What situations is color most noticable?

[DrGunner]

I'm definitely the neurotic type and I've been driving myself crazy about whether or not I made the right purchase. Im in the process of buying a WF ES 2.4 I SI1 RB. The only thing that worries me is the color. Ive read a ton of post about I color and I think for the most part, people agree that it faces up white, and maybe show a hint of yellow from profile (depending of color sensitivity).

Luckily, my girlfriend is not very picky and doesnt know too much about diamonds. My main concern is how the diamond will perform in real world situations...... in the office, at the grocery store, outside, at night, etc. What kind of lighting is good or bad? Will people be able to easily notice the color on a daily basis when the ring is set (the setting I am thinking about is very open and has a clear profile view)? I can see the difference in color from D, G, H, and I stones, but thats against a flat white background, upside down or profile. I dont want to hear her friends say "its big but its kinda yellow"

The more I read here, the more I try to remind myself that the average PS member is not the layman, and that we really are splitting hairs here, trying to discern the best from the top 1% of diamonds.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I believe your last sentence is absolutely right! No one has ever even asked me the color of my diamond and they certainly would have zero idea what cut even meant!

When color looks the worst, at least to me, is in the car. The sun shines through tinted glass and that is the only time my stone (which is H color) seems to take on a tint. I color is certainly not going to look like a D color when you place it next to a D-F, but it should stand alone just fine. But like clarity, color is just such a personal thing. The cost to bump your stone up to H color would cost thousands in that size, probably. If you think your girlfriend wants a larger stone, then that is probably the right decision. I am sure it will be very beautiful!

 

[swingirl]

I can only speak for myself and am no expert on color. If a stone is well cut it will show less color. More light (light is white) reflected to your eyes, less color to see coming from the stone. I have an H, I, J, K and M and I can see the difference in all of them when they are together on a white background. But when they are being warn it's impossible to tell the color differences unless you can make a direct comparison. I happen to like seeing the warmth or creamy color instead of the very icy white. Occasionally my H looks a little warm when I am in dim light. But no one would ever say it's yellow. Being that it's well cut, one of my favorite environments to stare at my ring is evening restaurant or theater lighting.

I am sure you have a beauty of a stone from WF. If I were really concerned I would want to look at it before having it set. A large stone can show color more and some people mind. I am not one of them. When it's cut well, it's all about the sparkle.

 

[kenny]

Body color will be more noticeable when the lighting is soft, diffuse and directionless.
Examples are a very cloudy day, an indoor environment without spotlighting, such as when there are are several large fluorescent fixtures covered with diffusers.

Also body color is more noticeable when looking at the side view or a view that is 45 degree from top view.

 

[jstarfireb]

Body color will be more noticeable when the lighting is soft, diffuse and directionless.
Examples are a very cloudy day, an indoor environment without spotlighting, such as when there are are several large fluorescent fixtures covered with diffusers.

This makes sense to me theoretically, but in practice I notice the opposite! My I color ACA princess is very white in diffuse outdoor lighting, fluorescent, etc. It starts to look a little yellowish from the top in spotlighting, e.g. mall jewelry store lighting. Mall store lighting is the WORST for my diamond! For some reason there's barely any fire in that lighting.

 

[Black Jade]

Side view.
I have several diamonds ranging from AGS graded F, to AGS graded H to EGL graded I (which would probably be J or K if graded by the AGS or GIA), to several diamonds that the jeweller told me were H or F or whatever, but I know that's completely random.

The AGS F looks really different from the others when seen from the side. It looks like an ice cube and t hat's a pleasing look --but not pleasing enough to me to spend $$$$ to achieve that in all my diamonds. All of the others face up white from the top, with the EGL graded I (which is certainly a worse color than your GIA graded I) looking really great from the top--its a lively diamond with lots of sparkle and fire. It's a marquise and I do see yellow from the side especially at the tips, but no one else has noticed it. Others keep telling me what a white diamond it is.

I don't wear the F next to the others, but always on the other hand. If your fiance doesn't have a D, E, or F diamond squirreled away somewhere to directly compare to, I honestly doubt she'll notice. And as said before, in the real world the only things people tend to notice are size and sparkle, usually in that order.

I think you should stop worrying--and you don't even have to tell your fiance the color. Jsut tell her the carat weight. Most women I know have no idea of their diamonds other specs but can tell you to the carat weight down to a hair.

 

[Winks_Elf]

Typically your about-to-be-fiancee's friends are going to be looking at the ring on her hand, straight on and gasping at how gorgeous it is! They are not going to be holding a sheet of white paper up to it and saying, "Oh, yeah...that's nice but it's yellow."

 

[LGK]

I have an M colored antique cut. It looks the most colored in very overcast daylight. Followed by right after sundown but before twilight. Sunlight makes it looks dark grey with a lot of fire- sunlight makes most all well cut diamonds look identical, like that, you couldn't judge the color whatsoever. Office fluoro light makes it look plain ol' white, as does most incandescent.

It looks best- like most diamonds!- in places like Home Depot and Target. You get good fire, with a brilliant white body color- definitely no color shows face up in those lights. It's super fun to look at diamonds in those big box stores!

High up halogen spot lights are fun for looking at diamonds too- you get a ton of fire off them, and again, dark grey so no color is going to be visible.

Oh and also under leafy trees in the summer- the facets get this cool painted-pastel look. Also masks color well.

An I color should be fine and plenty white face up in 99% of lighting scenarios.

ETA: Ditto to what Black Jade said. Laypeople see size and sparkle, with color a far distant third. And if a diamond is beautifully cut? Most people assume it's 1. a D color (lots of laypeople assume sparkle is dependent not on cut but on color) and/or 2. super clean. I get asked frequently if my M stone is a D color (seriously, I'm not kidding), because they're trying to figure out why it's so sparkly. Most people have never seen a well cut stone and it blows their minds. Color is the LAST thing they're observing!

I'd also recommend steering clear of a halo setting if you want it to look it's whitest. Melee, even if it's color matched to the center stone, looks whiter because of the optics of tiny stones. A solitaire or larger sidestones perfectly matched in color are the best for a larger stone that has some color to it, if you want it to look the whitest possible.

 

[innerkitten]

I have a three stone ring that has an F center and H side stones and I can't tell the difference at all. I feel like in general I'm a pretty sensitive person visually. But I really don't notice any difference. I also didn't really care though. So maybe if I was concerned with it I would be checking and re checking etc

 

[DrGunner]

Thanks for the replies/reassurance everyone!

I spoke to a gemologist at WF and he said that if I was really concerned about color, I would have to go up to a G. He said its not worth it to go up to an H. The price difference is huge either way. If I decided to go to G, that would mean going from 2.4 -->2.0 I completely agree with Black Jade.....people notice size first then shine....not color. That was the whole reason I went with a larger I in the first place. I think that a larger stone has much more wow factor than an icy white stone.

My second question is about my setting. The pave stones are F/G color....but Im not too worried about that given their small size. Im more worried about the open nature of the setting. Is this setting going to make the color more noticable? should I go with something else that covers the sides a bit more?

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/the-katie-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-1270.htm

 

[jstarfireb]

Tough call. Face-up, I don't think you'll notice a difference. The pave stones are so small and your center stone will be so big and blindingly sparkly...I think it wouldn't be any different than setting it in a solitaire.

Now, the side view is the really tough part. My I princess is set in a fairly open gallery that was a custom design. The side view has a princess-cut surprise diamond that's F/G color. So when I look at the ring from the side, I see a beautiful profile which I love...BUT it's a face-up view of an F/G right on top of a side view of an I. That's the worst it gets for color. There was no way around it for me, as I custom-designed the setting and couldn't afford a 1ct stone higher than I. Now your profile view won't have the surprise diamond for contrast...but if you're going to see color in an I, that's exactly where you'll see it. I'd suggest getting something with the Legato head, which has a horizontal-ish bar that covers part of the profile view in an elegant way.

This one has a similar style but with the Legato head:
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagemen.../allegro-in-d-diamond-engagement-ring-159.htm

This one also looks nice...no Legato head, but it has a horizontal bar with surprise diamonds and looks more like your original choice:
http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/divisi-diamond-engagement-ring-847.htm

 

[slg47]

ultimately I think you have to weigh what is more important to you, size or color? to me a 2 carat is HUGE so I would probably go for a 2 carat G color. but that's my personal preference and might not be yours (or your gf's)

 

[Luminous-MB]

ultimately I think you have to weigh what is more important to you, size or color? to me a 2 carat is HUGE so I would probably go for a 2 carat G color. but that's my personal preference and might not be yours (or your gf's)

This is true. Have you guys ever gone out together looking at diamonds? A lot if going to depend on her color sensitivity. This is very personal! Depending on what hers is, you will have to decide on what slg brought up. The reality is that the I should be just fine. There are some amazing Is, Js out there that face up incredibly white.

 

[yssie]

Thanks for the replies/reassurance everyone!

I spoke to a gemologist at WF and he said that if I was really concerned about color, I would have to go up to a G. He said its not worth it to go up to an H. The price difference is huge either way. If I decided to go to G, that would mean going from 2.4 -->2.0 I completely agree with Black Jade.....people notice size first then shine....not color. That was the whole reason I went with a larger I in the first place. I think that a larger stone has much more wow factor than an icy white stone.

My second question is about my setting. The pave stones are F/G color....but Im not too worried about that given their small size. Im more worried about the open nature of the setting. Is this setting going to make the color more noticable? should I go with something else that covers the sides a bit more?

http://www.whiteflash.com/engagement-rings/diamond-settings/the-katie-pave-diamond-engagement-ring-1270.htm

I think unless you are quite colour insensitive you will see the tint in a 2.4 I in many types of lighting - I certainly could in my own I (set in plat), and that was only a 2ct. Good cut can help 'mask' colour face-up, but you're not going to actually be seeing the stone directly face-up much of the time, and the open setting leaves the pavilion clear to view..

That said, unless it bothers you dreadfully, *you'll* see the colour because you live with the ring and you stare at it for hours on end (or your intended, perhaps) but casual observers and admirers won't notice anything, no worries there. Of course if you put the ring right next to a friend's D or G - you'll see the difference, but IRL unless you plan to wear two sizable solitaires of different colours on the same finger, again - no worries

Thread on the differences between apparent colour of melee & larger stones, they will look different because of the way they return light - https://www.pricescope.com/idealbb/view.asp?topicID=144474

 

[DrGunner]

I went again to look at some stones at a B&M store today....... I definitely see the difference between a G and I but I really dont think its that big of a deal. The biggest difference I saw was between the an E and the G. To me, that was huge. The G did show hints of yellow at certain angles in certain light but the E never showed that. On profile, the E was icy white but the G was warmer. Even though we're talking about 2 color grades either way (E to G or G to I) I saw a much bigger difference from E to G.

I came to the conclusion that either I will buy a much smaller F or stick with the much larger I. To me, the difference between G and I was not worth the big premium.....they were both kinda yellow at times (which is what I want to avoid). Im trying to surprise my girlfriend with the proposal so we cant go shopping together. I think Ill stick with my stone and let her know that if she has any qualms about the color, we can easily switch it out for another....but its gonna be smaller

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think that is the best option! She will probably be very attached to that large I color stone, though! Please come back and let us know what happened and post pictures, of course!

 

[yssie]

I went again to look at some stones at a B&M store today....... I definitely see the difference between a G and I but I really dont think its that big of a deal. The biggest difference I saw was between the an E and the G. To me, that was huge. The G did show hints of yellow at certain angles in certain light but the E never showed that. On profile, the E was icy white but the G was warmer. Even though we're talking about 2 color grades either way (E to G or G to I) I saw a much bigger difference from E to G.

I came to the conclusion that either I will buy a much smaller F or stick with the much larger I. To me, the difference between G and I was not worth the big premium.....they were both kinda yellow at times (which is what I want to avoid). Im trying to surprise my girlfriend with the proposal so we cant go shopping together. I think Ill stick with my stone and let her know that if she has any qualms about the color, we can easily switch it out for another....but its gonna be smaller

If you think this is a real possibility you may want to propose w/ a temp setting, or make sure that the setting you've chosen will be able to accomodate stones of these various dimensions - I would guess there's not much give, given the size difference we're talking about and all the pave. You don't want to wind up with a brand new setting that won't fit the new stone - they're expensive, not often fully or even partially refundable, and sell for pittance on the secondary market or as scrap.

 

[anitabee]

good question. i have an i color princess and this is what i've observed...

in school classroom fluorescent lighting (i'm a teacher) it shows its color the most. fluorescent lighting brings out the yellow in my stone.

however, when i move to the outdoors, i see absolutely no hint whatsoever of any color. flat white! colorless!

very strange.

 

[Haven]

ETA: Ditto to what Black Jade said. Laypeople see size and sparkle, with color a far distant third. And if a diamond is beautifully cut? Most people assume it's 1. a D color (lots of laypeople assume sparkle is dependent not on cut but on color) and/or 2. super clean. I get asked frequently if my M stone is a D color (seriously, I'm not kidding), because they're trying to figure out why it's so sparkly. Most people have never seen a well cut stone and it blows their minds. Color is the LAST thing they're observing!

You are so right. This same thing happened to me with my O/P stone last week. A colleague fawned over it and said that it must be a D stone because it was so sparkly. I even have a yellow stone set under the culet to bring out the color, and she still thought it was a D. I was pretty shocked.

 

[stillinlove]

Hi DrG,

I actually think I can respond to this question quite well--I have a RB 2.4 carat, I/SI2 w/ faint florescence diamond that I've been wearing for well over a year now, so I've seen it in many different lighting conditions. You can probably search for a picture of my ring, its somewhere on here so you can see what it looks like. All the pictures you can see are of my ring at home, in the evening under incandescent lights. Here are my thoughts on I color:

Outside--white white white...nothing about it looks yellow even a little

Office Lighting--not sure about the type of lighting in my office, I think its flourescent lighting and also some diffuse lighting but whatever it is, it makes my stone look pretty good. Not as white as outside, but definitely not at all creamy or off-white. It really gives it more of a white/gray contrast-y look but super sparkly

Starbucks/big box stores--PHENOMENAL. I wish I could live in there and look at my diamond all day...so much sparkle and it looks bright white.

Movie theater--it looks very very sparkly, but black. I'm not sure why, but I'm also not too concerned about it.

The ONLY time I've noticed the color of my stone, is surprisingly, in some jewelry stores where the lighting is so intense, it makes my stone look yellowy or gray but really sparkly. I'm not sure why they would do their lighting like that.

That being said, I love my stone and wouldn't rather have a higher color, smaller stone. My "I" is in a plain solitaire plat setting. Its a cathedral setting so its got the basket that partially masks the side view. Even when I look at it from the side I don't see any yellow at all (maybe bc of the setting). I recently got an eternity band to go with it and the stones are 20 pointers and are G/H color I think. They seem to look really white and maybe even a little whiter than my solitaire but that might also be because of the optics of smaller stones that people were mentioning before. However, its really nothing too serious and I'm sure I'm the only one that can notice the difference. Even my Fiance thinks I'm seeing things.

I would say, if your gf is anything like me, go for the bigger stone. I think the I color is a great compromise of beauty and value and I'm sure she will LOVE it.

Good luck!

 

[shihtzulover]

It all comes down to personal preference. Back when my fiance and I started looking, I definitely would have been fine with a 'H'-colored diamond, or maybe even an 'I'. I should also mention that we were looking at princess cuts, and they tend to show color more than rounds, especially in the corners.

My fiance is very color-sensitive, so we primarily looked at diamonds that were graded as 'F' or 'G'. We ended up picking a 'F', and we got another 'F' when we upgraded. Now that I've had a 'colorless' diamond, I would prefer to stay in the same range, but I think that I might still be happy with a 'H' or so. It's really difficult for me to say, since I haven't seen a 'near colorless' diamond on my hand in all different lighting conditions. I also have a really open setting, so that would be another concern.

On the other hand, I think that more people buy in the 'near colorless' range than in the 'colorless' range. I remember reading somewhere that the average diamond color is around a 'J', and that might not even be accurate, if less strict labs are grading them. Also, some people actually prefer the warmer-colored, ever-so-slightly tinted diamonds. Last, I've heard that size and sparkle are noticed before color and clarity, so that's another consideration - although you will be looking at the diamond a lot more than anyone else, and therefore are much more likely to notice a very slight tint or a small inclusion, etc.

PS. I can't believe that people think that color determines the amount of sparkle! I was flipping through the channels on my TV not too long ago, and they were selling diamond jewelry on one of those home shopping channels. The salesman kept saying that his diamonds were 'near colorless', and that this would ensure maximum sparkle. His reasoning was that less light would be blocked in a clear diamond than in a more colored one.

 

[mseh3737]

I'm definitely the neurotic type and I've been driving myself crazy about whether or not I made the right purchase. Im in the process of buying a WF ES 2.4 I SI1 RB. The only thing that worries me is the color.

I'll agree with much of the other sentiment here...that your girlfriend is going to love what you are about to give her. IMO, if you love the diamond, don't pay so much attention to the paper associated with it. Many an "I" face up white brilliantly. My wife has an I color princess cut diamond that is I in color and it is fabulous! The truth is that the diamond and ring will never look as good as the first time you put it on your hand anyway. Why? Because she won't likely take it off much and the ring and diamond will attract lotion and other everyday household hazzards.

Also consider the fact that anyone who looks at the diamond will have no idea whether it is a G, H or I. They have nothing to compare it to. If the diamond is well proportioned, then you have done a good job with this...as cut is very very important. My 2 cents... Goodluck to you!

Michael

 

[Luminous-MB]

I came to the conclusion that either I will buy a much smaller F or stick with the much larger I. To me, the difference between G and I was not worth the big premium.....they were both kinda yellow at times (which is what I want to avoid). Im trying to surprise my girlfriend with the proposal so we cant go shopping together. I think Ill stick with my stone and let her know that if she has any qualms about the color, we can easily switch it out for another....but its gonna be smaller

I think you have done extremely well on your end. Let her be the next judge. Make her feel comfortable enough to voice her opinion, without feeling as if she will hurt yours, and nothing will be taken away from the happy moment.

 

[Black Jade]

Yes, give it to her and let her know you will change it for the higher color smaller stone if she wishes.
That way, you will do the surprise but not lock her in, and I'm sure she will appreciate your thoughtfulness no matter what she decides.
And relax!
Most women are not like the women here on Pricescope (who are on a diamond board for a reason).
I remember when I got engaged 30 years ago, I think I was fairly typical. I was so happy to be engaged to the man I loved, I was floating on clouds! He didn't propose with a ring--he said he wanted me to choose because he knew I was picky. The first jewelry store we went to, I simply picked out the biggest, sparkliest stone he said was in price range and that was that. I have all this diamond information now and I still couldn't judge if that stone was good or bad because I love it so much and just remember him and me back then any time I look at it.

 

[sparkly5]

Ugh, this whole post makes me reconsider going down to H for a cushion cut e-ring I'm shopping for. I want things to be a surprise, but worried that she might be sensitive to the 2.3-2.5ct stone's color that I haven't bought yet.

Should I risk it with the bigger size and save the option of exchanging it later?
2 problems with exchanging:
-Hard to find 2 ct+ good cushion cuts
-Planning on getting a BGD Novella setting so switching sizes may be extra expensive

 

[slg47]

sparkly maybe start your own thread so we can find it?

 

[Dreamer_D]

I have owned and worn F, G, J, and K color diamonds. So I know my colors

You notice body color the most when your stone is compared to other whiter stones, but that is very rare. I see it is very low lighting too. And when you are in an environment with yellow lighting or beige, taupe walls, your I color stone will take on more of that ambient color than will the more colorless stones. It is not true body tint, but is a feature of the interaction between body color and ambient lighting color.

All that said, I have never ever had anyone ask me anything about color for any of my diamonds. I have never had anyone go "oh it looks yellow!" and I have only had comments on how large or sparkly my diamond is. Mostly the sparkly bit Maybe they think it, but I doubt it. 99.99% of the population knows bubkiss about diamond color.

Another thing to remmeber is that I think when Yssie talks about "seeing the tint" in a larger I, it does not mean it looks yellow. I have never noticed yellow in any of my diamonds J color and higher (my K did look more tinted and sometimes yellow). Instead, what less colorless stones exhibit is a sort of softness of their white. Almost a muted appearance compared to the truly colorless stones, which to my eye have a very crisp *white* appearance. I and even J color stones still look white. But is is a soft white. Like a frosted lightbulb.

And finally, if you want to minimize the color in your stone, do NOT get a setting with small mellee size diamonds. As Yssie mentioned, smaller stones *always* look whiter than larger, and in my experience very small accent stones make my diamond look more tinted. I would suggest a basket style setting with a cross bar and no mellee to maximize your love of your diamond if you are apprehensve about color. Once you have the diamond and learn that its color is not at bad as you think, then you can experiment with other setting styles.

 

[ked123]

I had a G VS2 for many years and recently upgraded (for size) to a 1.9 carat I VS1. I cannot tell the difference in color. I was worried at times because of posts I've seen on Pricescope, but for the life of me if the stone has yellow, I cannot see it.

Living out life in the real world, people are not as picky as they are on PS. All your FI's friends will see is a beautiful, sparkly diamond (assuming you have a good cut).

A while back, I was out with a (about to be engaged) friend and her boyfriend. She was pointing to my ring as an example of why people should pay more for a colorless diamond. LOL!

I get compliments on my diamond all the time. Interestingly enough, with my smaller G colored diamond, (exactly same setting) no one ever said a word.

 

[sparkly5]

sparkly maybe start your own thread so we can find it?

Waiting for ASET images so I can ask for help! Seems like the holidays slowed any significant searches.

 

[DrGunner]

after reading all these posts about people not being able to see yellow in G-I diamonds, it made me think back to last weekend when I was looking at E, G, and I GIA stones. Really, the only time and place that I saw yellow was when they were face down, on a flat white background and only along the edges of the gridle. The body looked white or "mily" at worst. However, the E did not have any yellow or tint along the gridle. Is this normal to see yellow along the girdle? Is this the color of the stone coming through or more of an artifact? Will you be able to see this once the stone is mounted?