Which diamond do you think is the most yellow?

[mikemaz]

Hi Everyone,

I was sent the following pictures from one of the vendors. Supposedly one diamond here has been graded an H and the other an I by AGS. However, the vendor was telling me that the diamond graded on I by AGS, when put on their internal color scale, graded an H and the same as the H diamond I was looking at.

From the pictures below, for some reason it seems pretty obvoius to me which one is the most yellow and actually discourages me from buying from this vendor because they A) sold my original diamond which they had on hold for me and B) I feel like they are pulling my leg that this I graded diamond is really an H.

Would like to get other peoples perspective, just in case I'm seeing things because I know which is which.

Thanks so much!!!


Here are 3 pics under different lighting:

 

[mikemaz]

Picture 2

 

[mikemaz]

Picture 3

 

[dazedland]

The two on the right seem much more yellow than the diamond on the left. If they sold a diamond that you had on hold without contacting you first (unless you had it on hold for a very long amount of time) I would take my business elsewhere, or at least look around and see what else is out there. You will almost always see more of the color from underneath the diamond, the way that it faces up is more important, so the I might very well face up as an H, since they are still in the nearly colorless range.

 

[valeria101]

I don''t think these guys are necesarily ''pulling your leg'' - they might be, but these color grades are not carved in stone. Besides, even by definitions the grades are ranges of shades, so some I - s may be serious close to H and some to J, etc. I am not sure if these instore color tests are any better or worse than lab reports.

In the picture, from my left to my right the first looks stark colorless and the other two... of the same color.

Not sure if this helps...

Now, the face up view may differentiate the diamonds by color more than this culet up view, because cut has allot to do with what the visible shade will be in the end. The same phisics are at work for colorless diamonds (where the shades are close to invisible) and for colored diamonds, although there is allot more talk about such effects on colored diamodns. No surprise there - the face up look of the color largely accounts for the color garde of fancies and has little if anything to do with the color greades of the colorless. ''Guess you know this... Now, the diamonds do not, and their aparent color face up is as dependent on cut regardless of whether the thing is ''I'' or ''fancy vivid'' something.

This is about all that comes to mind.

After all, if you want H, you should be able to get one from either this seller or another, no ?

 

[Mara]

The two on the right show more color than on the left...

Ditto everything Val said, but one other thing to add is that viewing diamonds culet up against a white background is not a normal viewing situation. That is not how your diamond will look set. So I wouldn''t entirely toss out an option just because it shows a bit more color in the white viewing environment. What are all three of the diamonds colors? I was confused as to what the one on the left is.

One other comment, I have a well cut J diamond and from the side I can see a big of off-white color but from face down seriously this thing is blazing white...even a well-respected appraiser on here said ''wow that looks very white'' in the face down position. It''s only from the side that you really see anything and only then when I bring it up to my face and look at it.

So regardless of what you choose, whether it be an E because you are sensitive to seeing ANY color or an H or I because you have a budget to stick within etc...just know that the diamond looks very different when set into the ring!

Good luck!

 

[MissAva]

Why did they sell the one you had on hold?

IMO the one on the far right of the picture look more warm/yellow then the first two, though the one in the middle is also a bit warm. I would say if you are not 100% comfertable with the stone, do not buy it and keep looking. There are always more diamonds, with such an expensive and emotional purchase it ought to be just what you are looking for.

 

[mikemaz]

The one on the far left is an E. That was just there for reference.

The other two are an H and an I.

The vendor had my diamond on hold from Thursday. I told them I was going to be extemely busy the next couple of day as my girlfriends sister had just given birth Thursday and I had to go to the visit the rest of that night would be working long long hours at work Friday night and over the weekend because of a big upgrade.

They assured me if anyone inquired about the stone they would call me first. The very next day, I was exchanging emails with them asking them about settings prices/details as I was trying to find a setting for the stone. Well, so I called them on Saturday late afternoon and they had sold it saying they hadn''t heard from me... go figure. Seems the sale came first to me!

I was shocked, not only did I say I was busy, but in all that work, I was also working with them on settings to finalize everything.

I must say I was quite upset... maybe I should take my business elsewhere. I''ve just read so many great things about them here... I''m trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.

Anyhow, from left to right, E, H, I. I think the I is clearly more yellow. They are all H&A stones, so they might face up white white white, but I''m concerned about the side view.

Any thoughts?

 

[Mara]

That''s funny, I think the E looks a bit yellow too but it just could be the photography. But taking that into consideration, I wonder in reality just how YELLOW H and I are if the E looks a bit yellow in this photo as well.

That said I wouldn''t worry personally BUT if you are sensitive, I''d go with the H over the I...it may give you more peace of mind.

 

[mikemaz]

Hey,

For those people that have a good I colored stone... how much can you see the yellow from the side?

I''m looking to mount this one in white gold.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I have an "I" EC and if I look at it from the side it is white. Face up EXTREMELY white. It is when I angle it down where I can see a tint of light yellow. Also lighting makes a big difference. My diamond is set in PLT.

 

[diamondsbylauren]

Clearly the stone on the far right appears to be darker than an I.
It could just be the photograprhy- I also agree that the E does not look as white as it should either.......

 

[Mara]

here''s some old picture i had on my HD...it shows a good color comparison for diamonds face down. the D looks alot whiter than the E in your photo so it should be very similar. hope this helps.

 

[MissAva]

Where were you looking? There is clearly a diffrence in lighting, however the "e" diamond does not appear to be an E I would have guessed alot lower then that, as I would have for the color grades of the other two stones you listed. Here is you are Mara''s photo for a one spot comparison. HTH

 

[MissAva]

 

[Demelza]

I have an "I" color stone I was told by the appraiser was closer to an "H". I do see color from the side sometimes, but I can never tell whether it is just the diamond picking up the color of the environment because at other times it looks perfectly white from the side. It always looks white from the top.

I agree that the photo looks a bit off. The E does not look totally white and the H and I look much more yellow than I would think they should. Having said that, the H and I look the same to me. Judging diamond color through photographs is not the most accurate method.

 

[FireGoddess]

The one on the far right looks the 'yellowest' to me. It is close to the one in the middle, but seems a teeny bit more yellow than the one in the middle.

Do you know which is which?

ETA: I just read the thread and saw the middle is the H, the rightmost is the I. Regardless of photography, it definitely seems to show more color than the middle stone to me, and of course does not compare to the one on the left. I think that's a load of crap about them selling the stone you had on hold...if it were me, I'd go elsewhere out of principle if it is an option for you.

 

[MissAva]

I am still very intreasted in finding out who this vendor was. Please post.

 

[jadeleaves]

Hi!

The 2 diamonds on the right looked the same to me. However if:

the vendor was telling me that the diamond graded on I by AGS, when put on their internal color scale, graded an H and the same as the H diamond I was looking at.

If we are splitting hairs over the similarity of the colors on the screen, why not ask - is the stone graded ''I'' by AGS cheaper than the ''H''?

''Cos if it''s up to me, and the general consensus is that both stones faces up similar, why not pay less for the ''I'' stone (assuming of cos that stone is cheaper).

(i''m assuming also that the diamond cut/clarity/weight are similar)

 

[sjz]

My advice? Don''t try to evaluate the color of a diamond on a comupter screen! You could post up those pictures on several monitors side by side and they would most likely look different on each monitor.

If the diamonds are graded by a reputable lab, and are well cut stones, either the H or the I should look white face up. They may not look "as white" as a colorless stone, but they should still look white.

Does the vendor have a good return policy? If they do, and you are genuinely interested, you could always have them send the stone to you on approval and see it for yourself, as well as have it looked at by a qualified appriaser. Short of that, all you can do is trust your instincts regarding the diamond and the vendor in question.

My objective opinion on the pictures of the stones you posted is that they all look similar, but the middle diamond and the diamond on the far right show a SLIGHT more warmth than the one of the left.

 

[Scintillating]

Good Advice SuziQ!!!!!!!

Scintillating...

 

[elmo]

Date: 9/26/2005 2:39:48 PM
Author: mikemaz
The vendor had my diamond on hold from Thursday...They assured me if anyone inquired about the stone they would call me first....I called them on Saturday late afternoon and they had sold it saying they hadn''t heard from me...I was shocked...I must say I was quite upset...Any thoughts?

Even if there was some fine print that you missed or wasn''t communicated about how long the stone would be held, I wouldn''t do $10 of business with someone with whom I had been "shocked" and "upset". Probably no need to name names, just move on.