color grades, yet it doesn''t bother me. Or at least it''s not the first thing that pops out at me or draws my eye to a diamond. For me it''s sparkle and fire first, and clarity next. I actually think that some jewelry looks better with the warmer colored stones. I have always been the type of person who appreciates subtle nuances in anything, whether visual, auditory, olfactory, or whatever. I rock at wine tasting, btw

 

[sjz]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:26:29 AM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 8/17/2005 1:00:41 AM
Author: sjz

Date: 8/17/2005 12:48:07 AM
Author: Demelza
Alj -- I totally agree. I don''t think being ''color sensitive'' is only a psychological phenomenom. I guess I would be considered ''inclusion sensitive'' in that I have a very good eye for picking out inclusions, but I don''t have a very good eye for seeing slight variations in diamond color. What that says about my eyesight (which is very good as far as I know) I don''t know, but I do think it''s a real thing. I would imagine it takes some aspiring gemologists a long time to be able to make the subtle distinctions between a G and an H and for some it comes naturally. The psychological aspect of this issue comes in when a lower color stone looks perfectly good to your eyes yet you still have a hang up about having a lower color stone. I, for instance, am upgrading in size from a G to an I. I don''t perceive the difference visually, but I have been struggling with it psychologically.

Then you just conatradicted yourself. If it''s not only psychological, then why are you struggling if you can''t visually percieve a difference? The color issue should be a ''no brainer'' for you if you can''t *see* the color. I''m sure that there is some component of visual to the color sensitivity thing. Perhaps people who can''t differentiate the color difference as much as others don''t have the same visual accuity, or they have some degree of color blindness. My husband can''t tell black and blue apart, but he has no trouble with red/green colorblindness. But I think that there is also a pretty huge psychological component to this color sensitivity thing, nevertheless.

I think you''re mistaking this comment for mine....it was Demelza, not I, who made that comment. She was talking about being inclusion sensitive, not color sensitive.

Oh sorry if you thought I directed that reply to you. I was replying to Demelza''s post. I should have made it more clear and cropped your name off, that was an oversight on my part.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:28:44 AM
Author: sjz

Just out of curiosity, did you look at the picture I posted, and if so, could you tell the stones apart?

To be honest, I don''t know whether to consider myself ''color sensitive'' or not. I have to say that I definetly can *see* differences between stones of different color grades, yet it doesn''t bother me. Or at least it''s not the first thing that pops out at me or draws my eye to a diamond. For me it''s sparkle and fire first, and clarity next. I actually think that some jewelry looks better with the warmer colored stones. I have always been the type of person who appreciates subtle nuances in anything, whether visual, auditory, olfactory, or whatever. I rock at wine tasting, btw

Yes, I looked at the picture you posted.......however, the light isn''t hitting both diamonds at the same angle....it appears as though the left diamond isn''t as obstructed by the upper half of the box. Also, one diamond is set in yellow, the other in white gold.

But then again, I''m on the end of the discussion that says color differences aren''t necessarily "obvious" or a no-brainer. You have said colors don''t look like one another, so it shouldn''t be a stretch to offer at least an opinion on what you think you see in the pictures.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:31:18 AM
Author: sjz

Oh sorry if you thought I directed that reply to you. I was replying to Demelza''s post. I should have made it more clear and cropped your name off, that was an oversight on my part.

No problem.

Initially, I was confused by it, so I wanted to make sure we''re all on the same page.

 

[aljdewey]

ok, off to bed, but I''lll be really interested to hear your guesses tomorrow.

 

[sjz]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:32:29 AM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 8/17/2005 1:28:44 AM
Author: sjz

Just out of curiosity, did you look at the picture I posted, and if so, could you tell the stones apart?

To be honest, I don''t know whether to consider myself ''color sensitive'' or not. I have to say that I definetly can *see* differences between stones of different color grades, yet it doesn''t bother me. Or at least it''s not the first thing that pops out at me or draws my eye to a diamond. For me it''s sparkle and fire first, and clarity next. I actually think that some jewelry looks better with the warmer colored stones. I have always been the type of person who appreciates subtle nuances in anything, whether visual, auditory, olfactory, or whatever. I rock at wine tasting, btw

Yes, I looked at the picture you posted.......however, the light isn''t hitting both diamonds at the same angle....it appears as though the left diamond isn''t as obstructed by the upper half of the box. Also, one diamond is set in yellow, the other in white gold.

But then again, I''m on the end of the discussion that says color differences aren''t necessarily ''obvious'' or a no-brainer. You have said colors don''t look like one another, so it shouldn''t be a stretch to offer at least an opinion on what you think you see in the pictures.

I guess that was the same problem I was having with YOUR pictures. The first two just had too much glare for me to tell much, and in the last picture the diamonds were not being photographed from the same angle.

As far as the "no brainer" comment, I used that in speaking to Demelza when she said that she visually could not discern the color differences between the two stones. In HER case, if she couldn''t visually tell the difference, I don''t see why she should even have to struggle with it psychologically. It''s just like me with the clarity thing. I''ve tried to *not see* the inclusions in the SI stone I had for a couple of months, but I couldn''t quite get there. Believe me, I tried! I would have been a nice chunk of change richer if I could have not *seen* the inclusions. Only one other person that I showed the diamond to in person could see the inclusions, and that person is even more eagle eyed than I am. To everyone else that looked at that diamond while I had it, it was eye clean. It would have been a "no brainer-keeper" to every one of them except me and the other ''inclusion sensitive'' person.

I haven''t claimed to be able to color grade diamonds at all, especially in pictures. But I''m willing to bet that if I could see them in person and look at them for few minutes, there''s a good chance I would be able to tell if they were the same color or not. Hopefully I wouldn''t be more than one grade off, but I''m not an expert and never claimed to be.

 

[rae]

Hi aljdewey,

I am a total newb re diamonds, so for starters, anyone looking for a response with any decent content, skip to the next post.

But I thought I would give this a go.

I certainly couldn't tell *what* colour grade those all are - I am nowhere near being able to just judge that off the bat. And I am guessing that that is exactly what you want people to try and do? But I would love to give my (very amateur) eyes a bit of a test of even just which is "warmer" etc, as I have not yet got to the stage of looking at stones "in person", only here on the net....

In the first pic, the one on the left (as I look) seems noticeably a bit warmer colour.

In the second pic, the one on the right seems a bit warmer, with perhaps even a bigger difference between the two than the first pic?? But, different light conditions etc are probably not helping me here either!!

In the third pic, I found it harder to tell any difference (if there is any) - perhaps partly because the angle of the photo is different?? Dunno.... at a total guess, without other photos, I would either say they are the same colour grade, or the one on the left-hand side is just ever so slightly warmer.

I will be very interested to hear the correct stats, when you do post them.

Cheers.

 

[Mara]

"But I'm willing to bet that if I could see them in person and look at them for few minutes, there's a good chance I would be able to tell if they were the same color or not. "

______________

I honestly can't tell color differences from just looking at people's rings worn on the hand. I guess the difference is if you pull them off the hand, pull out the loupe and scrutinize them. Maybe then. But I have been surprised often by how low color (aka D-G) I think stones are and then find out they are more in the near colorless range. A coworker's ring looked a bit more warm than my old G and I estimated it was an I. But she didn't know and for all I know it was a K! In reality I think it's hard to tell on people's hands what the colors are in regular ole basic viewing. But with a loupe or eyeballing it from the side yeah maybe. But even then who knows. Another coworker was asking me some Q's today re: diamonds since she wants to upgrade, and she went to pull off her ring set when I asked what color it was, she wanted me to look at it and guess. I told her...nah I can't tell that way. Because in reality, I can't and I wouldn't even want to estimate.

I really do agree that if you have no clue what you are seeing, then you don't have that 'psychological' hangup that automatically renders an opinion without you even realizing it.

 

[sjz]

Ok Ms Aljdewey...here''s my best guess on your two diamonds. Assuming that it''s the same stone on the right in all three pictures, my evaluation would be that the right stone might be a more colorless diamond, because it looks brighter in all three pictures to me. It also looks larger and more sparkly, so it could just be the lighting or the angle or whatever. But that''s my best guess. And don''t even ask me to tell you what color grade I think they are. Whatever the case, they are a nice set of studs. Heaps bigger than mine, from the looks of it!

 

[sjz]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:32:29 AM
Author: aljdewey

Date: 8/17/2005 1:28:44 AM
Author: sjz

Just out of curiosity, did you look at the picture I posted, and if so, could you tell the stones apart?

To be honest, I don''t know whether to consider myself ''color sensitive'' or not. I have to say that I definetly can *see* differences between stones of different color grades, yet it doesn''t bother me. Or at least it''s not the first thing that pops out at me or draws my eye to a diamond. For me it''s sparkle and fire first, and clarity next. I actually think that some jewelry looks better with the warmer colored stones. I have always been the type of person who appreciates subtle nuances in anything, whether visual, auditory, olfactory, or whatever. I rock at wine tasting, btw

Yes, I looked at the picture you posted.......however, the light isn''t hitting both diamonds at the same angle....it appears as though the left diamond isn''t as obstructed by the upper half of the box. Also, one diamond is set in yellow, the other in white gold.

But then again, I''m on the end of the discussion that says color differences aren''t necessarily ''obvious'' or a no-brainer. You have said colors don''t look like one another, so it shouldn''t be a stretch to offer at least an opinion on what you think you see in the pictures.

Ok, I dug up another picture of the same two diamonds as before, this time on my hand. Same lighting, same angle, no obstructions. Can''t do anything about the color of the gold, but both are set into platinum prongs. Can you tell any difference? You already have an advantage, because I''ve already told you what the color grades are, and which is which. I''m just curious if you can see it?

 

[Demelza]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:45:57 AM
Author: sjz

Date: 8/17/2005 1:32:29 AM

Author: sjz
As far as the 'no brainer' comment, I used that in speaking to Demelza when she said that she visually could not discern the color differences between the two stones. In HER case, if she couldn't visually tell the difference, I don't see why she should even have to struggle with it psychologically. It's just like me with the clarity thing. I've tried to *not see* the inclusions in the SI stone I had for a couple of months, but I couldn't quite get there. Believe me, I tried! I would have been a nice chunk of change richer if I could have not *seen* the inclusions. Only one other person that I showed the diamond to in person could see the inclusions, and that person is even more eagle eyed than I am. To everyone else that looked at that diamond while I had it, it was eye clean. It would have been a 'no brainer-keeper' to every one of them except me and the other 'inclusion sensitive' person.

I'm not sure how I'm contradicting myself. I really do have trouble seeing differences in color which is why I'm saying it's psychological for me. It's not about what I'm seeing, it's about knowing that my stone is "not as rare as" or "not as valuable as" a higher color stone. It has nothing to do with how the stone actually looks, but there is something comforting psychologically about having a colorless or very near colorless stone. It doesn't necessarily make sense logically, but I think a lot of people can get hung up on stats that have very little, if anything, to do with how their eyes perceive the stone. Does that make sense? Just my experience.

 

[sjz]

Date: 8/17/2005 2:45:52 AM
Author: Demelza

Date: 8/17/2005 1:45:57 AM
Author: sjz

Date: 8/17/2005 1:32:29 AM

Author: sjz
As far as the ''no brainer'' comment, I used that in speaking to Demelza when she said that she visually could not discern the color differences between the two stones. In HER case, if she couldn''t visually tell the difference, I don''t see why she should even have to struggle with it psychologically. It''s just like me with the clarity thing. I''ve tried to *not see* the inclusions in the SI stone I had for a couple of months, but I couldn''t quite get there. Believe me, I tried! I would have been a nice chunk of change richer if I could have not *seen* the inclusions. Only one other person that I showed the diamond to in person could see the inclusions, and that person is even more eagle eyed than I am. To everyone else that looked at that diamond while I had it, it was eye clean. It would have been a ''no brainer-keeper'' to every one of them except me and the other ''inclusion sensitive'' person.

I''m not sure how I''m contradicting myself. I really do have trouble seeing differences in color which is why I''m saying it''s psychological for me. It''s not about what I''m seeing, it''s about knowing that my stone is ''not as rare as'' or ''not as valuable as'' a higher color stone. It has nothing to do with how the stone actually looks, but there is something comforting psychologically about having a colorless or very near colorless stone. It doesn''t necessarily make sense logically, but I think a lot of people can get hung up on stats that have very little, if anything, to do with how their eyes perceive the stone. Does that make sense? Just my experience.

I misunderstood you, then. I thought your first comment was that you DIDN''T think it was psychological. That''s why I was puzzled when your last comment was regarding your psychological struggle. And for what it''s worth, I agree with you. I also think that some people get hung up on the *idea* of color vs colorless. Not all, but some people who have diamonds that are H, I, or J and further on up the alphabet seem to want to "convince" themselves that their stone looks as white as someone else''s F or G.

As for the rarity or value of the diamond, a person with a huge J could potentially have a much more valuable stone than someone with a relatively small D, all other factors being comparable. So it''s all in the perspective and what each individual values most.

I''m that way with clarity. It''s comforting for me to know that I have a nice clean stone. I don''t like the idea of having little blips floating around in my diamonds. Color doesn''t bother me at all, unless it makes the diamond look dirty or dingy in some way. I''d rather have a smaller stone with a warmer color any day over a stone that has blips in it. But I can certainly understand some people preferring a bigger stone, or a whiter stone because the little blips don''t bother them, or they can''t see them so it doesn''t matter. Some people even like the little blips.

My whole point is that a huge part of what makes people prefer certain diamonds IS psychological. Just because some people can''t *see* color or inclusions, or aren''t bothered by them, doesn''t mean they aren''t there. Diamonds are graded for color and clarity for a reason, after all. Cut is the same...I think that once most people are educated to know what they are seeing, cut makes a HUGE difference, and the reason most people are able to agree on cut more than clarity or color is because it''s much easier to measure scientifically and is a less subjective feature.

 

[Jennifer5973]

I find pictures to play tricks to a certain degree. As someone who owns .60 ct+ stones from F to J, in pictures of my stuff, I can hardly notice but in most real lighting conditions, I can. That''s why the classic PS advice of looking at stone sin different lighting conditions is a MUST!

 

[jellybean]

I think the reason why most people on PS that have lower color stones (H and lower) attest to the fact that they face up so white is that we have preconceived notions about what the lower colors are supposed to look like.

Before I bought my J, if someone told me they had a J, I immediately thought that it must be really off-white or even yellow, and that was before I even saw it. I was pleasantly surprised with the Js (and K''s, etc.) I''ve seen on PS and when I got mine my first thought was how white it was. Not that I needed to justify buying that color over a higher color, just an observation of what I had been expecting it to look like.

 

[lmurden]

Date: 8/17/2005 12:10:37 AM
Author: sjz
I hope I can get this picture to post. I haven''t been having the best of luck posting pictures here lately. A while back when I had the .74 H ACA stone, I posted a picture of it side by side with my .75 J. I think you can see some difference between the two stones. Tomorrow I will try to get a picture of my .76 F next to the .75 J for comparison. To me, they all look white, but I can''t in all honesty say that the J looks as white as the H, or the F.

Wow, that''s a huge color difference! My I color diamonds don''t look anything like that J. Are you sure it''s a J???

 

[Gemklctr]

Per earlier requests, a 4.81 M VS2 on the hand.

 

[Gemklctr]

Same 4.81 M through the loupe.

 

[Gemklctr]

From the bottom of the finger:

2.03 F SI1
4.81 M VS2
3.25 Natural Fancy Yellow SI1

You can see the color difference between the F and the M.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:45:57 AM
Author: sjz

I haven't claimed to be able to color grade diamonds at all, especially in pictures. But I'm willing to bet that if I could see them in person and look at them for few minutes, there's a good chance I would be able to tell if they were the same color or not. Hopefully I wouldn't be more than one grade off, but I'm not an expert and never claimed to be.

I think we're getting to the same point....just taking different routes to get there.

You're saying "if I could see them in person and look at them for a few minutes.....", but you're describing a far more intense scrutiny than most pieces get under *normal* viewing conditions. I'm sure that if people sat down with two stones next to one another and looked at them for a few minutes, most people would be fairly able to appreciate some subtle difference.....especially if they think they are suppoed to see a difference.

When someone comes here and asks if people with slightly warmer stones notice the body tint, I approach it with every day, incidental viewing conditions in mind.

In everyday situations, people don't wear their stone right next to a higher color stone, and they don't gaze at both stones in intense scrutiny looking for the difference. In every day conditions, you wear your ring to the supermarket or the soccer field or out to dinner or to work---whatever, and the ring in seen at a distance of about 18 or so inches. When people see it, they don't do a 45-second, Vulcan-mind-melting stare at it. They just see it on the hand in flashes. This is the way folks really wear their rings. Even the owner of the ring doesn't sit gazing for hours into the stone after the newness wears off.

It is these everyday conditions that I try to focus on when people ask "will I see a difference".

(Disclaimer: I realize the above everyday viewing conditions don't necessarily apply in the first 3 months of becoming newly engaged---then everybody is grabbing your hand and gluing their eyeball to it..

, but that wears off just like new car smell.)

There are two ways of looking at color.....in the lab under intense scrutiny, or in everyday wearing conditions. They aren't the same.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 8/17/2005 2:40:45 AM
Author: sjz

Ok, I dug up another picture of the same two diamonds as before, this time on my hand. Same lighting, same angle, no obstructions. Can't do anything about the color of the gold, but both are set into platinum prongs. Can you tell any difference? You already have an advantage, because I've already told you what the color grades are, and which is which. I'm just curious if you can see it?

That bolded statement is precisely what I've been trying to say.

If color differences were that obvious, one wouldn't need an advantage. One would be able to see that without knowing in advance which is which.

Frankly, even though I know which stone is which, they both look the same to me. If I didn't know which was which, and you wore both rings on different hands, I wouldn't be able to see the difference....and that's the point. In normal viewing conditions, most people don't see the subtle differences with lower color grades....especially when it's a single grade difference such as between an F and a G......unless their mind tells them they are supposed to.

People who are more color sensitive might possibly see it, but most people won't.

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 8/17/2005 1:45:57 AM
Author: sjz

I guess that was the same problem I was having with YOUR pictures. The first two just had too much glare for me to tell much, and in the last picture the diamonds were not being photographed from the same angle.

Fair enough.....but these are photographed under everyday lighting condions, except for the flash.

It''s just like me with the clarity thing. I''ve tried to *not see* the inclusions in the SI stone I had for a couple of months, but I couldn''t quite get there. ...............Only one other person that I showed the diamond to in person could see the inclusions, and that person is even more eagle eyed than I am. To everyone else that looked at that diamond while I had it, it was eye clean. It would have been a ''no brainer-keeper'' to every one of them except me and the other ''inclusion sensitive'' person.

This is precisely my point. If you can believethat you are more clarity-sensitive than others, why is it a stretch to also believe that some people are more color-sensitive than others?

You showed your SI diamond to a bunch of other people....none of whom could see the inclusions except for you and one other eagle-eyed person. Most people didn''t see it, but that doesn''t mean you didn''t see it, right? Why do you think color is different? It isn''t; you could likely gather all those people together again with an F stone in one hand and a G stone in the other, and most wouldn''t be able to see the difference. It''s possible that a couple might be able to see a difference (the color sensitive set), but most wouldn''t see it.