What color stones are people REALLY wearing?

[Haven]

This is something I've been thinking about for a while.

IF the majority of people who buy diamond engagement rings buy them from mall chain stores,
and IF these mall stores carry stones graded by more lenient and less reputable labs,
THEN what color stones are people really wearing?

I ask because honestly, I'd be willing to bet that women with engagement rings from these stores are really wearing stones that GIA would rate closer to I/J/K/L.

What do you think?

 

[Diamond*Dana]

My friend is going through a divorce an decided to sell her e-ring. It was purchased from
Service Merchandise about 12 years or so ago and the papers stated it as a J.
When she tried to sell it, the jeweler told her it was in fact an M and he wouldn't
even buy it from her! She said she was shocked at how yellow/brown it was when
placed on a white piece of paper
out of the setting.

 

[Missy]

That's a good question. I am always checking out people's diamonds ( ) and the ones I get close enough to (my friends jewels) look pretty white to me so if I had to guess I would say FGHI for people I know.

If we are talking about the general population I have no idea because it's really hard to tell when you are on the subway and you cannot look at a stranger's stone that close up. Also, there are a lot of smaller stones (less than .5 carats I would estimate) and that makes it more difficult to estimate also. And of course we know "cut is king" so that makes a difference too as probably most of the stones from the mall are not ideal cut and that will also affect the perception of the color.

As usual though I am over thinking the question.

 

[madelise]

I actually was just thinking this. I'm wondering what the average color diamond every woman wears as an engagement ring. Not which one is most common (mode), but more like assigning a numerical value to each grade and dividing it to find the actual mean.


But to do that first, every diamond would have to be accurately graded for color. I'm very shocked at that M!

 

[webdiva]

Once you've seen stones in the white gold settings and then a piece of paper - it really makes you think about color differently! A J/K princess in the setting looked pretty darn white next to my E in a ring holder. However, both on a piece of paper face down showed the color very differently. I imagine JKL are the most common based on the terrible maul rings that "claim" they are I colors. Almost all the diamond in the Costco showcase are I color.

 

[Missy]

Once you've seen stones in the white gold settings and then a piece of paper - it really makes you think about color differently! A J/K princess in the setting looked pretty darn white next to my E in a ring holder. However, both on a piece of paper face down showed the color very differently. I imagine JKL are the most common based on the terrible maul rings that "claim" they are I colors. Almost all the diamond in the Costco showcase are I color.

I see the yellow tint on the Costco diamonds...and in fact, it is what has prevented me from picking up a bauble or 2 there. They have some very pretty jewelry but the yellow tint is obvious to me in their (I color) diamonds.

 

[webdiva]

Once you've seen stones in the white gold settings and then a piece of paper - it really makes you think about color differently! A J/K princess in the setting looked pretty darn white next to my E in a ring holder. However, both on a piece of paper face down showed the color very differently. I imagine JKL are the most common based on the terrible maul rings that "claim" they are I colors. Almost all the diamond in the Costco showcase are I color.

I see the yellow tint on the Costco diamonds...and in fact, it is what has prevented me from picking up a bauble or 2 there. They have some very pretty jewelry but the yellow tint is obvious to me in their (I color) diamonds.

Yup - check the label for the color. All of the larger ones in the case are CZs and that's why they look white. Found that out while first researching diamonds and wondering if Costco was a good deal!

 

[Dancing Fire]

Once you've seen stones in the white gold settings and then a piece of paper - it really makes you think about color differently! A J/K princess in the setting looked pretty darn white next to my E in a ring holder. However, both on a piece of paper face down showed the color very differently. I imagine JKL are the most common based on the terrible maul rings that "claim" they are I colors. Almost all the diamond in the Costco showcase are I color.

I see the yellow tint on the Costco diamonds...and in fact, it is what has prevented me from picking up a bauble or 2 there. They have some very pretty jewelry but the yellow tint is obvious to me in their (I color) diamonds.

b/c most of them are IGI graded...so my guess is that most people are sporting J/K stones.

 

[Missy]

Once you've seen stones in the white gold settings and then a piece of paper - it really makes you think about color differently! A J/K princess in the setting looked pretty darn white next to my E in a ring holder. However, both on a piece of paper face down showed the color very differently. I imagine JKL are the most common based on the terrible maul rings that "claim" they are I colors. Almost all the diamond in the Costco showcase are I color.

I see the yellow tint on the Costco diamonds...and in fact, it is what has prevented me from picking up a bauble or 2 there. They have some very pretty jewelry but the yellow tint is obvious to me in their (I color) diamonds.

b/c most of them are IGI graded...so my guess is that most people are sporting J/K stones.

That's a good point. And I just thought I was awfully color sensitive!! Even my dh sees the slight yellow tint on those diamonds. Still, some of the jewelry designs at Costco are very pretty.

 

[Dancing Fire]

Once you've seen stones in the white gold settings and then a piece of paper - it really makes you think about color differently! A J/K princess in the setting looked pretty darn white next to my E in a ring holder. However, both on a piece of paper face down showed the color very differently. I imagine JKL are the most common based on the terrible maul rings that "claim" they are I colors. Almost all the diamond in the Costco showcase are I color.

I see the yellow tint on the Costco diamonds...and in fact, it is what has prevented me from picking up a bauble or 2 there. They have some very pretty jewelry but the yellow tint is obvious to me in their (I color) diamonds.

Yup - check the label for the color. All of the larger ones in the case are CZs and that's why they look white. Found that out while first researching diamonds and wondering if Costco was a good deal!

IMO...their jewelry are ok if you are looking to spend b/t $500-$700.

 

[Christina...]

I was thinking about this while responding to a thread recently. The person was concerned about purchasing a diamond below H because his wifes friends told her that there was a huge difference between an F and an H. It made me wonder where the friends where buying their jewelry and that 1. they could have very fine diamonds and be color sensitive or 2. purchased from Maul stores that had incorrectly graded their diamonds to begin with. I decided it was probably #2. I think the average ering is sporting an IJK center stone that has been graded as FGH.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I am in agreement that most people are wearing diamonds I or lower simply because there are SO many diamond rings sold that are not GIA graded.

 

[Enerchi]

I would also agree with you Haven, that the majority of the population purchasing diamonds are going thru B&M retailers and are not as astute as PSers are, so probably are very happy with their HIJ's. And that's if they are even graded via GIA - I'd agree most may not be certified by GIA and most likely are IGI or EGL.

As long as they are happy I guess.

 

[Dancing Fire]

btw; the PS avg is GIA H color.

 

[Md123456789]

All of these threads are starting to make me really worried about my J... I picked it out a couple weeks ago and haven't seen it back yet. SO nervous. But I guess I had an I before that was very poorly cut so can't be much worse!

 

[Haven]

All of these threads are starting to make me really worried about my J... I picked it out a couple weeks ago and haven't seen it back yet. SO nervous. But I guess I had an I before that was very poorly cut so can't be much worse!

I don't think there's anything wrong with any color stone as long as you like it. I wear an O-P myself.
Who graded your stone as a J?

 

[Mayk]

...not only is the color in question... How about the cut?

Most PS'ers wearing warmer colors have painstakingly studied the cut.. The diamonds are beautiful... The maul ones are more "dead" in appearance.

 

[Md123456789]

All of these threads are starting to make me really worried about my J... I picked it out a couple weeks ago and haven't seen it back yet. SO nervous. But I guess I had an I before that was very poorly cut so can't be much worse!

I don't think there's anything wrong with any color stone as long as you like it. I wear an O-P myself.
Who graded your stone as a J?

It's GIA graded.. I think I am just truly not very color sensitive! I could tell when flipped upside down but now I am just worried how it will look set. The waiting is killer.

Cut is Gia excellent but high hca... Complicated situation as it was an exchange but it definitely has much better contrast and 'personality' than my previous stone. Its also an eye clean si2 with medium flour and about .6 mm larger in diameter.

 

[Haven]

...not only is the color in question... How about the cut?

Most PS'ers wearing warmer colors have painstakingly studied the cut.. The diamonds are beautiful... The maul ones are more "dead" in appearance.

Oh, I definitely agree.

I see a lot of newbies come on PS and agonize over going lower than an F in color, and it always makes me wonder because I'd bet that the average person actually sees more G/H/I/J stones than D/E/F stones IRL. The owners *think* their stones are higher in color, but they probably aren't.

Of course, this doesn't apply to all circles. None of my friends own stones from a mall store, and most have GIA stones. But I think that's unusual.

 

[Laila619]

Well I had an AGS 'H' color, and I have an IGI graded 'H' and I can tell you that surprisingly, my IGI is whiter! I know IGI is known for being a soft lab, but in this case, I actually think they got it right. I have 'I' color side stones in my 3 stone ring, and they do show more tint than my IGI 'H.' I guess even the bad labs can be right once in a while. Also, my maul diamond has a surprisingly good cut. It's an FIC but it is close to ideal Tolk proportions. There are a lot of bad maul stones, but I guess DH got lucky when he chose this one.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I am guess they are KLM if bought from chains.

Where I live no one wears large diamonds at all. Just me I have worn and owned all colors of diamonds from F to M. They are all purdy and no one ever noticed the color in the more tinted stones. And I never notice color in other people's stones, just cut. Well, once I noticed color -- a gal had a D color GIA RB and that really caught my eye.

 

[Rhea]

I was thinking about this the other day. My cousin is getting enaged, and just like I did, and probably like all of us, is placing a lot of emphasis on size and colour. I'm trying to help her find a steal of a deal and think I found her one. We compared our rings in real life while shopping and the one she's considerings which appraised as a G is face-up much whiter than mine from Fay Cullen (blah! Don't shop there) which was supposedly a G/H and SI1 (yeah, right!).

I'm guessing that I'm wearing an K/L/M, and probably an I1. I've never gotten it appraised for fear that's what it would be. It's not mind clean for me anyhow and I just can't bear to make it worse. I do remember shortly after I got engaged wondering if I just had really good eyesight that I could see yellow in a G/H. I've now seen a few old cuts in mid-range colours, G to L and they all look so white compared to mine!

 

[stargurl78]

Once you've seen stones in the white gold settings and then a piece of paper - it really makes you think about color differently! A J/K princess in the setting looked pretty darn white next to my E in a ring holder. However, both on a piece of paper face down showed the color very differently. I imagine JKL are the most common based on the terrible maul rings that "claim" they are I colors. Almost all the diamond in the Costco showcase are I color.

I'm with webdiva, I think most people are sporting JKL color... And I agree with Mayk, many of them look so dead. I was at the bank the other day and the woman helping me had a big stone in a beautiful simple setting but the stone had no life whatsoever. Made me happy that my DH choose quality over size when he picked out mine...

 

[webdiva]

All of these threads are starting to make me really worried about my J... I picked it out a couple weeks ago and haven't seen it back yet. SO nervous. But I guess I had an I before that was very poorly cut so can't be much worse!

I don't think there's anything wrong with any color stone as long as you like it. I wear an O-P myself.
Who graded your stone as a J?

It's GIA graded.. I think I am just truly not very color sensitive! I could tell when flipped upside down but now I am just worried how it will look set. The waiting is killer.

Cut is Gia excellent but high hca... Complicated situation as it was an exchange but it definitely has much better contrast and 'personality' than my previous stone. Its also an eye clean si2 with medium flour and about .6 mm larger in diameter.

Don't worry - many people have a J - I think the point of this thread is that while people THINK they're buying a GHI, they're really buying lower than that since they're not GIA graded. Any many of THOSE tones face up white. So your stone, while a J - is a true J and is well cut. No worries - it'll look beautiful!

 

[Laila619]

Once you've seen stones in the white gold settings and then a piece of paper - it really makes you think about color differently! A J/K princess in the setting looked pretty darn white next to my E in a ring holder. However, both on a piece of paper face down showed the color very differently. I imagine JKL are the most common based on the terrible maul rings that "claim" they are I colors. Almost all the diamond in the Costco showcase are I color.

I'm with webdiva, I think most people are sporting JKL color... And I agree with Mayk, many of them look so dead. I was at the bank the other day and the woman helping me had a big stone in a beautiful simple setting but the stone had no life whatsoever. Made me happy that my DH choose quality over size when he picked out mine...

A lot of the time though, I wonder if it's because soooo many people just don't clean their rings ever! We PSers are a different breed.

 

[distracts]

I work part-time in a high-end mall store. Most people who come in have diamonds where I can see a yellowish tint. I would say I/J/K/L. A lot have settings where I can see the stone from the side and the tint is extremely noticeable to me (many of these are big, big diamonds). A lot also have tint you can see from the top, which is why I think they go down as far as L. I'd say 9 out of 10 have noticeable tint. Of the others, I think I may have seen one that was a D/E. Those always seem obscenely white to me and really stand out.

 

[Haven]

Once you've seen stones in the white gold settings and then a piece of paper - it really makes you think about color differently! A J/K princess in the setting looked pretty darn white next to my E in a ring holder. However, both on a piece of paper face down showed the color very differently. I imagine JKL are the most common based on the terrible maul rings that "claim" they are I colors. Almost all the diamond in the Costco showcase are I color.

I'm with webdiva, I think most people are sporting JKL color... And I agree with Mayk, many of them look so dead. I was at the bank the other day and the woman helping me had a big stone in a beautiful simple setting but the stone had no life whatsoever. Made me happy that my DH choose quality over size when he picked out mine...

Yes, I do see a lot of dead stones.

This is bad, but I met with a new eye doctor a couple years ago. She was young and kind of bitchy (she kind of acted like you'd expect a scorned ex of your current SO to act towards you), so I didn't take to her very well, but her office is so close to my house so I figured I'd suck it up and deal with her attitude once a year.

Well, we went into the eye exam and I saw her HORRIBLE, GIGANTIC princess e-ring. The setting was a monster, and the stone was dead. I can't trust an eye doctor who cannot see that a giant princess is lifeless, so I found a new doctor after I filled that one prescription with her.

 

[Missy]

Once you've seen stones in the white gold settings and then a piece of paper - it really makes you think about color differently! A J/K princess in the setting looked pretty darn white next to my E in a ring holder. However, both on a piece of paper face down showed the color very differently. I imagine JKL are the most common based on the terrible maul rings that "claim" they are I colors. Almost all the diamond in the Costco showcase are I color.

I'm with webdiva, I think most people are sporting JKL color... And I agree with Mayk, many of them look so dead. I was at the bank the other day and the woman helping me had a big stone in a beautiful simple setting but the stone had no life whatsoever. Made me happy that my DH choose quality over size when he picked out mine...

Yes, I do see a lot of dead stones.

This is bad, but I met with a new eye doctor a couple years ago. She was young and kind of bitchy (she kind of acted like you'd expect a scorned ex of your current SO to act towards you), so I didn't take to her very well, but her office is so close to my house so I figured I'd suck it up and deal with her attitude once a year.

Well, we went into the eye exam and I saw her HORRIBLE, GIGANTIC princess e-ring. The setting was a monster, and the stone was dead. I can't trust an eye doctor who cannot see that a giant princess is lifeless, so I found a new doctor after I filled that one prescription with her.

LOL, I am with you on that Haven, 100%. Sounds like she needs glasses pronto!

 

[Laila619]

LOL! She probably does see it, but if her poor, unsuspecting husband bought it for her from the mall, what can she do?

 

[0-0-0]

Well, we went into the eye exam and I saw her HORRIBLE, GIGANTIC princess e-ring. The setting was a monster, and the stone was dead. I can't trust an eye doctor who cannot see that a giant princess is lifeless, so I found a new doctor after I filled that one prescription with her.