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difference between G & H color

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nth_79

Rough_Rock
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Jan 31, 2007
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Hi,

I''m looking for a round diamond around 1 ct, either G or H color, with a platinum setting. I''ve spoken to a few jewelers and some have told me that I should be going with a minimum G color, while others have told me that H color will be perfectly fine. Generally, the price difference for a G vs an H is about $500-$1000. Is it worth the money? Or should I just go with an H?

Thanks for your help!
 
I would drop down in clarity before jumping down in color... but most people (including me) are fine with H''s in round brilliants. We are talking about round brilliants right?
 
It all depends on the cut of the diamond & the strictness of the lab. Here is a good example of the difference between a G & H in the lab grading environment:

http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Color/NearColorless/

Labs other than GIA or AGS are known to be much more loose w/ their color grading. Therefore if you are getting a diamond from another lab even though it says "G" it may be more like a "I."

Also, if the diamond is not well cut color will show more than when it is well cut. Diamond color is graded by looking at it upside down and through the sides.

(The below was told to me by experts, but I am not an expert myself, and I may have misunderstood!)

Basically, if it''s badly cut, the color seen in the sides/upside down may be magnified due to the colored light bouncing around the diamond. In the opposite scenario, a well cut diamond may hide the color seen from the sides due to a reflection of a lot of direct white light.
 
I am only considering ideal cut, round brilliant. I also make sure that the diamonds that I am looking at have either a GIA or AGS certificate. Basically, I''ve been looking at G-H, VS1-VS2 stones. I''m very hesitant to go down to SI1 because I don''t want to be able to see any inclusions in the stone.


I was also wondering if anyone had any comments on Whiteflash vs. Superbcert. The ACA diamonds on Whiteflash seem to be more expensive than diamonds that look to be about the same quality on paper as the superbcert stones. Are the Whiteflash ACA diamonds actually better?


Thanks!
 
There are quite a few eye-clean SI''s out there... COMPLETELY eye clean ones... and WF and GOG and JA are very used to PSers requesting such stones. Personally... I''d totally get an eyeclean SI1 to save $$.
 
You''ll probably want others to chip in...but based on my basic lurkdom/knowledge

It is my understanding, but I have not actually done business with either, that superbcert stones are excellent and hold their own against the Whiteflash ACAs. Exceldiamonds are very knowledgable and take a lot of pride in what they do. I''m not sure about differences in upgrading policies etc. I do know that Whiteflash can be super accomodating & do above and beyond customer service, but if you know the exact stones you are intersted in this matters less.

Many people on here have H stones set in platinum and are perfectly happy with them. But I really like the "mindclean" concept that some experts use on this board. If you are really really concerned about the H, if it''ll bug you at night...then get a G. Because if it does bug you, once you get the stone you may constantly be looking at that stone and obsessing over whether you can see color in it or not. (I do this at jewelery stores, once they tell me the color grade I''m like ohhhh of course, it''s so obvious...look at that color!!)

OR

If you have a diamond district near you where you can look at GIA/AGS excellent/ideal stones so you can tell the difference for yourself.
 
H color in an AGS or GIA graded stone is perfectly fine for stones under 3 carats. If it''s graded by EGL, it might be closer to an I/J and show a little warmth. Ditto what was said about about many SI''s being eye clean.
 
So if I''m looking at a particular SI1 stone, how can I tell from pictures if it''s eye-clean or not? Or do I just need to trust the people who are selling me the diamond to be honest enough to find me an eye-clean stone? And will the larger inclusions make the diamond more likely to chip or crack later on?

As far as the G vs H, my biggest concern is that the stone doesn not appear to have a yellowish tinge when set in platinum. I thought that an H would be fine until I spoke to a couple of jewelers who said they would go with a G minimum, hence my concern.
 
You need to trust. In pictures, a lot of inclusions can be magnified or minimized by slight things such as tilt or lighting. However, the jewelers you are dealing with are honest people and will be able to better spot inclusions than most of the general public. If you''re looking at SI1, ask them from HOW FAR AWAY can they see the inclusions on the diamond. I.e. a foot, a few inches, or only with magnification...and see if their answer satisfies you or not =)

Were the jewelers who said you need a G or better from Whiteflash or Excel or others? I''d really trust what either of those companies said about G v. H...especially whiteflash. Whiteflash etc. gets a lot of business due to having a really good reputation on the internet. They wouldn''t sacrafice that reputation just to make a few extra bucks by recommending a G over an H because of a platinum setting (esp since it would be pretty easy to sell that diamond to someone else).
 
Date: 5/23/2007 1:40:35 AM
Author: nth_79
So if I''m looking at a particular SI1 stone, how can I tell from pictures if it''s eye-clean or not? Or do I just need to trust the people who are selling me the diamond to be honest enough to find me an eye-clean stone? And will the larger inclusions make the diamond more likely to chip or crack later on?

As far as the G vs H, my biggest concern is that the stone doesn not appear to have a yellowish tinge when set in platinum. I thought that an H would be fine until I spoke to a couple of jewelers who said they would go with a G minimum, hence my concern.
Click to expand...
H will be absolutely fine in platinum. If you don''t believe me, check out the J stones in platinum thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/j-color-stones-in-platinum.24731/

As far as a stone being eye clean. You have to ask the vendor if it''s eye clean. Also, ask them what their definition of eye clean is. For some it''s 8 inches, others it''s 12 inches, some it''s face up only, some it''s all sides...you get the idea. Then, when you get the stone...and for whatever reason you aren''t satisfied, the ps vendors have a return policy just in case.
 
The jeweler who said G minimum was at a B&M store. I''ve also spoken to people at GOG who have said that they would go for the G color and slightly lower (i.e. high) light performance over an H color with higher (i.e. very high) light performance.
 
When I spoke at length with Brian the cutter at WF, he indicated that if I were to go with an ACA H&A diamond, I could easily go to H without seeing any color. Because of the way they are cut, the lower color is not an issue. He said that many people even state that they don't see a difference in the I colored stones when talking about ACA H&As. I chose a G, as it was just a "sight unseen" mind clean thing for me, and what happened to be in inventory at the time anyway. Mine is also a SI1, and is completely eyeclean. I have a platinum setting.

I think if B&Ms are telling you no lower than G, then they are most likely referring to more poorly cut rounds that will allow the color and cut to become an issue.

If you are looking at an SI1 stone, and the plot seems a bit messy - just ask them if it is eye-clean. Brian explained to me that when the grader is looking at the stone, he has to "draw" the inclusions, and it's impossible to mark them on the plot the size they are - therefore they wind up looking huge on the cert. But of course, they are by no means drawing them to scale when they make the lines.

I think you can trust the PS vendors to tell you if the stone is eyeclean. Get their definition of how far away they are viewing the stone.

Also, since they all have return policies if you don't like what you see, I think you are pretty safe!

Moral of this story, when doing your search, look for AGS0 stones in either G or H, and include SI1 stones. You might find a great stone at a terrific price that will make you happy, happy for years to come. Mine is a gem that I adore.
41.gif
 
Hi nth, lots of good info here. Bottom line, any diamond with good numbers and a great IS image will be beautiful. I think H SI1 would be fine in this size, as long as it''s eyeclean.

I''ll post a couple pics of my studs, which I realize are smaller at .58 each, but I still think it helps make the point. One is G, the other H, one is VS2, one is SI1.
Earring2255.JPG


Earring2350.JPG
 
Ellen, I love the settings your studs are in! What is that type of setting called? I''m thinking about sending my studs off to be reset at some point. They are 1.5ctw, so about .75 each.
 
Date: 5/23/2007 9:18:07 AM
Author: katiedid
Ellen, I love the settings your studs are in! What is that type of setting called? I''m thinking about sending my studs off to be reset at some point. They are 1.5ctw, so about .75 each.
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Hi Katie, thanks, I love them too!

They are called the Martini setting. Mine came from WF, but I know many jewelers carry them. That size would look great in them as well. And as I just said in another thread, what I love most is that my studs don''t droop with them. I had another pair of just a bit smaller, not so well cut, in a regular 4 prong and even at that small size they drooped.

So I highly recommend these!
 
Date: 5/23/2007 1:40:35 AM
Author: nth_79
So if I''m looking at a particular SI1 stone, how can I tell from pictures if it''s eye-clean or not? Or do I just need to trust the people who are selling me the diamond to be honest enough to find me an eye-clean stone? And will the larger inclusions make the diamond more likely to chip or crack later on?


As far as the G vs H, my biggest concern is that the stone doesn not appear to have a yellowish tinge when set in platinum. I thought that an H would be fine until I spoke to a couple of jewelers who said they would go with a G minimum, hence my concern.
Click to expand...

If your jeweler were talking about other shapes, princess, cushion, etc. OR if he were talking about poorly cut round diamonds (which he might have had...) then I personally would agree with him to stay G or above because those cuts can show color more and I am a bit color sensitive.

BUT since we''re talking about an ideally cut, round brilliant, I really really think you''ll be fine with an H. As for whether to go down to SI1 or not, you need to be "mind clean" about it. If you''re not, you''ll constanstly be searching for the inclusions, and it will drive you crazy, so you''d be better off getting a VS2. If you can just accept that it''s eyeclean and pocket the savings, by all means go for an eyeclean SI1!
 
Actually, going back to the original question,

Supposing that two stones are graded by the same lab, and that their grading is perfect and strict and remaining at the same level throughout time, the difference between a G and H can be between 0.01 of a colour up to 1.99 of a colour.

The rest is personal. I personally would have no problems with a well-cut J, and some well-cut M or N''s can be absolutely gorgeous. But, as I said, this is personal.

Live long,
 
Date: 5/23/2007 11:52:36 AM
Author: nth_79
Thanks for all the replies! I've gotten some really great info.

So looking at settings on WF, I really like this one:

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/3Stone/Baguette-Diamond-Ring_969.htm

The sidestones will be F-G color. So if I got a center stone that was an H, would there be a noticable difference in color? Or are the baguettes small enough that it wouldn't matter?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
You will be just fine with an H center (ideal cut, GIA or AGS) and F-G sidestones.
 
Date: 5/23/2007 1:37:03 PM
Author: jazmine

Date: 5/23/2007 11:52:36 AM
Author: nth_79
Thanks for all the replies! I''ve gotten some really great info.

So looking at settings on WF, I really like this one:

http://www.whiteflash.com/Engagement-Rings/Styles/3Stone/Baguette-Diamond-Ring_969.htm

The sidestones will be F-G color. So if I got a center stone that was an H, would there be a noticable difference in color? Or are the baguettes small enough that it wouldn''t matter?

Thanks!
Click to expand...
You will be just fine with an H center (ideal cut, GIA or AGS) and F-G sidestones.
Click to expand...
ditto, you won''t be able to tell the difference.
 
I agree. I have diamonds from both Good Old Gold and WhiteFlash, and G-H VS1-VS2 was my preference as well. I chose an H VS1 from GOG for my ring stone, and Jon has a colorimeter that he can check the color with. That stone was checked mutiple times and it registered G color. So obviously, a high H and low G are hard to tell apart! My diamond earrings (from WF) are both H VS2, and I can''t tell the difference between them and the other stone. I highly recommend both GOG and WF for very high quality diamonds.
 
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