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White gold vs yellow gold for colorless diamonds

EAB

Rough_Rock
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I’m wondering if there is a rule of thumb regarding white gold or yellow gold settings for colorless diamonds? I wear both but prefer yellow gold. But are you doing a colorless diamond a disservice by setting it in yellow gold, does the gold color reflect in the diamond making it appear to have color? And if so is there a noticeable difference in 18k from 14k as the 18k has more color?
 
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Mamajemmy

Shiny_Rock
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I’ve been looking up this same topic nonstop and it seems like there are mixed opinions. I think I’m leaning towards just getting what I love which is yellow gold. I think the contrast is so beautiful between the white of the diamond and the gold richness of the metal.

edited to add— I’m looking at I color stones to maybe there’s a more concrete answers for colorless.
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Personal decision all the way imo. For colorless I would choose a white metal. I don’t love the contrast while others do. Comes down to personal preferences.
 

missy

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I’ve been looking up this same topic nonstop and it seems like there are mixed opinions. I think I’m leaning towards just getting what I love which is yellow gold. I think the contrast is so beautiful between the white of the diamond and the gold richness of the metal.

Yes for you rich yellow gold sounds like the perfect complement!
Get what you will love and wear and it’s a win win all the way.
 

bludiva

Ideal_Rock
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i think you should get what you like. if it's well cut the color of the metal doesn't reflect through the stone.
 

dk168

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Very much a personal choice and preference.

I do not wear yellow gold, or anything peachy/brown/beige/etc. as they do not suit my skin tone and colouring.

Get what you like and suit you rather than being dictated by trends I'd say.

DK :))
 

diamondsR4eVR

Brilliant_Rock
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I love WG & YG. I actually wanted my ER to be YG but my fiancé loved platinum. I was ok with either choice. I saw a gorgeous ER the other day. It was a beautiful solitaire in YG. Looked amazing.
 

diamondseeker2006

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Regardless of which metal you choose for the setting, I would always make the prongs in platinum. The idea is that the prongs would be as invisible as possible and not reflect in the diamond. My original set was yellow gold and I had an F color diamond. It looked bright and white! But I definitely had white metal prongs.
 

Texas Leaguer

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Regardless of which metal you choose for the setting, I would always make the prongs in platinum. The idea is that the prongs would be as invisible as possible and not reflect in the diamond. My original set was yellow gold and I had an F color diamond. It looked bright and white! But I definitely had white metal prongs.

The above is good advice and the reason why most yellow gold pieces with diamonds in the colorless and near colorless ranges are set in white gold or platinum prongs.

Some color can bleed into the diamond from contact with yellow gold prongs. This is the same principle that prompts GIA to instruct their gemologists in training to ensure that diamonds are not touching during color grading.
 

Mamajemmy

Shiny_Rock
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The above is good advice and the reason why most yellow gold pieces with diamonds in the colorless and near colorless ranges are set in white gold or platinum prongs.

Some color can bleed into the diamond from contact with yellow gold prongs. This is the same principle that prompts GIA to instruct their gemologists in training to ensure that diamonds are not touching during color grading.

Texas Leaguer— I’m so glad you commented. I’m in the process of buying an I color WF stone and ring and the setting I love comes in only one metal color. There is the option to make it custom two tone but that’s an additional cost and I guess custom. I’m trying to figure out which will look best with the I. I want to compliment the brilliance and whiteness and not add to the warmness. At the same time, I don’t love the slight contrast between whites— which might bug me over a stark contrast between yellow and diamond.

I love both yellow and white gold metals. My wonderful WhiteFlash rep has said both will be beautiful— which is great but doesn’t help me a ton with the decision.
 

Texas Leaguer

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Texas Leaguer— I’m so glad you commented. I’m in the process of buying an I color WF stone and ring and the setting I love comes in only one metal color. There is the option to make it custom two tone but that’s an additional cost and I guess custom. I’m trying to figure out which will look best with the I. I want to compliment the brilliance and whiteness and not add to the warmness. At the same time, I don’t love the slight contrast between whites— which might bug me over a stark contrast between yellow and diamond.

I love both yellow and white gold metals. My wonderful WhiteFlash rep has said both will be beautiful— which is great but doesn’t help me a ton with the decision.

Hi @Mamajemmy ,
I have inquired and it seems like your order is for a solitaire style with yellow gold shank and white gold head. I think this is a good choice considering your stone is in the near colorless range.

I would not second guess your decision. It will look awesome.
 

Mamajemmy

Shiny_Rock
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Hi @Mamajemmy ,
I have inquired and it seems like your order is for a solitaire style with yellow gold shank and white gold head. I think this is a good choice considering your stone is in the near colorless range.

I would not second guess your decision. It will look awesome.

Thanks!
At one point it was but when I found out that was a custom added cost I changed it to all yellow gold. Should I look at a different setting?

I should also add that I’m not sure if the two tone will look as— I’m not sure what the right word is... seamless maybe?

do you think the two tone is important enough to do that I should do the extra cost?
 

Texas Leaguer

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Thanks!
At one point it was but when I found out that was a custom added cost I changed it to all yellow gold. Should I look at a different setting?

I should also add that I’m not sure if the two tone will look as— I’m not sure what the right word is... seamless maybe?

do you think the two tone is important enough to do that I should do the extra cost?

Did you explore the other solitaires that we have that would not require an extra charge? Would you like me to ask one of our diamond consultants to reach out to you with alternatives?

If you love the warmth of yellow gold, sticking with the all gold version of the style you chose will likely work out well for you.
 

Mamajemmy

Shiny_Rock
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Did you explore the other solitaires that we have that would not require an extra charge? Would you like me to ask one of our diamond consultants to reach out to you with alternatives?

If you love the warmth of yellow gold, sticking with the all gold version of the style you chose will likely work out well for you.

thank you for the offer. I’ll spend some time looking at the settings again, though I really love the the one I had selected. If you think it will make that much of a difference, I’ll pay for the two tone. I love the warmth of yellow gold but I don’t exactly want my diamond to be yellow gold colored.
 

Texas Leaguer

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thank you for the offer. I’ll spend some time looking at the settings again, though I really love the the one I had selected. If you think it will make that much of a difference, I’ll pay for the two tone. I love the warmth of yellow gold but I don’t exactly want my diamond to be yellow gold colored.

Just to be clear, if you were to go all yellow, the diamond would not appear to be "yellow gold colored". It will still look bright and white. Any added yellow due to contact with the yellow gold prongs will be subtle and nuanced. And since you respond to the warm hues, going all yellow may be ideal for you.
 

distracts

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I don't think it matters what gold color you pick. Just pick what you want and don't worry about it. Even if it does reflect through the diamond a little, who cares? I've seen near-colorless diamonds in YG and they still look very white to me. Personally I don't like white prongs with a YG or RG band - I prefer all one color, and I don't think the color difference of the prongs is enough to make it worthwhile to have a two-tone setting.

Here is a half-carat I-ish oec in a six prong YG setting:

587831

And a 1.1 ct ideal-cut mrb AGS-graded H color in a six-prong RG setting (pic taken years ago when I was much worse at photographing diamonds, but trust me that it looks like an H and is always much whiter than the setting):

551774

IMG_0184.JPG

IMG_0177.JPG

I personally like the way the diamonds contrast with the prongs. But I know other people don't.
 

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junebug17

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Yeah, I would say to just go with what you love and don't worry about it...the diamond isn't going to look yellow.
 

Mamajemmy

Shiny_Rock
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I don't think it matters what gold color you pick. Just pick what you want and don't worry about it. Even if it does reflect through the diamond a little, who cares? I've seen near-colorless diamonds in YG and they still look very white to me. Personally I don't like white prongs with a YG or RG band - I prefer all one color, and I don't think the color difference of the prongs is enough to make it worthwhile to have a two-tone setting.

Here is a half-carat I-ish oec in a six prong YG setting:

fullsizerender__4__copy.jpg

And a 1.1 ct ideal-cut mrb AGS-graded H color in a six-prong RG setting (pic taken years ago when I was much worse at photographing diamonds, but trust me that it looks like an H and is always much whiter than the setting):

img_6217.jpg

IMG_0184.JPG

IMG_0177.JPG

I personally like the way the diamonds contrast with the prongs. But I know other people don't.

This is so stunning and makes my heart sing! I think I’ll enjoy the greater contrast between the white of the diamond and the yellow of the ring vs a warmish diamond and a bring white gold. I wish I could find pictures of someone who had the same stone in two different metal settings.
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
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A colorless diamond doesn't pick up color. It stands out bright white against the yellow of 18k or 24k gold.

Not if it's poorly cut and windows a lot.
More windowing means you see more of the skin and metal ring under the diamond.

Windowing is related to cut, not a diamond's color grade.

But I agree that you should just buy the color of metal that you prefer.
 
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missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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FYI some previous threads and examples.


I wish I could remember the PSer who reset her diamond into a yellow gold setting and it completely changed the look. I remember her real name but not her screen name. Tried searching but no luck. Does anyone remember this ring and thread? Really dramatic difference.

OK I found it! Here you go:


packratring.jpg

packratring.jpeg

And okay, I gotta say it, your saga is picture proof that the setting metal colour can make such a difference to the overall look, even with ideal cut perfectly non-leaky stones! Two gorgeous and totally different different looks w/ L/M AVCs:

Yup, picture proof!

@packrat hope you don't mind me using your gorgeous ring as an example to help @EAB. Hope you are well and miss seeing you on PS.
 

Mamajemmy

Shiny_Rock
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FYI some previous threads and examples.


I wish I could remember the PSer who reset her diamond into a yellow gold setting and it completely changed the look. I remember her real name but not her screen name. Tried searching but no luck. Does anyone remember this ring and thread? Really dramatic difference.

OK I found it! Here you go:


packratring.jpg

packratring.jpeg



Yup, picture proof!

@packrat hope you don't mind me using your gorgeous ring as an example to help @EAB. Hope you are well and miss seeing you on PS.

thank you! So thoughtful of you to find these for me! I think I’m going to see if WF can send me photos of the stone placed in (not set) an all white good ring and a yellow gold with white prongs. I know if I had the stone in person and could see it I’d know immediately what I wanted to do— but not seeing it with my own eyes is a challenge.
 

missy

Super_Ideal_Rock
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thank you! So thoughtful of you to find these for me! I think I’m going to see if WF can send me photos of the stone placed in (not set) an all white good ring and a yellow gold with white prongs. I know if I had the stone in person and could see it I’d know immediately what I wanted to do— but not seeing it with my own eyes is a challenge.

My pleasure. It is challenging when you cannot evaluate the stone in person. I think that is a great idea asking WF to take photos of the stone in bth metals and see what you think. Good luck!
 

distracts

Ideal_Rock
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I think it's also worth seeing what those rings have going on in the gallery. Packrat's ring is an interesting case since the stones are Ms and in the YG setting they basically look like they've been cupped in YG - not sure if that was the intention or not. It's definitely way more intense of a color change than you'd get with a colorless or near colorless diamond in a more regular setting, I think.

the yellow one has support struts almost as big as some of the cups I've seen on yellow diamond rings (so thick you can't see the bottom 2/3 of the diamonds) and a lot of prong:
100_41791-jpg.317384


whereas the white one is floating bezels (the sidestones are the same but the center is bigger - even still you can actually see the majority of the diamonds):
_809-jpg.328401


Here is also the color of those diamonds loose next to a whiter band (J/Ks, I think):

100_40431-jpg.317378


Also fwiw all the pics of the three-stones have different lighting environments, and Ms can be very, very shifty depending on the lighting.

Compare to Coati's rings, which look very white:
coatisring-jpg.319956


oec9090909-jpg.216804
 

Mamajemmy

Shiny_Rock
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Feb 6, 2020
Messages
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I think it's also worth seeing what those rings have going on in the gallery. Packrat's ring is an interesting case since the stones are Ms and in the YG setting they basically look like they've been cupped in YG - not sure if that was the intention or not. It's definitely way more intense of a color change than you'd get with a colorless or near colorless diamond in a more regular setting, I think.

the yellow one has support struts almost as big as some of the cups I've seen on yellow diamond rings (so thick you can't see the bottom 2/3 of the diamonds) and a lot of prong:
100_41791-jpg.317384


whereas the white one is floating bezels (the sidestones are the same but the center is bigger - even still you can actually see the majority of the diamonds):
_809-jpg.328401


Here is also the color of those diamonds loose next to a whiter band (J/Ks, I think):

100_40431-jpg.317378


Also fwiw all the pics of the three-stones have different lighting environments, and Ms can be very, very shifty depending on the lighting.

Compare to Coati's rings, which look very white:
coatisring-jpg.319956


oec9090909-jpg.216804

That’s a very good point! Lots of factors that can have an impact. Here’s a link to the setting I really like. It can be custom made to be yellow gold with a white gold head—

 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Regardless of which metal you choose for the setting, I would always make the prongs in platinum. The idea is that the prongs would be as invisible as possible and not reflect in the diamond. My original set was yellow gold and I had an F color diamond. It looked bright and white! But I definitely had white metal prongs.

This 100%. Although I'd always choose white metal for my "serious jewelry", I REALLY love rich 18K yellow gold bands with my erring!
 

msop04

Super_Ideal_Rock
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That’s a very good point! Lots of factors that can have an impact. Here’s a link to the setting I really like. It can be custom made to be yellow gold with a white gold head—


That's a really beautiful setting - I'm a sucker for a six prong solitaire. ;-) Ask WF if they can make it in YG with a platinum basket... I'm sure they can.

ETA: ...and I'd get 18K YG if possible. It's so rich, and the contrast would be dreamy!
 

Mamajemmy

Shiny_Rock
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Messages
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That's a really beautiful setting - I'm a sucker for a six prong solitaire. ;-) Ask WF if they can make it in YG with a platinum basket... I'm sure they can.

ETA: ...and I'd get 18K YG if possible. It's so rich, and the contrast would be dreamy!

Yes— they’ve said they can make the YG with white gold or platinum basket. It just would become a custom piece at that point.
 

Mamajemmy

Shiny_Rock
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I posted these pictures on a separate thread but I thought it might be helpful here as we are discussing how metal might affect the stone. I asked WF to take photos in a all white gold, all yellow gold, and yellow gold with white basket. I’m not getting any of these settings but this just gives a general idea. They didn’t have an al gold ring to they used a yellow temp ring holder.

any thoughts?

BB0DB148-DB64-41C0-81E3-9F3A76276382.jpeg F014AD8B-3654-4EF9-81AC-85A1B7DE1178.jpeg DEAEC351-A813-42B8-81AB-5678F43E2FAB.jpeg 62496825-7525-4042-A35A-CCFAF5059E4F.jpeg E1AE68A0-53E7-414B-A4D7-2579192989D5.jpeg 45929FBC-A718-41F5-9CA8-2B118F78045A.jpeg DE1A7A35-BD18-4B42-8A3A-B0A8EAB26692.jpeg
 
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