Indecision - two rings on the way to me, help me pick

[lovetorenovate]

I've been looking at engagement rings for what feels like six months (probably just four) - and although I was leaning away from round - and had even purchased an 1.3 carat oval (G, VS1) (after much trouble to find a "good" one) - ended up returning it because I don't love the shape as much as I thought (the bowtie especially - probably became more of a mind issue than reality and had so much harder time finding a setting I loved)... I initially thought an oval would be great so I could get something with more finger coverage.... and now I'm thinking that a warmer colored, BIGGER, round is just what I want. Here's what I'm choosing between:

1.59 J VS2 ideal cut (great score on the HCA, medium fluor) in this setting:


And a 2.22 K Si1 (also great HCA score, eye clean, medium fluor) in the following setting which I purchased on ebay (always a risk - but I purchased another inexpensive white gold ring on ebay this fall and was thrilled with value and quality):
http://www.b2cjewels.com/dd-1919282-2.22-carat-K-color-SI1-clarity.aspx



I'm so thankful to have seen so many gorgeous I-J-K stones on here (and jbeg site and especially the good old gold videos) - or I never would have considered a warmer stone. But love the idea of 2 carats plus Although I wonder if that's too big? Is there such thing as too big? In my circle of friends, there are mostly 1 to 2 carat rings (and one HUGE 2 carat oval with 1 carat half moons similar to one I've seen posted here) - so I think not. Both stones have medium blue fluorescence which I hope helps with any tint.

What do you think? I'll have them both tomorrow and can compare side by side to see which really speaks to me the most. I'll post pictures then but would love to hear comments in the meantime.... The budget was $10k and both rings are just a tiny bit over that price.

Some of my concerns in deciding on these two: I do love the halo look - but worry that I'll tire of it. I'm hoping that the vintage setting makes the 2.22 K look right at home. It'll be interesting to see if I can detect much color difference between the two. Both these stones were bought from vendors with no upgrade policy... but I'm thinking 2.22 would hold me off for quite a while - and after I could halo it if I felt compelled. And I do know a local B&M that will take trade ins of well cut stones.

Which would you pick?

 

[antelope1]

I'm a little confused -- how do you plan on returning the one that you don't like?

 

[lovetorenovate]

I'm a little confused -- how do you plan on returning the one that you don't like?

One is a loose stone at the moment, and the other, although set, is still returnable for 30 days. So for either one - if I don't choose it - I'll contact the vendor, get a return authorization number, and mail the ring back for a full refund. The only lost cost is shipping - and the ebay setting (although I do have 15 days to decide on that too). I'll be out about $50-70 in shipping cost - but to me it's worth the peace of mine to choose between two rings/stones I really like.

 

[natascha]

I think it really depends on have you feel over warmer diamonds. If they make you feel warm and fuzzy I would go for the larger one, but if you are only thinking about size you need to consider how you will feel about it long term.

 

[yssie]

Wouldn't count on BM fluoro to do anything - esp. since any fluoro effects are only visible in ambient UV, which is not always the case

I think if you're dropping colour to K in hopes that you can use the setting or fluoro or something else to mask the tint you're going to be very disappointed - esp as larger diamonds do show more tint. I do think with a big K you've got to embrace the tint, as there's just no way to truly hide it - esp. in that bright plated wg setting.

 

[AprilBaby]

Tough choice, can't wait to see them both!

 

[Natylad]

If the K stone is from a vendor with no upgrading policy, be extremely careful...The K diamonds are for people who know exactly what they are (and what they aren't...) and they love and embrace them for that...If you hope that the size will keep you happy and the fluoro, the setting, or anything else will "hide" the yellowish tint of the diamond, i'm afraid that you'll be extremely disappointed in the long run...
Yes i've seen beautiful K stones here too...And i've seen many of their owners sell them sooner or later for a whiter diamond... Snickelfritz, Dreamer D, and many others...
The K diamonds aren't white enough or tinted enough, they're something in between and that's my main concern when it comes to using them for an ER. There are people who love K diamonds but i don't think that those people decided whether they're fine with the K color in a matter of a few days. With the K you really need to..."live" with it for a while, see how it behaves on different lighting conditions, etc. Those stones tend to change a lot according to the environment, sometimes look whiter, sometimes yellower...You can't really form a solid opinion, unless you have this experience with them.
To make the long story short, in my humble opinion, if you don't have all the time you need to check how you feel with the K diamond and the vendor doesn't give you the right to upgrade, don't get yourself stuck with it...(well, in my opinion you shouldn't buy any stone from a vendor without an upgrading policy, but since you have already decided on that, we should take it from there...).
The smaller but whiter stone seems a great choice to me and a much safer one...It is already a big stone!!!
I wish you the best of luck and i really hope that you'll chose what will make you extremely happy at the end, because that's the way it's supposed to be

 

[yssie]

btw you said you purchased the setting, some settings have lower size tolerances for the stone than others - would take that setting to your jeweller and find out the exact mm requirements that the centrestone must fulfil, you may find your possible size range is more limited than you'd expect

 

[Lula]

I agree with everything Naty said about the changeable nature of a K color diamond. They are beautiful, but in a large size like 2 carats, the color will be noticeable from the side in most lights, and from the top in some lighting. Some people love the fact that the diamond looks different in different lighting; you may be one of them -- just be sure that you have the option to return the diamond if you find that you don't care for the color.

Skin tone and the color of the metal in the setting can very much influence how a K or lower diamond will look. My skin has a lot of pink in it. I love lower colors in diamonds (I owned an M) but they are not a good match with my skin tone. I have an I color diamond now, with strong blue fluorescence and it is the same soft white color in all lighting conditions -- it's consistent. But my M would be soft white in some lights, golden in others, and a pale grey-gold color in others. It drove me nuts, so I traded it in for the I color.

A K color will not show as much color change as an M, but in a larger size (my M and I are 1 carat stones) I suspect you will see more changes in the color in different lighting conditions.

About settings -- I do think the choice of the right setting can really flatter a K or lower color diamond. If I decide to trade in my I color stone and get a larger diamond, I will consider K, and maybe even L, color diamonds, but I would set the diamond in yellow gold, and probably surround it with white (F-G) melee and/or warm colored gemstones

I'm with yssie -- I think the bright white color of the setting you posted will be a bit harsh with a large K color stone. The halo setting is very pretty, and a J stone in that setting will work just fine. If you buy the J stone from a vendor with a good trade-in policy, you can trade in the smaller J for a larger J or above stone in a few years.

I'm not trying to talk you out of the K -- there are many beautiful K stones out there. Just make sure it's the look you want.

 

[lovetorenovate]

Well the K stone won't be here today after all - but the J in the halo should come today. I'm surprised everyone considers the J - white and the K - not at all - they are just one grade apart. Both are quite warm in color, aren't they. And face up with a super excellent cut, they should both look very white. There seems to be a big price drop from J to K - and I suppose that is reflected here in the comments. I guess I'll have to see them in person to decide. I agree I need to try them in all varieties of light - that's why I ordered both to "test drive" them and see if I'm ok with the color. Like I said, I've seen so many gorgeous warmer stones in rings here (and vendor sites) - in halos, in white gold/platinum settings - that I really think I'll love it - but I could be wrong. I even like many of the N and O diamonds that have been posted. The soft color looks so pretty.

 

[Natylad]

Well the K stone won't be here today after all - but the J in the halo should come today. I'm surprised everyone considers the J - white and the K - not at all - they are just one grade apart. Both are quite warm in color, aren't they. And face up with a super excellent cut, they should both look very white. There seems to be a big price drop from J to K - and I suppose that is reflected here in the comments. I guess I'll have to see them in person to decide. I agree I need to try them in all varieties of light - that's why I ordered both to "test drive" them and see if I'm ok with the color. Like I said, I've seen so many gorgeous warmer stones in rings here (and vendor sites) - in halos, in white gold/platinum settings - that I really think I'll love it - but I could be wrong. I even like many of the N and O diamonds that have been posted. The soft color looks so pretty.

I really love warmer diamonds too, that's why my right hand ring is an M diamond set in a white gold halo....but my ER is an E
The J and K might be only one color grade apart but for some reason there is a visible difference between them (at least most people think so). There is a reason for which the price drops significantly from a J to a K (even when all the other specs are the same).

 

[Amys Bling]

Well, I have to tell you my experience.

I have a D 1.55 RB. My fiance picked out the stone without any input from me. I absolutely love the stone, but after finding pricescope months after the proposal, and seeing all the beautiful J-K-L stones here, and realizing that I would have been able to get a larger diamond if my DF had dropped down in color significantly.


Fast forward to 2 months ago.... For fun, I bought a .60 "J/K" diamond. Granted I do think this stone (bought off of Ebay), may be lower in color- closed to an L-M-N stone. While I am happy with it, the size for the price was great..... it does show more color than I thought it would. I am in the process of mounting it into a split shank white diamond halo.... I am soo excited for it as a right hand ring- BUT- would I have been happy with it as my Ering? Even if it was a 2.5 diamond, no. It shows too much color for my liking for an Ering.

It's a matter of personal preference- and exposure. Maybe if my Ering was a J-K I would be used to it and prefer the lower color, BUT I am not and I don't prefer the warmer color as my e-ring.


Just my .02! I think the setting you picked is wonderful and I hope you find EXACTLY what you are looking for!

 

[marcy]

Both rings are pretty but I like the halo the best. I would have to see them in person to know if I liked the warmer color of a J / K diamond however many posted on PS face up very white. I will be anxious to see what you decide.

 

[lovetorenovate]

The 1.59 J in the halo arrived yesterday - and it's stunning. I absolutely LOVE it. I don't mind the color at bit - I had it next to a D and an F - both closer to a carat - and although you can tell a difference in some lighting - I don't prefer the whiter stones - it comes down to the cut, the setting, the size for me - and I love this one. I'm perfectly content to keep this one if I decide the K is too warm - but I am still so curious about the size and color of the 2.22 K that I'm excited to compare the two on Tuesday... I've never imagined having a stone larger than 2 carats (I'm too frugal - it seemed cost prohibitive) - so that would be amazing.

I've looked at all the threads on K colored diamonds on here - and I must say, so many of these are gorgeous! I think the bias against I-J-K stones is really interesting. There's quite the marketing campaign/impression of many jewelers that warm = bad. A woman in a b&m store was adamant that I not consider anything lower than G - even in a well cut round. She went to great lengths to try to demonstrate the color in the loose stone. And yes, you can can see the difference (particularly cradling the stones in white paper next to each other) - but the warmer stone - in this case an AGS0 "I" looked beautiful face up and in a setting.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-k-colored-diamonds.112476/?hilit=warmer']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-k-colored-diamonds.112476/?hilit=warmer[/URL]

 

[Amys Bling]

The 1.59 J in the halo arrived yesterday - and it's stunning. I absolutely LOVE it. I don't mind the color at bit - I had it next to a D and an F - both closer to a carat - and although you can tell a difference in some lighting - I don't prefer the whiter stones - it comes down to the cut, the setting, the size for me - and I love this one. I'm perfectly content to keep this one if I decide the K is too warm - but I am still so curious about the size and color of the 2.22 K that I'm excited to compare the two on Tuesday... I've never imagined having a stone larger than 2 carats (I'm too frugal - it seemed cost prohibitive) - so that would be amazing.

I've looked at all the threads on K colored diamonds on here - and I must say, so many of these are gorgeous! I think the bias against I-J-K stones is really interesting. There's quite the marketing campaign/impression of many jewelers that warm = bad. A woman in a b&m store was adamant that I not consider anything lower than G - even in a well cut round. She went to great lengths to try to demonstrate the color in the loose stone. And yes, you can can see the difference (particularly cradling the stones in white paper next to each other) - but the warmer stone - in this case an AGS0 "I" looked beautiful face up and in a setting.

[URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-k-colored-diamonds.112476/?hilit=warmer']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-k-colored-diamonds.112476/?hilit=warmer[/URL]

I think part of the bias- like the sales lady telling you nothing below a well cut G- is also sales commission speaking! Honestly, I-J-K stones are a GREAT deal (I do think I are more mainstream now and considered "acceptable" since Tiffany's carries them...) but you can really go up in carat size when you drop down to those colors and maybe sales people want to sell the idea of "colorless" is best because it is best for their pocket. Even if you are spending 10,000 on a stone no matter what- and they sell you on a G...maybe just maybe you will push your budget a touch for slightly more carat, while in a K, you have the ideal size and no need to spend more!

Just a thought I had....