Advice Needed! Will a colorless diamond (D, E, F) look yellow on a gold band vs diamonds in the G, H, I range?

[Poppykins]

Hello,

I need some advice. My partner and I have been looking for an engagement ring for almost 6-7 months now and we are still confused as to what exactly are we looking for. We generally have an idea of what shape and size we want (round, 1.2 +). What really confuses us is the clarity and color of the diamond. We prefer a gold setting.

At first, we asked a jeweler to find us a diamond that was in the colorless range (D, E, F) and told them we were looking for a gold band. Then they questioned us and asked why would we look for something colorless with a gold band and told us that it would make the diamond look yellow. He suggested we look for a diamond in the G and H range for a gold band.

Has anyone heard of anything like this and how noticeable with the difference be?

 

[mwilliamanderson]

Any diamond will reflect the color of the metal prongs or bezel that secure it. That’s why you will often seen people use a platinum or white gold head with a yellow gold shank. Silver prongs tend to disappear on a diamond rather than standing out as well.

To say it will make the diamond yellow is an overstatement however. You can look through the show me the bling threads and see how a variety of metals are use across the range of colors from D-P. It’s more about personal preference than following any rules.

Here’s a thread where you can see the impact of white vs gold metal on the same diamond:

Before and after poll

So I did a thing bc yellow gold craving hit me. I blame singlestone IG, lol. K. So I reset my 2.9 E si1 in an old chunky halo but gold plated it. See for yourself. I’m almost thinking that the prongs should have stayed white but I wanted to see if by using gold, the stone would stand out...

www.pricescope.com

 

[DejaWiz]

If you are leaning towards YG, then go with YG.
When you select a diamond, we will urge you to make sure that it has maximum light return and no leakage. This will help tremendously with white light return, regardless of the color of the setting.

 

[Diamond_Enthusiast]

Sounds like you know the shape and size and metal of the band you want and so you are working out what others parameters like color and clarity you like. One very important thing you haven't mentioned is the cut of the diamond. This is actually the key driver of how sparkly your diamond will be! Imagine the diamond works like a mirrors reflecting light, the proportions/angles of how these 'mirrors' are arranged will determine the light return performance you see.

In a YG setting, a well cut G / H is still going to look nice and white (unless you are very color sensitive). Best thing is that you can get a larger stone for the same budget than if you go with the colorless range. Using a white metal head even if you choose YG band is a good idea though, since as already mentioned above, diamonds reflect color of the metal from prongs/bezels securing it.

In terms of clarity, many like eye clean SI because it is good value for money. Others may prefer higher clarity for mind clean reasons.

 

[kadean]

My ring is a 0.8 carat E color round brilliant center stone with E color tapered baguette sidestones in an 18k yellow gold ring. I specifically chose a colorless stone for my yellow gold ring despite the warnings against it because I like the contrast of yellow gold and colorless diamonds. I’m really happy I stuck with it! The tapered baguettes will occasionally look “yellow” in a yellow room or with warm lighting, but I think that has more to do with the shallow nature of that cut (please feel free to correct me if that is not accurate). It doesn’t bother me at all because the center stone always looks white! I’ll attach a couple pictures.

In the 2nd picture you can see that the side stones look slightly yellow from the gold underneath, but the center stone still looks colorless (at least in my opinion!).

 

[oakleaf]

D color set in plat prongs on a yellow gold band.

 

[msmckay]

I have a 1.25ct E colour set in 18k yellow gold with a white gold head. My diamond looks super bright white and I love the contrast it makes with the richness of the band. The white gold prongs just disappear into all the sparkles

 

[AprilBaby]

My rings have always been yg and I’ve never seen my diamonds look yellow. I love the contrast of the gold prongs with the white of the diamond.

 

[caolsen]

Yellow gold tinting a colorless stone feels like the oldest wife tail out there. A well cut, well portioned stone in YG will still look colorless.

Surely we all see that platinum and WG aren’t colorless - they are Grey and we don’t think they tint stones toward the grey side.

This is LGD but it’s a certified D in rose gold. As white as virgin snow….

 

[AprilBaby]

Yellow gold tinting a colorless stone feels like the oldest wife tail out there. A well cut, well portioned stone in YG will still look colorless.

Surely we all see that platinum and WG aren’t colorless - they are Grey and we don’t think they tint stones toward the grey side.

This is LGD but it’s a certified D in rose gold. As white as virgin snow….

Interesting point! Why don’t we think diamonds in white metals look more gray?
(btw, what the difference between gray and grey? Anyone?)

 

[AllAboardTheBlingTrain]

Interesting point! Why don’t we think diamonds in white metals look more gray?
(btw, what the difference between gray and grey? Anyone?)

Gray is how it’s spelled in America, grey is how it’s spelled in England. Just American vs British English

 

[Sprinkles&Stones]

My ring is a 0.8 carat E color round brilliant center stone with E color tapered baguette sidestones in an 18k yellow gold ring. I specifically chose a colorless stone for my yellow gold ring despite the warnings against it because I like the contrast of yellow gold and colorless diamonds. I’m really happy I stuck with it! The tapered baguettes will occasionally look “yellow” in a yellow room or with warm lighting, but I think that has more to do with the shallow nature of that cut (please feel free to correct me if that is not accurate). It doesn’t bother me at all because the center stone always looks white! I’ll attach a couple pictures.

In the 2nd picture you can see that the side stones look slightly yellow from the gold underneath, but the center stone still looks colorless (at least in my opinion!).

Your ring is absolutely gorgeous. This is one of my favorite designs! Yours is executed so well!

 

[caolsen]

Interesting point! Why don’t we think diamonds in white metals look more gray?
(btw, what the difference between gray and grey? Anyone?)

In my case, it’s a typo. That ought to have been ‘gray’. I think Grey is more of the surname and use for geographical locations in the US. And yes, the A vs E is a UK vs American spelling hiccup.

 

[kadean]

Your ring is absolutely gorgeous. This is one of my favorite designs! Yours is executed so well!

Thank you so much! I was inspired by my grandmother’s beautiful engagement ring!

 

[distracts]

A whiter diamond will look whiter than a less white diamond in a comparable setting. Yes, if you have a yellow or rose gold head, more color from the setting will come through the diamond, but it doesn't actually change the diamond's color. I personally find that a whiter diamond is still obviously whiter in a yellow or rose setting than a lower color diamond in a white metal setting. I would prefer an all-yellow or all-rose setting over one with white prongs - I'm just not a fan of the two-tone look for most settings. But YMMV. Look at pictures or at settings in person and see what you like.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Definitely use a white gold or platinum head (prongs) with the yellow gold shank. You won't want to see yellow prongs reflecting in the diamond. The prongs should be invisible, basically. so as not to take away from the diamond.