Color sensitivity with age? Did you overcome or did you replace with higher color?

[donnabrsd]

I've loved my I color ACA studs for almost 10 years (shown below). Now, every so often I see a hint of color and it bothers me. Has this happened to anyone else? If so, were you able to overcome it or did you replace the diamond(s)?

I have an email into Whiteflash for H color (and a tiny bump in mm), but they don't really have any candidates right now.

I also have an vision appointment on Friday

 

[MamaBee]

I've loved my I color ACA studs for almost 10 years (shown below). Now, every so often I see a hint of color and it bothers me. Has this happened to anyone else? If so, were you able to overcome it or did you replace the diamond(s)?

I have an email into Whiteflash for H color (and a tiny bump in mm), but they don't really have any candidates right now.

I also have an vision appointment on Friday

Your diamonds are beautiful and look super white to me. I think when we see so many beautiful diamonds, etc on PS some of us may get a little dissatisfied with what we have. I think it’s human nature. If the color really bothers you…of course you should upgrade the color.
I have two pairs of studs..One pair is larger and are VVS2s G color..The smaller pair are my very first studs. They are SI2s H color…completely eye clean. The cut isn’t as good as my VVS2s..so I didn’t wear them since joining PS. I asked my DIL to wear them one day when we were together so I could see how they looked in real life. I fell in love with them again..They aren’t perfect but still beautiful. Do you have someone that can wear them for you to see if you see any tint when they’re being worn?

 

[dk168]

G/H VS is my mind clean, and I cannot see colour in G/H stones when they are on their own.

However, I can see a hint of colour when they are right next to my E colour 1.19ct EC.

DK

 

[Gone_]

There's a thread about this.... https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/changing-eyesight-and-diamond-preferences.266200/

And yes, I think aging and becoming more color sensitive is a thing

 

[Lookinagain]

well, my eyesight has definitely gotten worse as I age, but I don't think I'm any more color sensitive now. I see color in some of the warmer stones, but I don't see any color in my I colored ACA studs which are .85 ct each. So my answer would be no, I don't see more color as my eyesight gets worse. And I guess I'm lucky because I actually don't like icy white stones. I think your studs in the photos above look very white.

 

[Karl_K]

are they clean? hairspray can give them a brownish tone and is really hard to remove.
A professional cleaning may change your mind about them

 

[josieKat]

I definitely see color in my ACA I studs, but they are in an 8 prong yellow gold setting, plus I have red hair, so I kind of expected that they would be a little warmer than my engagement ring (which is an F). They don't scream tinted to me, though, unless I put my ring right up to them.

I also did become more color sensitive after I got my first engagement ring and started looking at the I stone up close all the time; cue the change to a higher color (although I think an H might have been fine; the F is actually slightly whiter than my ideal, but there were limited choices).

 

[lulu_ma]

I am still color sensitive, but antique diamonds have made me more color tolerant. I never in a million years would have thought that I would ever own an M color. But my OEC is more creamy colored than yellow tinted and I'm fine with it.

 

[donnabrsd]

Your diamonds are beautiful and look super white to me. I think when we see so many beautiful diamonds, etc on PS some of us may get a little dissatisfied with what we have. I think it’s human nature. If the color really bothers you…of course you should upgrade the color.
I have two pairs of studs..One pair is larger and are VVS2s G color..The smaller pair are my very first studs. They are SI2s H color…completely eye clean. The cut isn’t as good as my VVS2s..so I didn’t wear them since joining PS. I asked my DIL to wear them one day when we were together so I could see how they looked in real life. I fell in love with them again..They aren’t perfect but still beautiful. Do you have someone that can wear them for you to see if you see any tint when they’re being worn?

@MamaBee Since it is only a recent change, I don't feel it's because of seeing what others have here on PS. Otherwise, I would have upgraded color years ago. I'll try them on my daughter. I suspect they will look lovely. I used to have others put on my wedding ring hoping I'd fall in love with it. It looks beautiful on everyone, but on me it just looks okay.

 

[donnabrsd]

G/H VS is my mind clean, and I cannot see colour in G/H stones when they are on their own.

However, I can see a hint of colour when they are right next to my E colour 1.19ct EC.

DK

I don't really have a "mind clean" problem. I've worn these studs daily for nearly 10 years and it is just recently that I see a tint that bothers me. Mind you, I've never thought they were colorless but I've always loved them until just recently.

 

[donnabrsd]

There's a thread about this.... https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/changing-eyesight-and-diamond-preferences.266200/

And yes, I think aging and becoming more color sensitive is a thing

Thanks for the link to the thread. I look for one before posting, I just did not use the corresponding search words.

After reading that thread; my eyes have definitely changed, I believe I wear darker clothing, my hair is a little lighter and my skin coloring may have progressively gotten lighter in the past few years. I wonder if one or more of these has made the diamond color more apparent?

I would have thought that aging would make color sensitivity to diamonds more forgiving.

 

[donnabrsd]

well, my eyesight has definitely gotten worse as I age, but I don't think I'm any more color sensitive now. I see color in some of the warmer stones, but I don't see any color in my I colored ACA studs which are .85 ct each. So my answer would be no, I don't see more color as my eyesight gets worse. And I guess I'm lucky because I actually don't like icy white stones. I think your studs in the photos above look very white.

I don't prefer icy white stones either, never have. I never viewed my I color studs as colorless, but I embraced the ever so slight color. I wore my previous smaller studs for 10 years as well. They were I & J color which I found out years after I got my newer studs. All my photos and when I hold them and look at them in most lighting do look very white. It is just sometimes, I look in the mirror and now see the tint.

 

[donnabrsd]

are they clean? hairspray can give them a brownish tone and is really hard to remove.
A professional cleaning may change your mind about them

They are clean and no hairspray use. I clean them extremely well monthly and I am very careful putting them on not to touch the diamond.

 

[donnabrsd]

I definitely see color in my ACA I studs, but they are in an 8 prong yellow gold setting, plus I have red hair, so I kind of expected that they would be a little warmer than my engagement ring (which is an F). They don't scream tinted to me, though, unless I put my ring right up to them.

I also did become more color sensitive after I got my first engagement ring and started looking at the I stone up close all the time; cue the change to a higher color (although I think an H might have been fine; the F is actually slightly whiter than my ideal, but there were limited choices).

I'm not comparing them to any other diamonds. Comparing I to F color would definitely show a color difference. Plus, yellow gold does change a diamond color, to me at least.

 

[oncrutchesrightnow]

I still like colorless diamonds, it’s just that I have found a place in my collection for warmer stones in addition to the icy white ones I prefer. An antique-repro H set in yellow gold, a brownish K set in rose gold for a fashion ring, etc. If I only had one diamond and it was displayed prominently on my hand I would not want it to be an I. If these earrings are a major component of your collection then yes, try to upgrade. Otherwise maybe spend the money on something different.

BTW, I-color ACAs are going to outshine 98% of the diamonds most people wear.

 

[donnabrsd]

I am still color sensitive, but antique diamonds have made me more color tolerant. I never in a million years would have thought that I would ever own an M color. But my OEC is more creamy colored than yellow tinted and I'm fine with it.

I think I've always been color sensitive, but not in the way that I preferred a colorless diamond. Without knowing color when shopping in person, I've always favored H/I color in an over 1/2 carat diamond. In smaller diamonds and when I wore yellow gold, I was fine with J/K color and the tint was fine. The tint I now see in my earrings is not really yellow because it is so faint. It just that I see it now when I previously did not.

Your diamond and ring are lovely!

 

[donnabrsd]

I still like colorless diamonds, it’s just that I have found a place in my collection for warmer stones in addition to the icy white ones I prefer. An antique-repro H set in yellow gold, a brownish K set in rose gold for a fashion ring, etc. If I only had one diamond and it was displayed prominently on my hand I would not want it to be an I. If these earrings are a major component of your collection then yes, try to upgrade. Otherwise maybe spend the money on something different.

BTW, I-color ACAs are going to outshine 98% of the diamonds most people wear.

Yes, my studs are a major part of my collection. Whiteflash is on the lookout for something in my size range in H color.

 

[AprilBaby]

I hope you find something you love! I’m 63 and I just got new glasses again. My eyes seem to change every year. I don’t really see color much but the highest diamonds I own are F. All set in YG and I’m blonde.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Interesting discussion.
I have this demographic......structure in my mind.
A 3ct diamond might look large on a 21 year old....and appropriate on a 61 year old......
The 21-year-old will be able to spot imperfections the 61 won't be able to see....
Therefore I usually recommend larger, more commercial stone ( more bang for the buck) to the 61 year old and higher quality smaller stone for the 21 year old...
Clearly, eyesight diminishes as we age...but does color perception?
But I digress....
To your initial question: The difference between H and I color is so small(even a high H to a low I )...once they are set unless someone is super color sensitive, it will be all but impossible to notice a difference. If the slight tint is a bother, my advice is to save your money and upgrade to E color - the difference will be easier to see. Yet still, there are a lot of folks who won't even be able to detect that difference once they are set.

 

[LLJsmom]

I did. I had an K OEC, and I think my aging eyes had an impact on my decision to move up to an E ACA in e-ring. I'm 50, and my eyes remind me every morning.

 

[Bonfire]

I’ve always been color sensitive. I don’t know if it’s a visual acuity change or a change in preference for you, or what you now find noticeable and intolerable. I agree with @Rockdiamond, you would need to go up to at least an F maybe higher to appreciate a difference. Your earrings are beautiful btw.

 

[jaysonsmom]

I don't think it is a change in vision that makes one more color sensitive, I think with age comes more financial stability (usually) and appreciation for finer things in life. So things that "met my standards" 10 years ago may not be the case now. I have J color supercut studs that I think are very tinted, but did not think so 10 years ago. I gave them to my teen a couple years ago, and I upgraded to G color studs last year.

 

[donnabrsd]

I hope you find something you love! I’m 63 and I just got new glasses again. My eyes seem to change every year. I don’t really see color much but the highest diamonds I own are F. All set in YG and I’m blonde.

Hopefully Whiteflash get new stock in soon. With your F color diamonds, of course you don't see color! I'm certain I don't need to go that high.

 

[donnabrsd]

Interesting discussion.
I have this demographic......structure in my mind.
A 3ct diamond might look large on a 21 year old....and appropriate on a 61 year old......
The 21-year-old will be able to spot imperfections the 61 won't be able to see....
Therefore I usually recommend larger, more commercial stone ( more bang for the buck) to the 61 year old and higher quality smaller stone for the 21 year old...
Clearly, eyesight diminishes as we age...but does color perception?
But I digress....
To your initial question: The difference between H and I color is so small(even a high H to a low I )...once they are set unless someone is super color sensitive, it will be all but impossible to notice a difference. If the slight tint is a bother, my advice is to save your money and upgrade to E color - the difference will be easier to see. Yet still, there are a lot of folks who won't even be able to detect that difference once they are set.

Hopefully I wouldn't need to jump to an E color. I'll take baby steps depending on what's available.

 

[donnabrsd]

I did. I had an K OEC, and I think my aging eyes had an impact on my decision to move up to an E ACA in e-ring. I'm 50, and my eyes remind me every morning.

How long did you have the K before the upgrade in color?

 

[donnabrsd]

I’ve always been color sensitive. I don’t know if it’s a visual acuity change or a change in preference for you, or what you now find noticeable and intolerable. I agree with @Rockdiamond, you would need to go up to at least an F maybe higher to appreciate a difference. Your earrings are beautiful btw.

I'm not sure the reason either. I've also always been color sensitive; or perhaps I should say, aware of color. Which, I've always preferred. I can't imaging going up to an F. I've never been a fan D,E,F. Out of a lineup of unknown color diamonds, I'd previously quickly reject them. I'm hoping I just need a slight color upgrade. Maybe I should purchase a 1.5ct G color single earring and wear it with one of my current earrings to see which I prefer. Maybe the G will remind me of my appreciation for an I color diamond???

 

[Bonfire]

^ Maybe G will be your sweet spot?

 

[donnabrsd]

I don't think it is a change in vision that makes one more color sensitive, I think with age comes more financial stability (usually) and appreciation for finer things in life. So things that "met my standards" 10 years ago may not be the case now. I have J color supercut studs that I think are very tinted, but did not think so 10 years ago. I gave them to my teen a couple years ago, and I upgraded to G color studs last year.

Well darn. I was hoping someone would have chimed in with how their eyes changed for a few months with age, then after an adjustment period of time the color of everything was perfectly aligned again.

My financial state is similar to 10 years ago and I don't think my standards have increased. I'm still happy with my wedding ring diamond with an EGL Report. But that looks the same as it always has.

 

[carbonfan]

I have become more color sensitive with MRBs over time (but whether this is a matter of mere exposure or vision change, I don't know!), although I still adore antique cuts in lower colors (K and above) and don't really notice tint in those. But for MRBs I am pretty darn sensitive. l wonder if G color studs would be your sweet spot? Could you order one on a trial basis just to compare with your current studs?

 

[MamaBee]

I have G color studs that are super white to me. I compared them to my previous I color ACA. There was a huge difference. I really noticed it from the side..I did a video comparison and posted it somewhere on PS. I named the diamond Summer. I’ll see if I can find it so you can see the difference.