10YR Anniversary Gift, I need advice on picking the diamond!

[lesliekortes]

My hubby is surprising me with a ring upgrade for our 10yr anniversary in about 6wks, but with it being such a big purchase he surprised me on Friday evening with a special trip to his friend's store to look at diamonds/settings so it should be ready by our anniversary!

So..... we are looking at diamonds in the 2.25-3ct range. I would like a round brilliant in a cushion halo setting.

I got to see diamonds in F color, a few H's and one J (all GIA, all excellent cut). Honestly, in the store they looked all the same color to me.

This is the 3 carat J colored diamond I was kinda leaning towards, although I will say I"m a bit worried about going with a J. I do not want it to appear yellow. I think it's hard to tell under nice lighting...

And this is the setting I'm contemplating!

Can anyone give me some advice/opinions on either J colored diamonds OR going down in a size a bit (probably to 2.5) which will allow me to go up in color a bit... like to a G or H. I would love some input!!

 

[fansynancy]

Just my 2 cents, but-

1. I would like to see the diamond not on your skin to see the color. J cane fine on an ideal cut stone.

2. I adore halos, but I do not think a 3 carat stone is enhanced by a halo. I think that if you go for the 3 carat stone you should choose a different setting. It's plenty big and is more impressive without a halo IMO. I have a 3+ stone myself and it really looked worse with a halo.

3. Congratulations on 10 years!

 

[saligator]

Congratulations! I also wonder if you are into the cushion shape, why turning a round into a cushion rather than set a cushion?

I prefer it in a halo, myself, but it depends on the profile. IF it is set flush with halo, it can look great, if it is staggered, it can sometimes look too complicated.

 

[lesliekortes]

I looked at cushion cut diamonds however I realized you lose some surface space when going with a cushion because they are a deeper stone. I like the brilliance of the round, but the antique look of the cushion halo setting.

So perhaps going down a bit in size would be best?

I'll take some new pics of the J on the white tray when I go back.

 

[jssl1688]

color is a very personal thing, I personally would not go beyond H for color. Of course with a premium well cut stone, it would be harder to detect. If it's not purely the size your going after, I would go with a smaller carat and better color and clarity. It's all about finding the right balance of what your heart desires.

 

[CATEYES]

Congrats on your anniversary! What an exciting gift you are getting.


Will the jeweler let you look at the diamonds outside? This is what my DH did when choosing diamond stud earrings. A body guard went with him and it was just outside the front doors but that's why he didn't choose a larger pair-they showed more yellow than in the store.

 

[ame]

A well cut J will not be yellow face up. There is body warmth in a J, but unless you're super-color-sensitive, you're unlikely to pick up on that from the top down. You WILL pick it up from the side view in some lighting conditions. One way to work around that is with fluorescence. But if going with a J makes it not "mind clean" for you, go up to an H or an I color, and that should help.

Cut quality will make a HUGE difference in how the eye reads the color, though. So make sure you get a very well cut stone. Don't just take the report or jeweler's word for it. Get educated on what makes a stone well cut.

 

[Winterfell]

I am shopping for a ring at the moment and all things considered I favour F/G colour diamonds. In a round brilliant cut H would also look nice. If you plan to set in a halo 2.5 ct is a very substantial size stone so personally I'd go with the slightly smaller but whiter stone. Go for G colour would be my advice that will look absolutely beautiful.