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Yellow Gold solitaire - make stone white

C

ccmans

Rough_Rock
Joined
May 30, 2017
Messages
21
Hello,

My girlfriend has decided she wants a simple yellow gold solitaire for her ring. Following the suggestions online about not overpaying for colour on a yellow gold ring, I bought her a 1.2 ct GIA J colour, SI1 eye clean with excellent cut. The stone faces up quite nicely, but you can see a tint from the side when scrutinizing it in certain lighting. I would like the diamond to look as white as possible, so how should I set it? The shank will be yellow gold, but should the 4 prongs be platinum or yellow gold for optimum stone whiteness? There seems to be conflicting opinions out there. She does not mind either set up.

Thank you forum-goers!
 
I think you're right that there are conflicting opinions on this one. It may simply be in the eye of the beholder. I'll cast a vote for a yellow gold shank and a platinum head to maximize the whiteness of the stone :))
 
Thank you both for your opinions! That's 2 for platinum claws. Other opinions are appreciated as well!

Would it help to try and cover the pavilion with a bar or basket?
 
ccmans said:
Would it help to try and cover the pavilion with a bar or basket?
Click to expand...

Maybe nominally. I have a GIA J in a setting like that and I can see color from the side but I have to stop and look for it. The ring is never at that angle while I'm wearing it. My setting also has tapered baguette side stones which help block the side view.
 
I *think* that most people will tell you to set the diamond in white gold/platinum head to optimize "whiteness", but I personally really dislike mixed gold settings, if not executed well. I also really prefer the romantic look of an all yellow gold setting, I just think that is looks much more fluid and complete. Ultimately, I really don't think that a J will appear much whiter if set in platinum and I think the color will compliment the yellow gold quite well. I hope that you have left a decent budget for a nice setting and you are not going with the simplest stock setting. Here are some settings that I would choose:

IMG_4906.JPG

IMG_4907.JPG

IMG_4909.JPG
 
Thank you both. I still have a good budget for the ring itself, I am getting it custom made so I have quite a bit of flexibility in terms of design to optimize whiteness. All she really wants is a solitaire on a skinny shank, no extra diamonds and 4 prongs. How that's put together is up to me, so i appreciate your suggestions!

So far I am thinking skinny YG shank, platinum prongs (4) that meet at a point and are welded to the shank, and a cross bar connecting all the prongs across the middle of the pavilion.
 
I like uniform gold. I don't like mixed white and yellow gold, and I definitely don't like mix of metals (platinum and gold). I would vote for quality rich yellow color 18K gold both prongs and shank.
 
I think I found one that hits the nail pretty close to the head in terms of style (only this setting is for square diamonds, id need my jeweller to customize it for a round).

https://www.laurenbjewelry.com/lepozzi-1-50-ct-cushion-cut-yellow-gold-engagement-ring.html

So I'm getting some mixed responses in terms of prong metal color - sounds like a J colour stone isn't gonna get much whiter even if it's wrapped in platinum claws. But will it get more yellow wrapped in yellow gold claws?
 
For skinny shank we usually recommend going with 2mm maybe to 1.8mm with no pave. Too much smaller and you're asking for trouble over time.
Here is a pick of a J with yellow gold prongs and the pick next to it is with white gold/plat prongs. Not sure if it will help much but...I got these off of James Allen
where you can go select to see yellow gold settings to see how stones look.
j in yellow gold prongs.PNG j in white gold prongs.PNG
 
Hmm, to my eyes it does look a bit more yellow with YG prongs. With that in mind, considering I want the diamond to look as white as possible, it sounds like plat prongs is the right move.

And thanks for the advice on shank size. She wants as skinny as possible, so I think I'll go for around 1.8mm
 
You can always take the stone to your jeweler and drop it into some empty yellow gold and platinum settings to see how you feel but I think you're on the right track with a platinum head.
 
ccmans said:
Hmm, to my eyes it does look a bit more yellow with YG prongs. With that in mind, considering I want the diamond to look as white as possible, it sounds like plat prongs is the right move.

And thanks for the advice on shank size. She wants as skinny as possible, so I think I'll go for around 1.8mm
Click to expand...

I would once again suggest that you consider an all gold setting. The "cut-off" appearance that dual gold settings have is really not appealing especially when we are talking about a basket type head and maybe even a cathedral style. I would also suggest a tapered setting, have it thin at the top at 1.8mm or even less and more sturdy at the bottom to avoid structural issues.

Some additional pics:
All yellow gold:

IMG_4713.JPG

Tapered setting in plat (J diamond btw)
IMG_4718.JPG

P.S. Please pardon my un-manicured appearance :oops2:
 
My vote is to keep it all yellow. I tend to worry more about color contrast between the metal and stone and the warmth match on the metals. I like lower colors (I and below) in yellow gold. H and above in white metals. Just my eyes.

You could try a setting with more going on from the sides to block more of the view from the side angle. Like these baskets, but it may move away from her desire for a simple 4-prong...
 
Interesting points - what is the color of the diamond in the yellow gold setting above? It looks quite white against the yellow claws. Ideally I would have all one metal, but I don't want to bring the colour down more... it's important to her it doesn't look too yellow!
 
ccmans said:
Interesting points - what is the color of the diamond in the yellow gold setting above? It looks quite white against the yellow claws. Ideally I would have all one metal, but I don't want to bring the colour down more... it's important to her it doesn't look too yellow!
Click to expand...

It is a J colored diamond, it is not yellow, it is warm. The stone in the yellow gold is a CZ so colorless, but honestly I find that white metals bring out more of a color contrast when next to warmer diamonds. Also, our eyes tend to concentrate on contrast. A well-cut J will face up white, the color is visible from the sides, that is where I would prefer that the basket be warmer and not white gold.
I had a J set in white gold, the color didn't bother me, but I didn't greatly enjoy the contrast between the prongs/basket and the white metal. Yellow gold is back and so yummy. I really think that it will be better if it is all YG. I also don't like mixing gold with platinum.
 
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Interesting thoughts! I'm flip flopping back and forth! It sounds like there really is no firm truth, it comes down to perception. I'll talk to my jeweller about trying it in a couple settings, and see if she has an opinion as well.

Thank you for your help!
 
ccmans said:
Interesting points - what is the color of the diamond in the yellow gold setting above? It looks quite white against the yellow claws. Ideally I would have all one metal, but I don't want to bring the colour down more... it's important to her it doesn't look too yellow!
Click to expand...

If she wants it to look as white as possible, you need to have it in white metal prongs. The stone will reflect the surrounding color, so if it's yellow gold, it will show more yellow body color. Also, if you do an intricate basket, that will help camouflage body color from the side view.

I had a 2.43 J in a halo setting. It looked very white face up, and since the sides didn't show, it was white.
 
The safest thing to do is to have her see a GIA J of similar size dropped into yellow and white metal prongs... let her decide for herself.
 
That would definitely be the safest, but I don't want her to know I have the stone :)

Okay - lots of good points. Priority is making the stone look as white as possible. If anyone has any photos or anything they want to add of their own rings of a similar colour that would be great! I'll talk to my jeweller tomorrow and see what she thinks.
 
ccmans said:
That would definitely be the safest, but I don't want her to know I have the stone :)

Okay - lots of good points. Priority is making the stone look as white as possible. If anyone has any photos or anything they want to add of their own rings of a similar colour that would be great! I'll talk to my jeweller tomorrow and see what she thinks.
Click to expand...

If that's the priority, it's gotta be white metal prongs/basket/head.
 
The yellow gold will cover the yellowish hue of the diamond. The white gold / platinum will expose more of the diamond color especially in lower color diamonds.
The best way to decide for yourself is to put your diamond in yellow and white gold setting.J-diamond-comparisons-settings-big.jpg
The above picture shows different color shanks, but the prongs are white. Diamond is J color.
The one set in platinum has a noticeable yellow tint. And the one set in yellow gold complements the band well and looks way whiter.
 
EvaEvans said:
The yellow gold will cover the yellowish hue of the diamond. The white gold / platinum will expose more of the diamond color especially in lower color diamonds.
The best way to decide for yourself is to put your diamond in yellow and white gold setting.J-diamond-comparisons-settings-big.jpg
The above picture shows different color shanks, but the prongs are white. Diamond is J color.
The one set in platinum has a noticeable yellow tint. And the one set in yellow gold complements the band well and looks way whiter.
Click to expand...

...and both are set in white metal prongs.
 
It's tempting to consider photos but there are too many variables in any picture to accurately represent color. Best to see for yourself at the jeweler.
 
I would definitely use white gold or platinum prongs. A four prong solitaire setting can be had for not a lot of money. If the color of the stone really bothers you, consider trading it in on a whiter stone using the bulk of the budget and buying a fairly standard four prong setting. I would always want the most of the money spent on the stone, not the setting.
 
msop04 said:
...and both are set in white metal prongs.
Click to expand...
:)) Right!
I couldn't find example comparison with pure white and yellow prongs and shanks... :(
 
MissGotRocks said:
I would definitely use white gold or platinum prongs. A four prong solitaire setting can be had for not a lot of money. If the color of the stone really bothers you, consider trading it in on a whiter stone using the bulk of the budget and buying a fairly standard four prong setting. I would always want the most of the money spent on the stone, not the setting.
Click to expand...

After all your opinions, I have started leaning towards tasteful, slim, white gold prongs. As little white gold as possible. I am happy with the stone itself, as I have heard it can be a bit wasteful to go H or higher on a stone going into a yellow gold shank as it will pick up some background colour anyways. I think the J, once mounted, will look beautiful! It really is a gorgeous high quality diamond, just a bit warmer. Everywhere I read said I-K is the best bang for buck stone for a YG ring, but I don't want to exaggerate the warmth if possible!

I'll make sure to see it in person before I make a final decision though :)

Hope she likes it! I didn't realize how many levels there are to this when I started planning this ring!!!!
 
A diamond will reflect both the metal holding it and the lighting around it. My avatar picture is a G color stone with platinum prongs and yellow gold shank. In no way does the yellow shank reflect in the diamond itself. It is not wasteful to go to a higher color stone; it is rather a matter of preference. This is the ring I am referencing with a yellow gold channel set band.

wedding_8-jpg.482293
 
I would go see what you prefer at a jeweler. I have a lot of YG and I actually think it makes the diamonds pop and look whiter. I tend to see more of the warmth of a diamond in white metals.
 
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