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So I picked up a pink diamond...

TristanC

TristanC

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Jun 6, 2011
Messages
995
it is in my pocket now. The 0.53ct round was picked up. (on my iPhone now so can't link to the photos easily.

I just realized why photographing FCDs is impossible... Looking at them results in so many variations too.

The bad news is... I'm not sure if I chose correctly. I was drawn most to the round, but more for it's brilliance and sparkle. The asscher is gorgeous but in some lights looks a teeny bit peachy. The old mine cut though was truly amazingly beautiful. I would have picked it for sure except that it is a bit small for Ering purposes.

So ultimately I may have been incredibly stupid. As I bought an FCD not based solely on colour, but on function as well.

I'm still trying to come to terms with whether I made the right choice. Sigh. just wanted to share. Lost.
 
Well, supposedly you did not have four to choose and just this one? You would have bought it, right? So you did do the right thing.
I wish these thoughts did not spoil the joy of purchase for you. When there are few to choose from, it often happens.
 
If you're still able to return/exchange it, can you show your fiancee the 4 choices and see which one she would have picked?
 
Not sure why you're having second thoughts? You're regretting the shape you chose? Chances are you'd be second-guessing any stone you picked, and thinking you should have gone with something else. I think it's pretty natural to feel that way.

Is there a return period on the stone? You could sleep on it and see how you feel in a day or two. You may get over your misgivings if you give it a little time. If you still have major doubts, you can return it.

Sorry you're not feeling better about your purchase! I think the diamond you chose is absolutely beautiful.
 
I'm sorry you're feeling buyer's remorse.
It's a lot of money for a small thing - but that's relative since you could have spent much more for much smaller.
I hope your pink diamond grows on you.

Yes, now you have experienced why judging FCD color via pics is so tricky; even LIVE their color changes dramatically as you move them around.
There is no rule that says you must buy an FCD based solely on the color.
I also try to get good color and light performance, but it's near impossible since the selection of these rare animals is so limited.

Which was the Old Mine Cut? Was that the small round on the right?
I don't think that's an OMC.



So, did you see all four of these in person?
Tell us about it.
How much time did you get to spend with them?
What was the lighting like?
Could you take all four into different lighting?
What was your reactions to each of the four?

Do you have a return period?

pinks.jpg
 
Tristan, I think you shouldn't worry too much now. The only person in the world who knows if you made the right choice hasn't seen the stone yet, and she may love it. You did everything possible to make the right choice, and still keep it a surprise, which must have been important to both of you.
 
It's beautiful. It just isn't as pink as I imagined. None were except the little one on the right. But it could be the light.

I don't want to return it, I just wanted to be sure it really is gorgeous.

I'll post a full review soon once I get to a computer tonight. I guess it's more a remorse brought about by choice. Which is the right one? I thought I would be sure once I saw it in person.

Thanks for chiming in people :))
 
Me thinks you got spoiled by that vivid pink in your avatar. ;)

Actually one of the pleasures of FCDs IS how they change their look.
It's always fun when you enter a room to see what it looks like NOW.

Outside on a very cloudy day they are beautiful in a very very different way than they are beautiful in full sun - much moreso than with colorless diamonds which really put on no hue-variation show.
Full sun (ignoring the dispersion fire) can intensify the the hue.
 
I am so excited for you to have chosen your stone, it is lovely.

I will be anxiously waiting to hear about your thoughts on it and the others you looked at in person. You are completely correct that FCD are nearly impossible to photograph, that is why so many alter their images-it is great that you were able to see your stones in person before purchasing.

I understand your concerns with the color being lighter than you had originally envisioned, I would then urge you to consider using rose gold for the prongs, as it may help 'boost' the color-you can never really predict how a stone will look in different colored metal once set though.

I hope you can soon feel confident with the choice you made in stones, as I am sure any woman would be ecstatic to receive it as their ER! Can't wait for pictures of this beauty :)
 
TristanC--I'm sure that your fiancee will LOVE the stone you purchased, not only because of the color and uniqueness of the stone, but because of all the time and effort YOU put into making it special for her. And as I mentioned in your other thread, picking out a setting that will highlight the pinkness of the diamond, whether through a halo, rose gold accents or sidestones, will probably make a HUGE difference in how you feel about the stone. I loved what mine meant, but I wasn't completely in love with the stone itself until it was in a proper setting. :love: ::)

And to echo Kenny, mine constantly changes depending on the light, time of day, what I'm wearing, etc. Sometimes it's pure pink, sometimes peachy, sometimes a little brown, sometimes even lavender. It's a constant game. :naughty:

But if you really don't like it at all....then you might want to see if you can send it back and look at one of the others........
 
Is it so light that you can't really tell it's pink from a distance (i.e. will others who don't already know be able to tell, or not)? I think if you can tell it's pink without "looking for it" too hard, then you made a wonderful choice. Classic cut, bigger than the deeper pink (I believe it was kenny who pointed out size can matter in this area, even if we don't want it to), and unusual. Having something very unique is a huge plus, IMO. I think that the amount of effort alone so far is very romantic. :) And, as stepcutnut mentions, perhaps the choice of metal can play up the colour.
 
I'm so sorry you are having a twinge of buyer's remorse, I think that's happened to most of us at one point or another. I also get that this is a very important decision because of how you are going to use the FCD. But, having followed your whole FCD saga, the thing that strikes me is how careful you have been at every step of the process, so if the round is the one you chose when you saw the stones IRL, you have to trust that the round is the right choice, and if you had it to do over again, faced with the same selection, you'd probably make the same choice again. When you second guess yourself over something like this, sometimes your mind recalls the other choices as being better than they actually were.

I'm not really a FCD lover, but I can't imagine this not being a lovely stone IRL, and I also can't imagine your SO not being thrilled. I'll look forward to seeing your thoughts when you review your experience.
 
Ok - I'm going to be honest as I see it and I hope you're not offended?

I totally understand why you opted for the round (size and performance). However, it will look very pale in some lights and if you surround with white diamonds, it can still look too pale and you may struggle to see the pink. I've done exactly the same thing in the past and been disappointed (even when I've smothered the thing in rose gold etc)!

The more saturated OMC (I agree it's not an OMC but it does have an open culet) has impact because of the colour. I still believe that you could make this look bigger with some clever setting.

Is there any chance that you can get the OMC (let's call it that!) to look at side by side with your round? If so, that might make your decision easier.

You won't be the first or the last to have buyer's remorse. What you now need to do is make absolutely sure that you've picked the right one so why don't you speak with Leibish and see if they can help?
 
You do have to love the stone but fortunately sometimes I start out really nitpicking and second guessing something then grow to see how amazing it is. Maybe the round will grow on you? If you don't LOVE it in a week, I say return it. I also think putting it in a three stone ring with two D-E 25 pointers could really show the contrast you paid for.
 
kelpie|1311627954|2976558 said:
I also think putting it in a three stone ring with two D-E 25 pointers could really show the contrast you paid for.
Click to expand...

I think Kelpie has an excellent idea. :appl:
Your pink diamond next to white ones will make the pink unmistakeable in every lighting, especially if her skin's hue anywhere near the color of the pink diamond.
The white ones will calibrate the eyeballs as to what colorless is.

I notice this with mine.
The color of one will inform the color of a nearby one.
The deep purplish pink can look red, until you put it next to a red.
It is a reference thing.
When one FCD is alone the brain can compensate and zero out the color.
Our brains play tricks with color-perception, but providing an adjacent white reference forces it back to more accurate perception.
White will calibrate the eye/brains and that will make the pink unmistakeable.

A pair of quater-carat colorless rounds would not be too expensive.
I recently bought an AGS-graded 0.22 ct D IF with fantastic cut form James Allen for only $590.
 
I'm not saying that "cup" does not work but I just can't wrap my head around how it could work.

If a diamond was shallow and it windowed I can see how a pink colored surface under the pavilion could make the diamond look more pink.
I don't think Tristan's round diamond windows.
Instead of pavilion facets acting as windows they act as mirrors when they are placed at the correct angles IOW when a diamond is deep enough.
So, if the diamond does not window light entering the top bounces around and comes back out the top, so something beneath the girdle will have no effect.

A cup below the girdle WILL stop light from entering the pavilion which may cause the diamond to look darker than it otherwise would have looked in some lighting environments.

This darker-looking may be misinterpreted as stronger color in a diamond with softer color.

. . . just thinking out loud here.
 
Did you take any pics? I know FCD's can be tricky to photograph but any visual image is better than none.

Sorry to hear you're having second thoughts but maybe it's not that bad. It might just be the lighting. That's why I like to take pics in all lighting, because their hues can vary.
 
First of all, A BIG thank you to everyone who has shared my search so far, and took the time to comment and share thoughts, wisdom and also moral support. I do appreciate it.

I've slept on the matter for a day, and I must say I am feeling a LOT better about the purchase. I'll go into details in a while.

So basically I arrived at the office to select the diamond out of the final 3 not 4 (one was released as it was sold, and it wasn't my most important pick). I saw in person 1) the 0.53 round brilliant (2nd in the picture kenny linked) 2) the 0.56 squarish emerald 3) the 0.28 round OMC - it looks like an modified OEC with an open culet in person, but was described to me as OMC.

At the office, I was simply in a very small unmarked office space (with multiple secure door releases) with an agent for Leibish. As it wasn't their sales office or a showroom, it was more like a simple delivery/viewing office. The focus was on security and obscurity, rather than like a typical diamond/jewelry store. I can imagine people coming to pick up their 2ct vivid blues in anonymity prior to lunch.

My problem was that I was there, and in front of me were the culmination of my months of searching for a pink E-ring centerstone. And I didn't really know what I was meant to do. So I popped open the little cases, and started looking at all of them. I must say that the office lighting was terrible. It was all harsh white flourescent lights, and it washed out quite a lot of colour from the stones. I also had no reference colour, so my eyes were playing off the three pinks against each other. There was no multiple light sources, and I did not ask to bring it out of the room, downstairs onto the street to view in daylight. But I stayed about 40mins to just pore over the gems in all angles. And yes, I used my fingers a lot - there were no tweezers provided. Odd, I know. But I could do whatever... hold up, line up, mug shot comparison, place on finger, alter the sequence etc. And the agent just politely sat and indulged me with her time.

These are my impressions:
1) Round Brilliant 0.53 - the diamond's cut quality looks very lovely. It was a very light looking pink in the light (it is visibly pastel pink in normal natural lighting, and almost anywhere with some LED or incandescent lights without just straight harsh white flourescent), but it was still very bright and sparkly. So lots of scintillation and fire. The pink stayed a light pastel pink throughout, in all angles, in shadowed areas etc. It did not alter to peach or orangey tones or show any brown hues. My greatest concern was that it was not an intense pink. But it did not and does not display any modifying colour (unless you consider purplish pink - it comes across as light pink)
This was the one I picked - and the most expensive

2) 0.56 Emerald cut - This diamond was beautiful. It had a deeper more muted fire and scintillation, but it immediately made me understand why step cuts for lower intensity FCDs. The step cut flatters the diamond by subtly allowing the colour to play more in the forefront, but the quality of the cut showed as a secondary feature. Quite different from the round - where the round's brilliance and fire sometimes 'interferes' with the innate colour of the gem, the emerald cut's optics are there, but the larger (what's it called, table?) allowed the colour to be enjoyed more visibly.

I also think that as they were both Fancy Pink, if you put them on a scale of 1-10 (10 being the start of intense and 1 being the start of fancy light), the emerald would be a 7 out of 10 in the fancy range, and the round would be a 6 out of 10. So the emerald had slightly more saturation. But it was pinkish rose, vs the round's straight pink look. In Argyle terms, the square is a 6PR, the round I'm guessing will be 6/7PP or 6/7P. This was the second contender and I NEARLY decided to walk away with it - and second most pricey.

3) 0.28 OMC Deep Pink - This diamond was amazing. The colour was truly gorgeous. A deep lasting beautiful pink, and if you stared into it, you would see the scintillation and fire of the diamond in pink and purplish flashes all throughout the stone. This was really gorgeous. But it was just too small to be an E-ring. It was also a bit "look at me!", which was not my intention. But seriously, if I was wanting to collect FCDs, I would have jumped on this one. This was the cheapest of the 3.
 
So ultimately, my misgivings I think would have been the same no matter which I picked. If I picked the emerald, I would have worried that it wasn't as brilliant, or as big (visually) and not sure if she would like this shape more than round. Or if the colour was very slightly more peachy in certain lights.

If I picked the OMC, I would have worried endlessly that it is too small, that it is a bit too saturated for an Ering, that it was a bit too shouty

Now that I picked the round, I fear only one thing - that it isn't pink enough.

Sleeping on it helped. I love the stone - it is a gorgeous pastel baby pink. Visible in almost all but the harshest white flourescent light.

My 'buyer's remorse' was everything crashing down on me at once. Is Pink the right colour? What if the poll was right and colourless is better? Should I spend all this money? What if I did and it didn't turn out right? Did I pick the right one of the 3? How do you know you picked the right one when all 3 are so beautiful in their own way?

A stepcut lover would have picked the emerald immediately it was so gorgeous. A round lover would have picked mine without a doubt. A colour nut would have loved the OMC to death.

Ultimately, i don't have the answer. I did the best I could, and I still think I made the right choice now - 24 hours later (exactly).

Leibish just listed THE PERFECT stone that I wanted this morning - a 0.68ct Round Brilliant Fancy Intense Pink, VG/VG cut/polish Argyle. But that's $55K. I can't really find the extra budget to make this happen.

I hope the one I have is perfect for my SO. :)) I just want her to love it.
 
@Crasru: Very wise. Picking one of 3 beautiful and uniquely desirable things is difficult. I'm feeling much better now that I only have 1 to see

@jstar: It is a surprise. So she'll have to hope that I'm careful enough to get it right.

@junebug: thank you :)) Exactly as you said.

@Kenny: yep, 30 days. Shared the rest of the details too, to help sate your FCD needs for the day :D Thanks for all the posts. You mean the Aphrodite coloured large vivid argyle pink in my avatar? Spoil? No....

@Stepcutnut: It isn't the stepcut pink! But I'm glad you think it is pretty as well. :)

@QueenB29: I love it. It is really just hard to pick from 3 different and equally desirable beauties. I mean, imagine having to decide to only bring home either Angelina Jolie OR Kate Beckinsale OR Alessandra Ambrosio. Even if you wanted to try all 3, you wouldn't be able to send one back. :D

@Aoife: Thank you! I wished the gem were more the colour of those roses in your avatar, but its good that it is almost there! (In some lights. In some angles. On some days.)

@LovingDiamonds: Your thoughts were EXACTLY what I feared in the office where I had to pick up the stone (about lightness). Now that I've seen the stone in other lights, it is decidedly pink. Just a more soft pastel pink. I saw the OMC side by side - it is beautiful, but perhaps too intense for a everyday wear E-ring, plus a touch smallish. It appears only around 65% of the size of the bigger round. Which will further limit how nicely it can be set.

@Kelpie: What a perfect idea! I'll speak with Victor about the 2 D coloured diamonds. I love the idea that the D colourless are just there to show how pretty the FCD is! Haha. Like dressed down bridesmaids to make the bride seem even more radiant?

@Pregcurious: I'm actually going to start a thread about this colour enchancement cup. Please chip in if you remember more!

@Platinumrock: Not yet! It is a surprise. She would DIE if she knew it was in my pocket beside her the entire time. I need a time when I'll be at home with light to take photos without getting outed. Next thread? :)
 
Thanks for the report.
I really enjoyed hearing your impressions and I'm glad you are getting cozy with your gorgeous new pink diamond.
 
my heart skipped a beat when i read the title of this thread: i was afraid you were going to say you dropped it and couldn't find it!
 
I think you have chosen wisely and well. I agree that 2 D colored side stones will make a huge compliment to the color of the center stone. Your lady is lucky that you are so careful with this engagement ring decision.
 
TristanC|1311647694|2976833 said:
This was the one I picked - and the most expensive
Click to expand...

You know what? Not that I advocate picking the most expensive thing, but if you are worried you are not getting the "best" one, well, this is your answer. Richard Wise says somewhere in his book that it's all about beauty, and everything you've said in this thread leads me to believe that the stone you picked was the most beautiful one, and therefore the most valuable both in your eyes, your fiancee's eyes, and the market's eyes (if you care about that).
 
Congratulations Tristan!

I second the idea of putting it next to some colorless stones to see if that increases pink perception.
Many times the contrast is amazing for that.

Wear it in the best of health!
 
I don't remember anything else about colored cups, but I know I like Leon's the best out of the ~3 I've seen on here. I remember one cup I saw had a very tiny opening at the bottom, and I thought it would be very hard to clean if stuff got inside and you couldn't use a ultrasonic cleaner (which is not recommended for micropave, I believe).
 
I would love to see that stone with two .25ct colorless side stones. Contrast and finger coverage all in one. Diamond Dana has a ring with those proportions and I think it is just about perfect for a three stone, really. Here is a link: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/tenth-anniversary-3-stone-ring.62178/

Now, I have not followed all your threads but I need to know: Does you gf know you are getting a prink diamond? Is it a surprise proposal? And most importantly, why are you such a stinker keeping her out of the fun of picking the stone?? :tongue: I would have loved to look for a pink stone. So much fun.
 
@Kenny You are more than welcome Kenny. I enjoy your FCD collection vicariously much more so than you could my one little purchase. :) Good to give back as much as I can!

@MovieZombie: Oh the horror! Don't say such things! Actually I did drop the round out of its little gem case at the dealer's office... but it dropped like 1cm, and landed on the table. I was such a bundle of nerves!

@BrightIce: Thanks for the kind words, and yes, I think that is a really great idea too!

@Deorwine: I know where you are coming from. But with FCDs it really is all over the place. Is an Argyle origin better? Is it worth more? Will the market want a 0.5++ ctw stone more? I guess it doesn't matter since it is never going to be sold again, but I tend to consider such things anyway.

@Rockdiamond: Thanks for the well wishes! I do hope that she will always wear it in the best of health myself.

@DreamerD: Hahaha. Yes, it is a surprise. Yes it is immensely fun, and more than a bit stressful to pick a pink stone. Why? It will all make sense in the end. She sees me staring at gems all night long anyway... she has been slowly educated about FCDs against her will, and shown the merits of coloured gemstones. She HAS seen the diamond, but she has also seen 200 others, quite a number of padparaschas, burmese rubies, paraibas, alexandrites, topaz, oregon sunstones, jade, rough, mining reports, journals on gemnology, lab created stones, precision cutters websites etc etc etc. She hasn't figured it out yet (I think she despairs of me ever popping the question), and it would be impossible to know which her stone was out of the hundreds that she has seen, or even the thousands I have seen.

For us, the surprise and the moment would be something that we would both treasure always. I make sure there are a ton of other things that she isn't deprived the fun of, but this way is better for us. So the onus is on me to make sure that as a bungling male, that I get it as perfectly right as I possibly can without going over the top. Anyway, all these threads are a document of the process, and she can see them all when it is past. If it is appropriate then. We'll see. ;)
 
Do you think surrounding the diamond with rose gold (prongs, bezel, or halo) might enhance the pink color?
 
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