"Well-cut stones of lower colours face up colourless"

[FB.]

glitterata

Maybe, in my eagerness to fuel the debate, I gave the wrong impression.

I don''t have a preference for diamond colour, other than D-F is best in plat, and H-J is better in YG.

My "wish list" or "watch list" of diamonds currently on the market currently contains:

0x D
1x E
2x F
2x G
2x H
4x I
6x J

My concern is that the diamond-buying public are led to believe (by the mainstream) that yellow is bad - and that this forum risks steering people towards more yellow-tinted stones that might be disappointing to the buyer.
The stones may be beautiful, but they may also have a lot more tint than the buyer was led to believe, since many diamonds are now bought "mail-order".

 

[coda72]

You may think that a stone that is H-J in color shouldn''t be set in platinum, but there are plenty of people here including me that have those color stones in platinum and think they look just fine. I did not deny that my J color stone has a tint to it, but I don''t believe the tint is enhanced by the color of the metal it''s in. It will have a tint no matter what color metal it resides in. Also, since I got my J stone, I have had no one say to me that my stone looks yellow. In fact, people have told me how they can see the sparkle from across the room. What I think you''re not understanding is this, that an extremely well-cut stone will sparkle so much that nobody will notice that it''s tinted. Hardly anyone outside of PS has stones that sparkle as much as the ones that PSers buy.

 

[luv2sparkle]

When my husband and I went to buy my first upgraded stone in 1985 there was not much info available. I remember going to the library to get a book on
diamonds so I could be ''informed'', I ended up getting a higher color stone. Twenty years later, after finding this site, We purchased a ''J'' based on what I read
and photos I saw, of others diamonds. I would have never picked a J if I hadnt found the site. I could see the color when I first got it, but after a couple
days it looked very white on my finger. In certain light I could see the tint and it kind of bugged me. So when I, upgraded for the last time, I went up to
an I. Again I could see the tint when I first opened the box, but after that not at all.

I have a large group of girlfriends, many of whom have larger diamonds. Can I say, that every single one of them said my diamond looked better than theirs.
That was with my ''J''. One girlfriend has a very high color diamond and I could see the difference, but mine is way sparklier. If there is a slight bias to this
site it is only because many of us have realized the joy of finding a beautiful stone that gives us the perfect balance of size and color to fit our budgets.

Lower colors may be less costly in the diamond market, but no less valuable to those of us who have them. I would not have wanted to spend the amount of
money required to purchase a D-F stone in my 2.57 size. An I was a considerable investment, (think nice car), and I am thrilled to have it.

My friends haven''t commented on my "i" because I haven''t mentioned that I upgraded again because a few of them are having financial difficulties due to the
economy.

 

[soocool]

I have a 1.51 ct J set in 18k yellow gold. Yes, I purposely went for the J to save bucks. I looked at all stones from D to J and in my opinion the J was fine with me. In other words, bigger bang for the buck.

So far, I have received nothing but enormous compliments on my ring and no one examines it for "hint" of color, etc. I think all anyone sees is "Size" ,"Sparkle" and the "WOW" factor. Here on Pricescope many agonize on the color quality of the stone ( I know. I was one of them before purchasing my diamond) when in real life I don''t think too many people really pay attention (they don''t even know the color or cut quality only the size of their stones). I do notice my J outsparkles my friends'' rings and theirs hardly sparkle at all.

 

[CharmyPoo]

Just buy a G SI1 and be done with it.

We can have this same debate over clarity.

 

[D&T]

Date: 10/13/2009 12:08:13 AM
Author: CharmyPoo
Just buy a G SI1 and be done with it.

We can have this same debate over clarity.

I like how you think

...lol

ditto.

 

[LGK]

Honestly, set and in daily viewing conditions, strangers notice sparkle, and size, and what your setting looks like, pretty much in that order, and not much else. And your average person assumes sparkle comes from high color/clarity, and knows nothing about cut. I wear an M, set in white gold with a halo of much whiter melee. Yeah, you can see it's off white in most lights- yet, even an M really doesn't look actually *yellow*, it just looks like an antique white. Strangely enough, I've had a bunch of strangers ask if it's a D, "because it's so sparkly". Which always makes me scratch my head- it is obvious it has body color- but when I've told someone who said that that no, it's an M, invariably they say something about assuming high color=sparkle, and (if they even know what the diamond color grading scale is) that they assumed an M would be bright yellow.

My personal preference is for off white stones- off white looks better with my skin color, lower colors look great with the antique cuts I prefer, and I save a buttload of money.

I tend to think that's the "bias" you get on PS- that most of us have found that if you aren't averse to a lower color stone, you can get a bigger rock and/or save $$, and what's not to like about that? And that even if you realize that you're color sensitive and want a colorless stone, that you need to look at some properly graded, well cut diamonds to make that call, and it's at least a wise idea to look at diamonds in real life before making a very expensive decision like that. Indeed, a lower color stone sparkles just like a whiter one, if it's cut well- and sparkle/fire/scintillation and all that good stuff is where the beauty of a diamond lies, regardless of what color it is.

Yes, a J isn't a D and set next to each other, most of us can tell if we observe closely. I don't think I've seen any posts suggesting otherwise.

Also a lot of newbies have seen REALLY tinted and badly cut stones passed off as "J"s or whatever in maul stores, when in reality they're quite misgraded- and thus they think a J color is very colored indeed. I do think PS does work to educate new folks that they don't *have* to get a colorless stone to get a beautiful diamond, and I think that's definitely a good thing, because there *is* a lot of misinformation out there, and people tend to have learned just enough about the 4 Cs to be a danger to their pocketbooks when they find their way here. I think PS posters tend to do their best to try to present a variety of options and to educate people about just how many choices there are, and that you don't have to break the bank to get a gorgeous diamond.

I think a lot of posts when people are asking what color they should get for an e-ring, I tend to see most people suggesting a G or H is a pretty good value vs. color balance for a guy buying a stone as a surprise, and tend to suggest lower colors than that if someone is trying to maximize size for a tight budget. Yeah, most of us see a well cut J as being pretty white face up, and PS posters do often say so, but I don't think that automatically translates to "they're identical to a D" and "everyone should get one".

 

[justginger]

Just out of curiosity, what metals were the three diamonds set in? To me, it looks like both the H and I are set in yellow gold, which is what is providing the majority of the tint seen. I could be wrong, but to me it''s not just the DIAMONDS that look yellow, it''s the whole pendant/setting area that is colored.

I don''t think anyone on here says, "Don''t even bother looking for yourself, an I will be fine for your stone -- trust me." I think most people say, "Figure out what your color tolerance is and we''ll go from there." There are two camps of people who push lower colors -- those who accept them in order to have better cut/clarity or bigger size, those who honestly can''t see the difference, and those who truly love the color. I think that''s why it sometimes seems like there are so many non-icy white color supporters, because a variety of people like different color ranges for different reasons.

 

[jstarfireb]

What this thread boils down to is that it''s all a matter of (1) subjective color sensitivity, and (2) personal preference. These are two separate issues. The first is whether or not one can perceive small variations in color, and the second is whether one prefers whiter or less white diamonds.

I personally can''t tell the difference between my ideal I princess or J round and a colorless stone face-up. And there''s no way I could ever tell the difference if they weren''t side-by-side. Occasionally I can see some tint from the side (not the top), and only in low-light conditions. I think my color sensitivity starts closer to K-L-M and below. Given the choice I''d prefer a whiter stone than a less white one, but to me, an I/J still counts as a whiter stone. So I didn''t have much motivation to go any whiter than that. Sticking with an I allowed me to get an ideal cut princess of the size (1ct) and pedigree (AGS certified ideal) that I was looking for while staying under budget.

 

[Gleam]

Date: 10/13/2009 10:01:01 AM
Author: jstarfireb
What this thread boils down to is that it''s all a matter of (1) subjective color sensitivity, and (2) personal preference. These are two separate issues. The first is whether or not one can perceive small variations in color, and the second is whether one prefers whiter or less white diamonds.

And when the two meet, a person is likely to go with a higher color grade stone. Like me. I''m not especially color sensitive and I prefer warmer colors. Ever since I held up a high-quality CZ to a D color diamond, I''ve preferred the warmer diamonds. There''s just something more "diamondy" about them... they feel very, very authentic to me in a way cool stones don''t. I think D stones are incredible due to their perfection and colorlessness, but I don''t have any real desire to own one (unless I had unlimited funds).

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 10/13/2009 12:08:13 AM
Author: CharmyPoo
Just buy a G SI1 and be done with it.

We can have this same debate over clarity.

lol.. so true.