Diamond color quality..

[monokuro]

I was wondering.. Is there any real big difference in color quality between the GHIJ area?

Because when I look up the charts for diamond colors.. those four seem to be in a category.. but G is pretty up there and J is down there..

Is there a big difference to the naked eye? In light? Sunlight? natural light? whatever?

Just wondering!

I've never seen different diamonds IRL compared.. soo. ^^

[TylerDurden]

Side by side you can see differences in the color. Usually the lower color grades will look yellowish. Color is one of the most important qualities of a diamond and usually accounts for the majority of the price. Since you won't have your diamond side by side with another one it may not be that important to you. Personally, I would go with a color grade of F or at the least G if price is an issue.

[SympathyDuet]

A trained eye can definitely tell the difference. But As Tyler mentioned above, unless a J diamond is sitting right next to a G, then you may not be able to tell the difference.

I personally never go for J, because I personally can see a little faint yellow in a J color. But there are other factors to consider other than just the color. I was fooled once by a J stone because it had a strong blue flourescence. The stone actually looked like an F or G! Looked very white.

Although everyone always talks about the 4 C's with diamonds, for me the most important aspect of a diamond is the CUT. If the cut is off, the diamond will not refract light the same way, and dull the sparkle. So for me, even if you have an F stone, if the cut is poor, it still won't sparkle the way it should. So, I could care less if a stone is an amazing DEF color, if the cut is not popping my eyes out. LOL
Second "c" for me would be the clarity. The better the clarity, the better the stone, but the expensive it will be. I prefer stones in the VS catagory, and would never settle for anything less than an SI2. The lower the grade, the more inclusions in the stone. Fortunately, even with an SI2 stone, the inclusions are generally only seen under 10x magnification, and not to the naked eye. With a grade lower (I1), you may actually see inclusions in the stone or dark carbon spots.


There is alot to know about diamonds. Do a search on the WEB and type in "the 4 C's of diamonds".

Thus, I would prefer a diamond in the HIJ color, so long as it has an EXCELLENT cut.

[Japster]

Hi!

When we grade diamond color, we place them face down on a white paper and compare them to a master set of colors (usually a GIA plastic Master set). This is where the term "faces up very white" comes from because when turned up right, many of the "J's" can really look white. The way the diamond is cut can totally change the way it faces up because of the excellent light return. I've seen H-I color round brilliants that face up like F color diamonds because of their fantastic cuts.
Quite frankly the average person could not distinguish between grades very easily.

There is slight difference in price when you go up or down in color (usually around 10-12% going from J to I, of K to J for example). But if you compare a D color to a J-K in the exact same cut, clarity, size... the price can be significantly higher (sometimes double).

Fluorescence can also affect the diamond's color appearance. The fluorescence is caused by trace amounts of Boron in the Diamond that causes it fluoresce under a UV light.

I remember when I first started tagging along with my Dad on his Diamond buying & selling, some people really favored the strong Blue fluorescence because they felt it "whitened up" the H-L colored diamonds.

Hope this helps you!

[Lola24]

Originally Posted by Japster

Hi! When we grade diamond color, we place them face down on a white paper and compare them to a master set of colors (usually a GIA plastic Master set). This is where the term "faces up very white" comes from because when turned up right, many of the "J's" can really look white. The way the diamond is cut can totally change the way it faces up because of the excellent light return. I've seen H-I color round brilliants that face up like F color diamonds because of their fantastic cuts. Quite frankly the average person could not distinguish between grades very easily. There is slight difference in price when you go up or down in color (usually around 10-12% going from J to I, of K to J for example). But if you compare a D color to a J-K in the exact same cut, clarity, size... the price can be significantly higher (sometimes double). Fluorescence can also affect the diamond's color appearance. The fluorescence is caused by trace amounts of Boron in the Diamond that causes it fluoresce under a UV light. I remember when I first started tagging along with my Dad on his Diamond buying & selling, some people really favored the strong Blue fluorescence because they felt it "whitened up" the H-L colored diamonds. Hope this helps you!

I'm so glad you chimed in with your expertise. I'm so tired of people thinking they can see such a huge difference between like G and a I when in fact the color is graded face down, there is of course some difference but an I color is still near colorless and there are so many other factors involved in the actual look of the stone. I've tried to explain this to a friend of mine so many times, she's actually looking for diamonds and said to me last night "I is a bad color right? I don't want an I" she obviously has no idea my stone is an I color. Plus it's personal preference too, I think people need to go with the stone that sings to them rather than get overly wrapped up in the grading, I mean of course you want a clean well cut stone but there are beauties out there that aren't D color and IF. I was certain I wanted my stone to be no less than a G color and I wound up with a GIA certified I color VVS2 emerald cut, I could have passed on the stone once the grading came in but I had looked at so many emerald cuts and I loved this one. It's probably, or definitely not the BEST stone but I liked the shape and cut and it felt right and looks great set next to the G side stones in my Scott Kay setting, to the naked eye you would never see a color variation.........

[Japster]

Lola, I completely agree with you. Quite frankly, I've shown loose diamonds to customers without telling them color first and 95% of the time they LOVE the warmer colored stone and not noticing any color difference.

I would not hesistate to purchase a "warmer" color if it was an excellent cut and fit my criteria.

[2manybags]

Ditto Sympathy on the cut. A well cut stone in a low color will always look better than a poorly cut stone in a high color. As far as seeing color difference between G-J, it depends on how color sensitive you are. For me, it was easy to pick up on the warmth in I even though some of the diamonds I saw "faced up white." Also, when you look at a diamond from the side, I/J stones have color in the body, although you can set it in a way so that it doesn't show. The best thing to do is look at diamonds in person to see what color you are comfortable with.

[Lola24]

Japster, lol, that's what I'm telling my friend to do, have a look at a group of the shape and weight stone she's looking for, pic first based on what you like the look of and then ask what the specs are, she may be surprised..... of course she's not going to listen to me though.

[Lola24]

Originally Posted by 2manybags

Ditto Sympathy on the cut. A well cut stone in a low color will always look better than a poorly cut stone in a high color. As far as seeing color difference between G-J, it depends on how color sensitive you are. For me, it was easy to pick up on the warmth in I even though some of the diamonds I saw "faced up white." Also, when you look at a diamond from the side, I/J stones have color in the body, although you can set it in a way so that it doesn't show. The best thing to do is look at diamonds in person to see what color you are comfortable with.

First of all, I'm not a professional, I've done a lot of research in the past and you may be the same but I'm not sure you should make the statement that color can be seen in the body on I/J stones when you look from the side. If you look at a wide range of color rating charts there does tend to be a bit of a cut off from I to J in terms of color visible to an untrained/naked eye, it may be better to put H/I in a group and then J/K but I still wouldn't make a statement like that. It also depends on the size of the stone and even to say seeing color in anything in the near colorless range I think can be misleading, it's really more of a warmer white vs. a stark white that may never be noticeable to the owner, it's not like you're looking at a yellow/brown stone.....

From what I've experienced, to make a solid statement on seeing color it helps to have experienced looking at certified stones graded by the same institution. I know in the past I've looked at many comparable lose stones and noticed how color grading seems to vary somewhat between certified and non-certified stones and then again between different institutions that certify the stones. Though I'm not an expert I had asked many jewelers at the time if it's possible for say and IGI I to be slightly different than a GIA I and I was told many many times that GIA is very conservative and they will always grade on the lower side, this was some time ago and maybe this has changed a bit but just some food for thought. I also think that if we are not professional jewelers we shouldn't completely trust the "look" of a certain color graded diamond at random jeweler and uncertified or a stone certified by a less superior Gemological institution. There's always the chance that unknowing customers have looked at what they are told are a G, H, or I (uncertified) that GIA may only certify as J, K, or L, you just never know......buyer beware.....

[2manybags]

I looked at a ton of stones within the past year including a number of F, G, H, and I GIA & AGS diamonds. From my experience, I could see warmth in the body of GIA I colored stones. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, but it just wasn't what I wanted in my engagement ring. There are plenty of I colored diamonds that face up white and it's all about personal preference. There are some beautiful I colored diamonds in the engagement ring section here on tpf, which are actually what inspired me to consider I colored stones, but in person the ones I saw just weren't for me. As I mentioned in my earlier post, I'm color sensitive and in addition, I also prefer a more icy white look. That's why I think it's best to see different colored diamonds in person.

Originally Posted by Lola24

First of all, I'm not a professional, I've done a lot of research in the past and you may be the same but I'm not sure you should make the statement that color can be seen in the body on I/J stones when you look from the side. If you look at a wide range of color rating charts there does tend to be a bit of a cut off from I to J in terms of color visible to an untrained/naked eye, it may be better to put H/I in a group and then J/K but I still wouldn't make a statement like that. It also depends on the size of the stone and even to say seeing color in anything in the near colorless range I think can be misleading, it's really more of a warmer white vs. a stark white that may never be noticeable to the owner, it's not like you're looking at a yellow/brown stone..... From what I've experienced, to make a solid statement on seeing color it helps to have experienced looking at certified stones graded by the same institution. I know in the past I've looked at many comparable lose stones and noticed how color grading seems to vary somewhat between certified and non-certified stones and then again between different institutions that certify the stones. Though I'm not an expert I had asked many jewelers at the time if it's possible for say and IGI I to be slightly different than a GIA I and I was told many many times that GIA is very conservative and they will always grade on the lower side, this was some time ago and maybe this has changed a bit but just some food for thought. I also think that if we are not professional jewelers we shouldn't completely trust the "look" of a certain color graded diamond at random jeweler and uncertified or a stone certified by a less superior Gemological institution. There's always the chance that unknowing customers have looked at what they are told are a G, H, or I (uncertified) that GIA may only certify as J, K, or L, you just never know......buyer beware.....

[venusfly]

That cut is most important is a given. That being said , I agree with 2ManyBags that *in my experience* body color is easily seen in IJ and, and very faint yellow color in H color stones. Others may see no color in HIJ, but I readily do.

The industry belief is that GIA certified stones are more honestly graded and that IGL and others may fudge that a stone is a color grade or even two higher than the actual color of the stone. Therefore, I only buy GIA certified stones or jewelry accompanied by a GIA certificate because I feel it is my best bet to actually get a stone that meets the specifications that I am paying (you can appraise the stone independently to see if it meets the certificate specifications).

Assuming two stones are ideal cut I would sacrifice carat size for a higher color grade or wait and save the extra $$.

I don't know whether cut can make a J look like a D. I've heard that said but I have no first hand experience with it.

[lorihmatthews]

I ditto what has been said about the J diamonds seeming to be "warmer." I've got a J and it is not yellow at all. It is, however, an excellent cut and the clarity is VVS1 (one step down from flawless). I get compliments on it all the time.

[isus]

Originally Posted by Japster

Lola, I completely agree with you. Quite frankly, I've shown loose diamonds to customers without telling them color first and 95% of the time they LOVE the warmer colored stone and not noticing any color difference. I would not hesistate to purchase a "warmer" color if it was an excellent cut and fit my criteria.

Japster, being in the business, I know you are familiar with the brand, Hearts on Fire. My DH bought one of these for me several years ago. It too is graded I and is, of course, an AGS 0 cut.

It knocks the socks off of my Lazare Kaplan E color graded diamond when it comes to light return. And, it looks whiter than the LK. LK used to be an industry ideal cut standard and I love my Kaplan, but if I had not seen the diamond report on these two stones, I would think the HOF to be the E and the Kaplan to be the I grade.

[Lola24]

Originally Posted by isus

Japster, being in the business, I know you are familiar with the brand, Hearts on Fire. My DH bought one of these for me several years ago. It too is graded I and is, of course, an AGS 0 cut. It knocks the socks off of my Lazare Kaplan E color graded diamond when it comes to light return. And, it looks whiter than the LK. LK used to be an industry ideal cut standard and I love my Kaplan, but if I had not seen the diamond report on these two stones, I would think the HOF to be the E and the Kaplan to be the I grade.

that's why I say you shouldn't group all I's or grades in the near colorless range into stones that show "color". I don't think it's good to turn people off of something before they even see it for themselves.......

[meluvs2shop]

i've been married for a few years now and i never get tired looking at my I color diamond. i did exactly what lola suggested-i looked at loose stones before asking for the specs. and of course, with the poorly cut stones i was able to see warmth immediately.
however, my I stone was like a beacon of light. it was so beautiful that i started to stutter when the jeweler told me it was an I. i never imagined going below an H.
i assumed i was going to see warmth and i didn't. again, it's ALL about the cut.