Why is my "F" color Princess so white (a good thing!)

[TooMuchInformation]

So, I''m totally amazed at how white and bright my "F" color Princess stone is! After reading so much about the 4 C''s, and how important cut is over everything else, I was beginning to think that color didn''t matter much at all, but now that I have the stone and it''s set in a ring, WOW, does it ever look icey!

Is this because it''s an "F", or does this have a lot to do with the setting (tension in titanium) and the cut as well as the color?

I''ll be summarizing my whole purchase sometime later, but I must say, Good Old Gold was FANTASTIC.

The stone is everything that I had wanted and so much more!

 

[canadiangrrl]

If you purchased your princess through GOG, it's likely a very well cut stone. Cut will help a stone to face up whiter. A stone in the D/E/F range is especially nice in a fancy shape, as fancies will show more body colour than rounds.

I dunno why, but I can really spot colour in princess stones. Even more so than in EC's, I find. A friend of mine has an H colour princess in the 130 point range from BN's Signature Series...it's a very well cut stone with a lovely crown angle % and nice depth & table numbers, too...but it looks somewhat "dirty" to my eyes. Not yellow, exactly...just kinda dingy.

Glad you're happy with your new puppy. Let's see pics!

 

[canadiangrrl]

"Is this because it's an "F", or does this have a lot to do with the setting (tension in titanium) and the cut as well as the color?"

The F colour grade has much more of a determining factor in the icy whiteness of your stone than does either the setting or the cut. A white metal setting accentuates the whiteness of your stone, but a yellow setting isn't going to make a colourless stone look yellow.

The better the colour grade, the whiter the stone. Yes, an excellent cut will help a stone to face up nicely - but you can't turn a K into an I through cut alone, no matter anyone would like you to believe. Turn it on its side or upside down and it's still a K.

Canadiangrrl, evil heretic

 

[TooMuchInformation]

Yeah, it's from GOG! I must say, as much worry and concern that went into this whole purchase, after seing the stone, I'm so impressed with GOG that I'm going to recommend them to everyone, and if I ever have to buy another diamond, I'll be shopping there (I actually can't wait until I get another one - I'm totally obsessed ).

I didn't know that fancies showed more body color than rounds, but that's a good bit of information to know. Is this because they have more top surface area than a round cut, or is there some other reason?

I've taken a few pics already, but I just can't get it right.

Are there any ring / stone picture taking FAQ's?

I have a Canon Powershot G2 with no fancy lenses or anything.

 

[valeria101]

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On 12/31/2003 8:08:24 PM TooMuchInformation wrote:



I didn't know that fancies showed more body color than rounds, but that's a good bit of information to know. Is this because they have more top surface area than a round cut, or is there some other reason?
----------------

Happy New Year!

There are so many fancy cuts, that few general statements might apply to them. Not all of them have more spread than rounds: and the Princess cut is the best example - they usually are deeper and thus have smaller face-up areas. However, most fancy cuts are less brilliant than rounds most of the time. This makes their body color somewhat more of a concern, given that here, on Pricescope, we believe that brilliance masks some amount of yellow tinge (something I happen to agree with). Even in fancy shapes cut that well that they reach their best light return (matching that of a nice, if not top round, I should say) areas of the stone - usually the sides of one symmetry axis - would alternate in catching light, so the instantly non-sparkly one lets more body color on sight. Of course, a round does not have to worry much about this given it's unique symmetry.

Why an F-color looks white? Well, that's easy: because IT IS white to begin with ! Your stone seems to make a great toy on New Years Day

 

[Chrisk327]

Hey,
Just a question that has little to do with your questions....

Did you get the titanium tension setting at GOG or did you get it from somewhere else?

I bought my G.F's engagement ring from GOG and loved dealing with them, I was thinking of getting a very small diamond in a titanium tension setting for my wedding ring.

Chris

 

[TooMuchInformation]

Thanks everyone for your responses.

I guess all the focus on cut and such just made me forget that color (as well as the other C's) *does* in fact make a difference in the end, even if they are ultimately less important than the cut.

Chrisk327,

Well, if you already purchased your diamond from GOG, then I will spare you the sales pitch and won't rant about how awesome they are.

I was 100% satisfied (and more) with my purchase from GOG, and I can only hope that I get to use them again in the future.

Anyuways, as for the titanium tension settings, it was done by Absolute Titanium. You can browse their site at the following URL:

http://www.titanium-rings.com

They were awesome to deal with, completed a rush order for me so that I could get the ring for the Christmas holidays (I poped the big question on the 26th), and I'm very happy with the setting.

I personally find titanium very unique (I don't personally know anyone else who has it), and my fiancee just loves it. Some girls, I would imagine, might have an issue with titanium not being a precious metal (the material is dirt cheap), but others I'm sure would love it.

Also, titanium is much darker than platinum! It looks fantastic (in my opinion), is VERY shiny and looks great (not dark at all), but if you put it up beside a platinum ring, the difference is not only obvious but very dramatic.

If you have any other questions about the titanium setting, please don't be afraid to ask!

 

[fire&ice]

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On 1/1/2004 12:39:48 PM TooMuchInformation wrote:

Some girls, I would imagine, might have an issue with titanium not being a precious metal (the material is dirt cheap), but others I'm sure would love it.

!----------------

I thought titanium *is* expensive. I know it's not a traded metal; but, expensive non the less. But, I don't know.

 

[TooMuchInformation]

Quick googling scored me this:

http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/titanium/670798.pdf

They list the price of Ti in 1998 as $4.38 per pound (and it's very light).

The labor required to make Ti into a nice ring, on the other hand, is why they're expensive, not because of the material cost.

 

[boonerings]

The tension set does have a lot to do with how bright the stone looks. It's amazing to see the difference between a setting with a lot of prongs and metal around and the same stone in a tension setting. It looks like an entirely new stone.

The price of titanium varies with the market and the shape. Smaller diameter bars actually cost more because it takes more work to get them to size. Pricing goes from about $15 to $90 per pound depending on those variables. It does take special carbide tools to be able to work with it. It is not normally cast like gold rings would be.

 

[fire&ice]

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On 1/1/2004 1:56:15 PM TooMuchInformation wrote:

Quick googling scored me this:

http://minerals.usgs.gov/minerals/pubs/commodity/titanium/670798.pdf

They list the price of Ti in 1998 as $4.38 per pound (and it's very light).

The labor required to make Ti into a nice ring, on the other hand, is why they're expensive, not because of the material cost.----------------

Ahh. Thanks. Makes perfect sense.

I suppose more light return because nothing underneath the stone.

 

[TooMuchInformation]

Thanks boonerings,

It's totally awesome to have people like you on this board. While you're here (and totally off topic wrt this thread), I'm going to ask you a few other questions about Titanium:

- Do you offer multiple grades of titanium, including Ti 6/6/2 (Aerospace Grade)?
- Are there any easy ways to get rid of scratches on Titanium at home?
- Can non-tension rings be made and set with CZ's, and later set with diamonds? Does this need special Ti-only tools?
- What kind of price difference do YOU have when working with the higher grades of titanium as opposed to the lower (more pure) ones? Is there a significant difference in the amount of work required with the higher (tensile strength) grades?

 

[boonerings]

I offer 6Al4V, which is aerospace grade, as well as a stronger 8-1-1 grade, which has properties similar to 6-6-2. I prefer to use it just due to machining and finishing preferences because it doesn't contain the tin that 6-6-2 has. I've tried several grades of titanium back when I made my bike parts, and I just preferred the 8-1-1.

Getting rid of sctratches depends on the finish; a brushed finish can be brought to as-new looking just by buffing it with a ScotchBrite pad. Just go along the line of the grain. For a polished finish, it takes a polish made for stainless steel, which is a bit more agressive than that used for gold. I use a large polishing wheel, but a Dremel tool with a cotton buff works fine too. If the scratches are deep, it's best to get them out first using a fine wet/dry sandpaper such as 400 grit. The polish can come in waxy bars or liquid form. If scratches are fine, an abrasive such as auto compound or even toothpaste can be used. Alot of titanium ring manufacturers also have a policy where you can send them back anytime for repolishing.

Tension sets can have their stones changed out with other stones of the same size at any time, but blind set stones are much tougher to do. The metal is rounded over the girdle of the stone, so is meant to be permanent. Changing out a stone would involve chipping the stone out and reaming the hole and rounding more metal over the stone. It is done with a hammer and punch, and the titanium is very hard to get to flow, so it is a delicate and difficult operation.

I charge an extra $45 for the upgraded titanium. Others charge $75. It is a bit more difficult to work with, but then again, the basic stuff is pretty tough too.