How do you feel about K-M Graded Diamonds?
- Thread starter lilmountaingirl
- Start date
TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others
E tenebris may just prefer higher clarity in everything. Some people do. It doesn't matter if you tell them they can't see it--it's that mindclean thing.
I would have to see a stone in person to see if I like it. I can't generalize in terms of "I love low colors" or "I love whiter stones."
I have an F that I absolutely love--I love looking at it through the side and seeing it clear as ice. I also have a J marquise--it is a lower J, close to a K. to be honest, though, that looks white from the top--'faces up white'. and a lot of lower colours actually face up white--lower than people tend to think. If you go with yellow gold settings, especially, as low as an M can face up white. If you WANT a visible yellow tinge, you probably want to go lower than that.
My J is also a very pretty stone--I see some difference fromt he top when looking at it next to my F, but not much. It doesn't look at all the same from the side though. But then nothing does, not even the G's that I've seen (from the side).
I've only seen truly low colors in computer photos, not in real life, so I reserve my opinion on them. They do look great in computer photos!
I would have to see a stone in person to see if I like it. I can't generalize in terms of "I love low colors" or "I love whiter stones."
I have an F that I absolutely love--I love looking at it through the side and seeing it clear as ice. I also have a J marquise--it is a lower J, close to a K. to be honest, though, that looks white from the top--'faces up white'. and a lot of lower colours actually face up white--lower than people tend to think. If you go with yellow gold settings, especially, as low as an M can face up white. If you WANT a visible yellow tinge, you probably want to go lower than that.
My J is also a very pretty stone--I see some difference fromt he top when looking at it next to my F, but not much. It doesn't look at all the same from the side though. But then nothing does, not even the G's that I've seen (from the side).
I've only seen truly low colors in computer photos, not in real life, so I reserve my opinion on them. They do look great in computer photos!
Well i definitely appreciate everyone's opinions on this. Whether it is on the color or clarity or the cut. It's hard to really get a good idea since diamonds are so subjective. I am getting antsy - totally wanna see it!
Fire, Sparkle and Brightness has NOTHING TO DO WITH CLARITY PLOTS when you're dealing with a VVS vs a VS clarity stone. That is ALL CUT QUALITY. Fire and Sparkle and Brightness are ALL CUT, NOT CLARITY.
And she may but that has nothing to do with what the OP will see with her own eyes, and there's very few people on this earth that will be able to distinguish between a VVS and a VS clarity without a loupe. That also has nothing to do with fire or brightness in those ranges and everything to do with how ideally the rough was cut.
Well i keep searching the internet and all these low colored diamonds are so pretty to me! I never even thought of them until i saw that marquise and was like what is that? I called a couple of jewelers because i'm so antsy to see if they had any in this range and they were all like "oh no, we would never carry anything less than a j". Why does it have to be an inadequacy? Just because DeBeers decided the whiter the better doesn't mean the K-Ms shouldn't be attainable! Lol.
I grew up with looking at my mother's diamonds, which are IF - so while I can't tell the difference between F and VVS2, I do notice when you get into the VS range.
You start seeing things. Ok, maybe not that creepy, but I feel like I see inclusions out of the side of my eye. However, the average person won't have your diamonds 2 inches from their eyes, and VS looks amazing at 3 inches away or further.
There some difference in sparkle - but a badly cut IF is dull compared to a well cut VS2...
I will max out clarity on micro-pave and tiny (0.02) diamonds - at that size, they are all cut by machine anyways, so clarity can make a difference.
Right, a badly cut IF will be duller than a well cut VS2 but that's because of the cut, NOT the clarity.
Some might see the inclusions in a VS (a true VS you should see nothing without a loupe), but it doesn't interfere with the sparkle or brilliance til you're into I1-I3 range.
As for melee, yes the higher clarity, IMO, is worth it. You might not see it without a loupe but at those sizes it definitely makes a difference.
Some might see the inclusions in a VS (a true VS you should see nothing without a loupe), but it doesn't interfere with the sparkle or brilliance til you're into I1-I3 range.
As for melee, yes the higher clarity, IMO, is worth it. You might not see it without a loupe but at those sizes it definitely makes a difference.
There is also something else to colored diamonds (or diamonds in general) that no one ever seems to mention.Maybe no one notices but me...lol. Photographers eye I guess. Diamonds have different tones and tints. There is not one standard shade range of some standard yellowish brown where all K diamonds will all be the same color. I am EXTREMELY color sensitive. And I don't mean that I prefer a F over a J diamond, I mean I can see how some diamonds have a yellower tint, some a greener tint, some are more pinkybrown. It's slight, and maybe most people wouldn't see it. But while I would love a K diamond that leaned more on the pink/yellow side (think cream soda) I would not like one that was on the greener side.
My diamond is an I, and the color can only be seen from the side in the right light, but it does lean a bit more towards the greenish tan side. Bleh. I have a K solitaire (a tiny speck) and it's a really pretty pinkish tan tint.
Anyway, my point is when choosing a diamond in the lower range, look at it against white upside down and make sure you are happy with the actual color tint.
My diamond is an I, and the color can only be seen from the side in the right light, but it does lean a bit more towards the greenish tan side. Bleh. I have a K solitaire (a tiny speck) and it's a really pretty pinkish tan tint.
Anyway, my point is when choosing a diamond in the lower range, look at it against white upside down and make sure you are happy with the actual color tint.
And regarding the clarity, once again, clarity will not effect sparkle fire and brilliance. It will only effect it when the inclusions are large enough or numerous enough to actually hinder the light's reflection in the diamond. More than likely you'd have to be SI3 or worse (SI3 not being a real grade anyway..actually and I1). And clarity is an odd thing. I think every stone I have is a VS2 and yet even with a loupe the inclusions can't be found. Sometimes inclusions are prongable and once mounted you can't see anything, Even in an SI stone. I have seen MANY other GIA reports of VS2 diamonds that I was baffled weren't actually SI2's. Each and every stone needs to be evaluated by it's actual plot. One VS can have several tiny feathers or clouds and crystals scattered about the whole diamond where as a SI1 might have one black inclusion in the crown near the girdle and be totally prongable. Just saying a stone is a VS2 or a SI2 doesn't tell you the whole story.
Today i was fortunate enough to see the pear i was considering and found a local jeweler with every diamond imaginable! I am passing on the pear. It faces up a nice pale yellow but it has a slight bowtie and i can't deal with it. The next jeweler though had two amazingly perfect stones. Of course, it pushed me to the double my budget range. Geez i feel like goldilocks. But i've definitley found the right fit. The problem? There are two right fits! Ugh! First, a beautiful pale yellow very slightly tinted 2.5 ct M color cushion (Ame was right, i would want an M ~ lol) with the most amazing fire. It is a deep cushion (is this standard for cushions?) but i love the side profile! The second is a "light fancy" yellow 3 ct radiant. So it is a deeper yellow and also has nice fire. The color on the 3 ct is a little more of the yellow i wanted but the fire on the cushion is a little better and it is just such a pretty cut. Is finding the right fit this hard for everyone? Which should i pick?
Cushions usually are deep. But some are deeper than others. The disadvatage here is less finger coverage..a lot of the carat weight is ont the bottom. That being said, I personally would choose a cushion over a radiant anyday of the week. Personal preference though.