Undertones/hue of diamonds

[Alexander33]

As far as undertones of the body color of diamonds from what Ive read the most common are yellow, brown, or grey.

1) When looking at diamonds G+ does undertone “exist”? ....as in should the question to be asked to vendor when referring to that color range can they even tell at those grades?‘’

2) Does it effect value of diamond?

3) At what color grade is undertone/ hue not important?

4) How to avoid buying BGM diamonds?

 

[Alexander33]

 

[oldminer]

Here is just a small sample of various combinations of colors within the basic Yellow color of fancy color diamonds. There are further, secondary modifiers of these colors, too. Many, many combinations exist. All the other basic colors have similar situations and the rarity of some of them makes judgement of all the factors crucial and financially important.

 

[OcnGypZ]

When going with lower colors.. the stone should have a yellow undertone. Brown and gray are less desirable. Jewelry stores in the Caribbean are full of gray undertone stores. That's why they are so much cheaper.

 

[Alexander33]

When going with lower colors.. the stone should have a yellow undertone. Brown and gray are less desirable. Jewelry stores in the Caribbean are full of gray undertone stores. That's why they are so much cheaper.

yes. My concern is buying a G+ diamond does play a undertone/ hue of body color play factor of value? Or at that grade does undertone not effect value because its not relevant?

 

[Kaycee2018]

I’m no expert, but I inquired about this diamond several months ago and was told it had brown undertones. Its a G with a solid ASET, but the report is from June 2019 so I imagine it’s got some apparent tint despite being a G. Maybe an expert can chime in (perhaps not on this specific stone but this scenario in genera).

ETA link: https://www.b2cjewels.com/dd/12777150/Round-Diamond-G-Color-VS1-Clarity

 

[OcnGypZ]

Photo credit to Victor Canera

Yellow undertone "I" color to left; Gray undertone "I" to right.

 

[Rockdiamond]

I do recall, years ago a GIA graded H color diamond which had the notation faint brown......but in recent memory, faint brown only appears on K and lower..I could be wrong.
You don't see a lot of such stones.
Two possible reasons
1) they're rare
2) they're made rarer, because this is the sort of color which turns blue when you nuke it. ( irradiation)

Grey is relatively rare as well in my experience- and I can't recall the notation on a GIA colorless Diamond Report......

Another rare one- that absolutely does impact stones that might otherwise be G+.....and their price

PINK!
Faint, and Very Light Pink can be pretty durn close to white sometimes......

 

[Alexander33]

@Texas Leaguer @Victor Canera @Wink @Rhino Or any one who has a opinion on this it would be much appreciated! TA

Thank you! I guess my question in in the “colorless range” does hue of a diamond still effect value.
can one tell if a F colored stone has a brown or yellow hue to it body color? Or once your up to a certain color that hue/ undertones dont play a factor.

Example : Does an F with a yellow hue look whiter then an F with a brown hue.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

By definition DEF are 'colorless'. I would submit that the vast majority of people would be incapable of discerning a hue.

In the near colorless range it starts to become possible to discern hue for people with very good color acuity. But it is notable that GIA does not identify the hue in the near colorless range, because it is considered a negligible factor. Not enough color there to make a difference visually.

In the trade there is some disagreement regarding preference brown vs yellow. Many dealers think that slight brown body color tends to face up whiter than the same amount of yellow body color, especially in small stones.

Down the scale where hue starts to become appreciable, there does seem to be some bias in the market against brown. Whether that is warranted or is a result of brown not being a sexy color in general, I don't know.

When there is a bias against some aspect, for instance fluorescence in many cases, even if that aspect has no impact on beauty, values may take a hit.

 

[Gemly]

I do recall, years ago a GIA graded H color diamond which had the notation faint brown......but in recent memory, faint brown only appears on K and lower..I could be wrong.
You don't see a lot of such stones.
Two possible reasons
1) they're rare
2) they're made rarer, because this is the sort of color which turns blue when you nuke it. ( irradiation)

Grey is relatively rare as well in my experience- and I can't recall the notation on a GIA colorless Diamond Report......

Another rare one- that absolutely does impact stones that might otherwise be G+.....and their price

PINK!
Faint, and Very Light Pink can be pretty durn close to white sometimes......

My diamond has a very faint pink undertone that is not listed on the report, but is obvious when held face down against a white background. The color is “i” and I believe they don’t start listing a color undertone other than yellow until J or K color. I love my pink stone!!

 

[Alexander33]

Thanks! the concern is below i have 2 Fs I’m looking at the one on the right is alot whiter and the one on the left looks soo different but i cant tell what it is... is it just me? ( AGS graded)

 

[monipod]

Thanks! the concern is below i have 2 Fs I’m looking at the one on the right is alot whiter and the one on the left looks soo different but i cant tell what it is... is it just me? ( AGS graded)

They're pretty white to me but it could be that the one on the right is reflecting aqua on the bottom to make it seem cooler? I wouldn't judge from just one photo. Can the vendor send you a video?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Remember that the color grading is done face down.
You are doing your home work Alex and as such the face up color at G will be very difficult to detect by anyone when comparing say a round brilliant well cut 1ct D to a 1ct G face up.
So the chance of seeing brownish in a G is very slight - you need great lighting and amazing acuity.
In H maybe half of well trained people can see it in a few different lightings.
but if you go with some fluorescence you will have no brown or yellow issues!

 

[Alexander33]

Remember that the color grading is done face down.
You are doing your home work Alex and as such the face up color at G will be very difficult to detect by anyone when comparing say a round brilliant well cut 1ct D to a 1ct G face up.
So the chance of seeing brownish in a G is very slight - you need great lighting and amazing acuity.
In H maybe half of well trained people can see it in a few different lightings.
but if you go with some fluorescence you will have no brown or yellow issues!

Thanks Garry! This is where my concerns stemmed from. These are all G colored diamonds and they yellow hue does face up a lot whiter.




I’m getting an F and my concern is I notice a difference in these 2 and can’t tell what it would be I really want to avoid any other body color other then yellow. Can you tell a difference from the 2 Fs? The one on the left is mine but the one on the right seems a crisper white.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

I wouldnt be able to make that assessment from a static photo and not knowing the lighting conditions, and level of fluoro etc.
I think you need to follow the vendor advice.
In my experiance GIA tend to be hard on brownish colors.

 

[Ibrakeforpossums]

Okay, I'm just a dumb housewife but I think the disparity in size is leading your eye. I believe they're both F in color but when you go up in size, everything is magnified to some extent..
Surely they're both gorgeous.

 

[Alexander33]

I wouldnt be able to make that assessment from a static photo and not knowing the lighting conditions, and level of fluoro etc.
I think you need to follow the vendor advice.
In my experiance GIA tend to be hard on brownish colors.

Its AGS. the vender said they cant tell what hue it is since its a colorless diamond. I guess i put too much weight on the photo. Thanks for all your help!

 

[Alexander33]

Okay, I'm just a dumb housewife but I think the disparity in size is leading your eye. I believe they're both F in color but when you go up in size, everything is magnified to some extent..
Surely they're both gorgeous.

i think it makes sense with it being larger to see more color. it could just be how it looks in photos. I’m color sensitive and my eye sees the one on the right being super crisp white and the one on the left having a darker hue. Hopefully It’s just How it photographs!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Coincidentally I called in to work today (we are in stage 4 lockdowns) and my gemologists were sorting and grading a parcel of 1/4 caraters.
They showed me the small stone in the picture - it has a faint pinkish hue - It is compares to E and we decided to grade it F.

Masters are E - pinkish 1/4ct F - G - H

 

[Alexander33]

Coincidentally I called in to work today (we are in stage 4 lockdowns) and my gemologists were sorting and grading a parcel of 1/4 caraters.
They showed me the small stone in the picture - it has a faint pinkish hue - It is compares to E and we decided to grade it F.

Masters are E - pinkish 1/4ct F - G - H

oh wow! Now see a pink hued diamond I wouldn’t mid at all lol.

The vender tells me D-F there is no undertone so i don’t now... thank for all your help

 

[Gemly]

oh wow! Now see a pink hued diamond I wouldn’t mid at all lol.

The vender tells me D-F there is no undertone so i don’t now... thank for all your help

What I love most about my pink undertone “I” diamond is that when worn, it looks like it’s just clear and reflecting a bit of skin color. When it’s off and held against white you can see the pink.

 

[ThiaChelf]

What I love most about my pink undertone “I” diamond is that when worn, it looks like it’s just clear and reflecting a bit of skin color. When it’s off and held against white you can see the pink.

The 0.86 ct mrb I just bought had a pinkish undertone in the videos and pics. Its also an I. When it arrived I couldn't see the pink in it because the cut is so good and it's light performance is so crazy. Its a little fireball. However when I look at the profile against a white background I can definitely see pink also.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

The stone faces up totally white.
If it was a crushed ice cushion it would probably show a tinge.