Would a K IF round look whiter than lesser clarity Ks

[redroze]

Fell in love with this stone today...was priced just a but more than the 90 points I saw (with higher colours and VS).
It looked warm but not yellow. Will the ex cut and IF clarity make it look whiter? No flour. GIA 1119420675. I'd be setting it in 18k wg setting...could do pave in K, however it would be worn with my wedding band which has F pave stones.

 

[kenny]

No.

… unless we're talking about D-colored diamonds with horrid I2 or I3 clarity grades that look like sprinkled pepper or dirty snow on the side of a road.

 

[doubledouble]

Ideal cut, yes... IF clarity, no.

 

[redroze]

Just to clarify, I don't want it to look like a DEF, or G. I was wondering if it would look whiter than j or ks that weren't as well cut or had lower clarity. Kenny sounds like you're not a K fan? ..I'm looking at the K thread and wow they are some gorgeous stones in K.

 

[doubledouble]

As I understand it, it's not that Ks are bad, it's that clarity has no impact on the color appearance of the stone unless the clarity is SO bad that the diamond looks grey or speckled. So IF clarity will not look any whiter than VS2. A well cut stone will appear whiter than a badly cut one, however.

 

[kenny]

Just to clarify, I don't want it to look like a DEF, or G. I was wondering if it would look whiter than j or ks that weren't as well cut or had lower clarity. Kenny sounds like you're not a K fan? ..I'm looking at the K thread and wow they are some gorgeous stones in K.

Yes there are gorgeous K stones, as there are Ms and Zs and Fs.
But be careful, photography can be deceiving.
Pricescope is swarming with people's pics of yellow-looking Ds and white-looking Ks.

Instead of answering whether I'm a K fan I'll back up a little and say this.
People vary.
Everyone is a fan of what they like, and everyone's preferences are perfect, for them.

Of course I buy what I'm a fan of, but I strive to never impose my preferences onto others.
I will present my reasoning, such as why pay a zillion bucks Internally flawless clarity with K color when for the same price you can find more balanced grades like say G VS2.
Unless you are a millionaire, every diamond you consider will be a compromise of many grades and properties.

I recommend going out and viewing diamonds of all colors to discover your color grade preference giving consideration to how price is factored in.
Only look at diamonds graded by GIA or AGS since other labs have goofy color and clarity grading standards.

Color appearance is mostly the result of the color grade, not cut or clarity.
But yes, other factors influence perception of body color …

1. The large facets of Emerald and Asscher cuts reveal body color more than other shapes with smaller facets.
2. Side view reveals body color more than the top view.
3. Spotlighting gives more colored fire which vastly overpowers diamond body color, much like not being able to hear someone whispering while music is blaring loudly.
4. High-contrast environments result in more on-off scintillation and contrast, which also overpowers diamond body color.
5. Flat even lighting (like under a evenly-white cloudy sky) allows body color to be more noticable since the body color is not overpowered by distracting fire, scintillation and contrast.
6. Better cut means more light return which makes diamonds look brighter and whiter … but only in the top view, not a side view - and side view is how we often see our diamonds.

 

[Laila619]

Clarity doesn't really have anything to do with face-up color. A well-cut stone will face up whiter than a non well-cut stone.

 

[redroze]

Fascinating stuff, thank you. This diamond scores a 1 on the HCA tool and I was looking at it within a well lit office with natural light streaming in through the windows.

Kenny will a g/h vs2 then be priced similar to a diamond that's if/k? Id assume many would want to be in that range and as a result pricing would be much higher.

I'll look at other stones in my budget to decide if the k is even an option. It would also have to work with f colored pave. Hmm lots to consider.

 

[kenny]

Kenny will a g/h vs2 then be priced similar to a diamond that's if/k? Id assume many would want to be in that range and as a result pricing would be much higher.

I don't know exactly; I was just throwing out those ballpark grades.

If you'd like to see how grades affect price surf around on www.bluenile.com
They have a huge inventory … but I'd never buy from them since they refuse to offer Idealscope or ASET or even regular diamond pics.
Search only for their Signature Ideal cut so price variations are more constrained than they'd be in the massive universe of virtual stones.

Do a search for a small carat range with K IF (or close) grades.
Notice the price range.

Then search for the same size in G VS2 and compare the price range.
Vary grades to discover how grades affect price.

 

[AprilBaby]

I wouldn't mix a K with an F, you will see the difference.

 

[redroze]

Yup this ones out of the running.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

You could probably bump up one color to J VS for the price of a K IF, but not much higher unless you go way down in clarity.

 

[Gypsy]

I'd try to find an SI2 with clean wisps personally. They are out there. Rare. But out there.

I like well cut J stones. Very much. But I wouldn't put one right next to a well cut F. "I" though, I would be okay with.

 

[Gypsy]

Your budget seems to be constantly shifting. So I'm not sure what it is.

But here are three good possibilities for you.

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.09-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-284987 It's a 60/60 I Si2 with twining wisps. Scores well on the HCA. James Allen can get you an idealscope image to confirm performance. Great spread at 6.7mm. And I'm betting it's eyeclean. $5,720.

And here another: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.01-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-178401 Also 60/60 with good HCA. And again, you can get an idealscope image. 6.5 mm. Twining wisps. Looks highly likely to be eyeclean. And 6.5mm. AND THE PRICE: $4,700!

And another: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/1.01-carat-i-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-114688 60/60 with good HCA and SI2 with twinning wisps. This one is my favorite as it is very clean. $5,170

JA can have gemologist look at all of them. Tell you if they are eyeclean or if they have any issues to worry about. And get you idealscopes on all of them (or rather, only on the ones that are eyeclean).

 

[redroze]

Your budget seems to be constantly shifting. So I'm not sure what it is.

Ack I know Gypsy!!! But I have reasoning. It's been busy with the kids and since my husband is an equal partner in this decision, the 5 or so seconds that we get to talk about this purchase has been not enough time to discuss what he thinks I should get. Thus budget is based on what I thought was reasonable which is silly given I am clueless with diamonds, specs and pricing.

But finally...some clarity after last night. I'll start a new post. Thank you about the note about twining wisps.

OMG I'm going to checkout those links Gupsy! Thanks!

 

[Niel]

I wouldn't mix a K with an F, you will see the difference.

Depends. side stones? yeah dont mix. But she said pave. Is it going to be in a yellow gold or rose gold setting? It would pass.

 

[redroze]

Gypsy...having JA review those. Thanks again!

 

[DejaWiz]

Thanks to the spammer's thread bump, it's interesting to see pricing examples from 10 years ago, thanks to the detailed post from Gypsy.

1 carat I SI1-2 diamonds at JA can be had for well under $3k and J-K VVS under $4k today!