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will warm stones lose some of their warmth when set?

pandabee

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Feb 29, 2012
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While I haven't had the chance to see some warmer colored diamonds in person yet, I am hoping that I can get a little insight from pictures online. After seeing some beautiful warmer colored AVC/AVR/OEC, many seem to face up fairly white in the setting and a lot of people have said that the tint can only be viewed from the side. However, looking through diamondseeker's AVC play thread ([URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/some-avcs-came-to-visit-me-today.179824/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/some-avcs-came-to-visit-me-today.179824/[/URL]) it looks like these warm stones still look pretty warm when loose. While I do think the warmer colors suit these antique cuts very well, I'm not sure if the tint is something I am going to eventually dislike in an e-ring. I was definitely liking the idea of being able to go warmer in color to capitalize on size.

So...if you have a warmer-colored antique cut stone, please post a picture of its profile in your setting (or even loose/set comparisons if you have them!) and note the color and any fluor if it exists. 4/6-prong, open-basket, what have you, all welcome!! (FWIW though, I am currently dreaming of putting in an AVC in a Tacori setting so I am wondering/hoping if the basket will force the light to reflect more upwards...that's my real question! :loopy: )
 
It depends on the setting.

Warmth is more visible in the side view.
So a Tension Setting will reveal the warmth more than a full bezel setting.
 
I understand that. What if it's neither bezel nor tension?
 
pandabee,

Photos of my warm stones make them look a lot warmer than they appear in real life. You probably really need to see some warmer stones in person.

liz
 
Want to piggy back on your post. i just received my RB 2.22ct J VS2 XXX stone - its a beautiful stone, sparkles like crazy, but from the sides especially I can see the warmth. Went to a store just to place it in a setting - halo for me and it looked less warm. However, i wonder if that's the store lighting or what.
 
In outdoor lighting, the AVC's face up really white and don't look a lot different from my G stone. But, in other lighting they look a little more champagne color. I would not even consider L color in a round brilliant, but I don't mind the color at all in the AVC. That said, if it was for my main/only engagement ring, I might try to go to J color.
 
diamondseeker2006|1347746017|3268788 said:
In outdoor lighting, the AVC's face up really white and don't look a lot different from my G stone. But, in other lighting they look a little more champagne color. I would not even consider L color in a round brilliant, but I don't mind the color at all in the AVC. That said, if it was for my main/only engagement ring, I might try to go to J color.

Thanks DS that's helpful. Do you know what fluorescent lighting does to warm colors? That's usually the setting I'm in.

Libby I am hoping to make a trip to GOG within the next year to see some of these beauties for myself but I wanna know what range I should really be aiming for so I'm not so all over the place when I visit.
 
pandabee|1347747515|3268797 said:
diamondseeker2006|1347746017|3268788 said:
In outdoor lighting, the AVC's face up really white and don't look a lot different from my G stone. But, in other lighting they look a little more champagne color. I would not even consider L color in a round brilliant, but I don't mind the color at all in the AVC. That said, if it was for my main/only engagement ring, I might try to go to J color.

Thanks DS that's helpful. Do you know what fluorescent lighting does to warm colors? That's usually the setting I'm in.

Libby I am hoping to make a trip to GOG within the next year to see some of these beauties for myself but I wanna know what range I should really be aiming for so I'm not so all over the place when I visit.

Thanks for starting this thread pandabee :wavey:

I was wondering the same thing in DS2006's thread and now i'm really confused!

I'm thinking i might have to go down to GOG and see how sensitive i am to color now :/

ETA: i am also in flouro lights a lot so i'm interested to see how this affects the color.
 
I agree with DS that if it's going to be your main or only ring, then you may want to go up in color but you're probably going to have to see some yourself to see what you can take and look in as many different lighting situations as you can.
 
I have fluorescent lighting in my laundry room, so I went in there with an AVC and my G stone. I would say the L stone looks pretty white. I see less of the tint face up in that lighting but you see a slight champagne rather than bright white. It still does not look like an L in that lighting to me. But what the slight color does is make it look like an antique stone to me.
 
I find diamonds look less warm once set in a white metal.
 
Here are some pics of my .788ct OEC in different settings/loose. When I bought it, it was in the yellow gold flower setting. I have some of it loose and then reset in white gold.

My stone is appraised by Pearlmans as low J/high K.

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I had an L AVC for a while - ended up exchanging it for a G because the color did bother me. I am a naturally pale person, and I felt the L color blended in with my skin too much. The color is definitely noticeable to me. That said, I do have an actual antique OEC that is probably in the I-J range and it doesn't bother me at all.

Here are a few pics of the L AVC next to a D color rb w/ SB fluor.

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ecf8503|1347764213|3268941 said:
I had an L AVC for a while - ended up exchanging it for a G because the color did bother me. I am a naturally pale person, and I felt the L color blended in with my skin too much. The color is definitely noticeable to me. That said, I do have an actual antique OEC that is probably in the I-J range and it doesn't bother me at all.

Here are a few pics of the L AVC next to a D color rb w/ SB fluor.

Thank you so much! These pics are EXTREMELY helpful! I think that tint would bother me too and it is rather noticeable - so maybe id be on the safe side and stay in the near colorless range! :appl: Gorgeous rings! :twirl:
 
ecf - those pics are wonderful - they really highlight the colour difference! Thank you for posting. For me, I'd be more inclined to go with the warmer stones than the colourless ones. I love the warmth the older or AVC/AVR's give off.

Thanks again - love your rings!
 
My two cents, if in your heart you prefer your diamond with less tint, then in an old cut try and stay less tinted than about K. BUT all old cuts seems to show body tint differently because their cuts vary so much. My OEC faces up much whiter than its true body color, it shocked my jeweler and I when we saw it loose! You sort of need to see the stone to know for sure what you think of it.
 
pandabee|1347739409|3268746 said:
I understand that. What if it's neither bezel nor tension?

The more side-view a setting provides the more visible the warmth.
 
LoveLikeCrazy|1347749713|3268813 said:
Thanks for starting this thread pandabee :wavey:
:wavey: hi girl! glad we aren't the only clueless LIW here ;))

thanks bastetcat for your input...I am going to GOG to see some of these stones in person, it's just a matter of when my schedule allows it and when we start actively looking for THE stone.

DS thanks for taking a look in your laundry room! were you able to snap any pics?

audball!!! hi friend! and thank you so much for your pictures, that's exactly what I was hoping to see! the semi-bezel really makes the side view look not tinted at all I think.

ecf those pictures are so helpful thank you!! I am blessed with yellow-toned skin as well so that's why I don't want my stone to look too tinted and get lost. your rings are both *GORGEOUS* though! You can definitely see more of the color on the side view. Did you end up replacing the G in the ring where your L is pictured?

Dreamer, I do prefer white metals so I'm glad that they do look more white but I'm more curious about the side view of the crown once it's set and how different baskets/carriers affect color. I don't really know for sure if my *heart* prefers a diamond with less tint, I just don't want it to blend in to my skin tone like ecf talked about earlier. OHHHH old cuts...they make diamonds vary so much!!! Is this the real reason why so many PSers love hunting down old cuts? because they are all such different creatures, even if you were to compare 2 of the same/similar spec diamonds?? :errrr:

kenny, thanks that makes sense.
 
pandabee|1347797903|3269020 said:
ecf those pictures are so helpful thank you!! I am blessed with yellow-toned skin as well so that's why I don't want my stone to look too tinted and get lost. your rings are both *GORGEOUS* though! You can definitely see more of the color on the side view. Did you end up replacing the G in the ring where your L is pictured?

I traded the L in for a G AVC. This is the G: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/a-match-made-in-heaven-avc-and-jbeg.160298/

img_114.jpg
 
I agree with all of the above... I wish I had pics of unset vs. set, but I was shocked at the color of mine loose versus set.
Loose, it looked very buttery and set, I rarely even see the yellow tint. I think what lighting you are in and what you are wearing makes a HUGE difference in these old cuts. My stone reflects what color I am wearing. I also think the setting color gets reflected around too. My stone appeared "whiter" in a white gold setting. Also, I have noticed that in sunlight I may see a tinge on tint, but putting my daughter to bed in the evening, the stone almost glows it is so white.
I know this doesn't help with the decision making process, but your best bet may be to see some more in person. They are very unique and special stones. I think that is why they are growing in popularity. Not one is the same.
 
I think the platinum bezel on my "M" brightened it. But my basket is open too to let in light.
 
reflecting some light from the shrubs... this picture is outside under the shade of the porch..

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Mayk|1347805460|3269068 said:
reflecting some light from the shrubs... this picture is outside under the shade of the porch..
GORGEOUS! Do you have a SMTB thread on this Mayk?
 
ecf8503|1347798528|3269026 said:

oh ecf that's gorgeous!!!! I do really like the brightness of it!! and the setting is absolutely perfect. love the double claws!!

vinjewels you're absolutely right....I have gathered the fact that all these antique cut stones, whether true antiques or modern cut antiques, are such chameleons which is why they are drawing a lot more attention...the never-ending search for perfect combination of color/cut/size for each person!

mayk your ring is beautiful!!! I love the open gallery and your thread was very helpful in seeing some of the different views of the diamond when it's set. hard to believe it's an M!! audball her link is here: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/jbeg-chris-erd.178641/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/jbeg-chris-erd.178641/[/URL] some of the pics of the loose stone from JbEG do make it seem more tinted but not sure if that's the foliage in the background too.
 
Do keep in mind you cannot judge diamond color by pics.

There are a zillions things that affect what you see on your monitor.
PS is filled with pics of yellow-looking Ds and icy-white looking Ks.
 
kenny|1347830096|3269212 said:
Do keep in mind you cannot judge diamond color by pics.

There are a zillions things that affect what you see on your monitor.
PS is filled with pics of yellow-looking Ds and icy-white looking Ks.

Kenny is correct. There are times when my diamond shows the warmth. But outside its stunning and with the warmth comes big pastel colors... These stores are different. Now I wear mine 90% of the time as a RHR and I have a "G" in my ering. But I must tell you I have left the "G" in the jewelry box to wear this one in its place. I love this diamond. I love the character. I can't help myself!
 
You need to see a stone in person to judge its color. Its a little challenging because I find that faceting is harder to discern loose and body color is more apparent. But if you place the diamond in the crook between two fingers then it will look pretty close to what it would look like set.

And yes, I am fairly certain the uniqueness and unpredictable element, along with the antiquity itself, it what attracts many PSers to old cuts.
 
(...and in addition, we must add that the old stones are usually much less expensive than newly cut diamonds!)

I am sorry but I didn't take a picture in the laundry room. I would say that it would equal my pictures where the stones look their whitest. My rb is a G with blue fluorescence for comparison.

I am sending the AVC stones back tomorrow so I am about to pack them up, but I would say after thinking about it that ideally I would get an H in an AVR and an I-J in an AVC if I could manage the cost. I don't care about them being super white since I want them to look like antique stones, but even though I like the L very much, a slightly higher color might be more mind clean for me. Regardless, I have decided to wait on an AVC and concentrate on the AVR. Once I finish that, I will decide if I want to keep my 1.5 rb or sell it to get an AVC or not. (I probably DO, but I also might upgrade my studs!)
 
I hope these recent photos of my new stone help you.

When it was set, it was estimated at a J and I thought there must have been some flourescence too because it looked so white. GIA just graded it a K. It is the cut of these types of stones I think. They totally pick up ambient colors. I am color sensitive and can't believe that I like a stone that is so "yellow" on paper. Go with your eyes :geek: ;)) And look at in flourescent, outdoor and incandescent light. These diamonds crush all the other diamonds in candlelight, which is where they were meant to shine the best. :idea: I like yellow gold too and had it for 22 years with my first 2 diamonds. I'm on my third and final upgrade and am going to go with platinum this time, but boy there are some beautiful rose gold rings with old cuts on here. Look up Ganesha's ring when you get a chance...

P.S. Not for an upgrade but...someday I'd love to get an F/G Asscher with a great cut about 1 carat :lickout:

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Not the best pictures as I'm using a smartphone but I've got an F, I, J and K (all non-certed and jeweler appraised so not GIA standards).

The F & I are earrings and I have a hard time telling them apart when side by side. Even the J looks no different...although maybe that's just my eyes. My K does not look warm at all...in fact in person it lacks some of the typical OEC pastels and just shoots silvery white light most of the time. All of them are set in platinum. The only time I've noticed the tint in the J and K are in filtered sunlight like in an atrium...and only when looking at it from the side. For a MRB I like to stay J upwards but with antique stones I could go down to an L. I was hesitant to even look at the K when it was offered to me but when I saw it I was blown away.

F - 1.76 MRB
I - 1.78 MRB
J - 1.21 MRB
K - 3.55 OEC (could be a transitional though)

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