J versus K color questions, please help!!

[jrich]

Many of you all have seen my posts, I am still new and soaking up all the info I can in preparing to select my ering with my boyfriend. I am getting a James Allen halo in YELLOW gold (yes, I am sure, I love yellow gold!) and am trying to finalize what I want in a diamond.

I thought I was set on a GIA tripple EX or AGS000 eye clean SI2, color J. Size is very important to me, but not at the cost of cut. The setting is cast, and they'll either use the cast model for a 1.0 diamond or a 1.25 diamond depending on my center stone.

Today I started looking at James Allen's K's and wow, wow, wow, can you get a jump in size by going to a K!!! I personally don't like the look of extra space between the HALO and the center diamond, so basically what I'm saying is now it looks like I can get a 1.1 J and have it put in the 1.0 cast, or a 1.25+ K and put it in the 1.25 cast.

Here's the link to the setting: http://www.jamesallen.com/engagement-rings/pave/-18k-Yellow-Gold-Pave-Set-Diam-Engagement-Ring.html

I know color is such a personal preference, but I am so torn. I don't have to have an icy white diamond, but I also don't want a yellow diamond. I have watched Jonathan's GOG videos, but seeing them loose on a white background I know is so different than real life set in yellow gold. Gypsy, Charmy, Diamondseeker and all those who's knowledge I respect so much please tell me what you think! Anyone have a K in yellow gold they want to show?

THANK YOU!!

Jessica

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

No matter what a diamond will pick up more color in a yellow gold halo. I have an L color asscher in a white gold bezel halo and a K color RB in a regular white gold setting. Neither look particularly yellow however yellow gold would certainly warm them up more.

If you want to keep it whiter I would suggest making the halo part or at least the prongs white gold and the shank of the ring yellow gold. Lovely setting BTW!

 

[AnneinGA]

Jessica,
Color is such a personal preference! I have H's in my five stone, but I recently picked up an M in an Old Mine Brilliant on e-bay (and it's GIA so I'm comfortable calling it an M). I thought I would not like it because it would be too yellow - but gosh I love it! And I'd gone to the appraiser and seen his color set of GIA stones, which you can certainly tell the colors looking at them all next to each other. I've read some people call a lower color like a J or lower like ginger ale or champagne; Even my M doesn't have yellow -it's just warm and toasty! I wish you luck!
Anne

 

[ihy138]

Personally, I would go with a K to get the size jump..given that it's a well-cut K. I have two K's (one old european cut in white gold, and one emerald cut unset) and they are gorgeous, gorgeous stones. If you were okay with a J, it's not a huge leap to a K to be honest, especially in the yellow gold setting. You just have to evaluate what is important to you. To me, cut and carat weight are the most important. Color is the least. If you have similar priorities, go for the K.

ETA: By the way, I have a James Allen right hand ring. It's a wonderful, well-made piece. You can't go wrong with them.

 

[swingirl]

I would have JA send you the K before it's set. You will only know your own preference once you've seen the stone. It could be a low K that bothers you in dim light or you could love the size and be willing to accept a slight barely-noticeable tint. Many have gotten a lower color to secure a larger size but eventually found they couldn't live with the warm tint. I have a wonderful M and I love seeing the creamy tint. You will see a tint in a K. It just depends whether it bothers you or you can embrace it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Hi, Jessica! First of all, I think the setting you chose is beautiful! I love the plain shank with a halo! You have asked me a hard question because I have not seen an ideal cut K in person. I think the main consideration would be for you to decide if you'd like the look of the halo diamonds being a little whiter than the center stone. I actually like that look a lot. In fact, I think you could even go lower than K if you wanted to have a really warm center stone surrounded by whiter diamonds.

But I am going to second swingirl's suggestion that you have a K stone sent to you to look at and then send it right back. I never recommend K color for white metal settings as surprise e-rings because I think that is dangerous. Color tolerance is very personal, and I think only you can decide if you love the color. I really think it is a promising idea due to using the all yellow gold halo! If you were going with J or higher, I'd recommend the halo and prongs be white gold with a yellow gold shank. But the K just might be perfect for the yg!

I will look forward to see what you decide!

(One more thought...I'd stick as close to the 1.0 or the 1.25 as possible. I tried to put a 1.63 in a cast setting for a 1.5 once and it was just too tight.)

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

Here is a pic of my two GIA certed lower color center stones, asscher in halo is an L color surrounded by FG melee, RB is a K color surrounded by GH melee, neither stones have flour which can affect the warmth of a stone in sunlight. The RB is a GIA excellent cut, not even an AGS 0 and still seems pretty white.

I def wouldn't say that the colors are for everyone and I echo that if you're not sure you should have them send it to you to make sure before you have it set. I would still keep in mind that a yellow gold halo or prongs will make it look more yellow than when it is unset.

 

[D&T]

here is a K in 18k semi bezel I once had.. I thought it looked amazing in yellow gold. It definitely will not look yellow face up, but it won't look icy white either. On cloudy days or under trees it looked very white to me anyways...

I'll go find another yellow gold setting that I once had as well with a J color.. Both were super ideal cut.

and the one in the faux tension setting with princess cut diamond ring is a J color. Diamonds in person looks 100 times better than the photos I posted here. and remember monitor and lighting condition while take these pictures and depending one what I wore that day could make the diamond appear more tinted in picture. If you can, please have the diamonds sent out to see them in person I think before you commit to whether you'd be ok with a J or K color.

 

[PintoBean]

Since the better the cut, the more "white" a diamond will face up, whereas the pavillion is where color would show, I personally don't think you have much to worry about, because with that beautiful halo, who would be checking out your diamond's "arse"?

 

[Gypsy]

I agree with having the stone sent to you before setting. I also think that having the prongs be white metal and the shank/halo be yellow is the way to go in general for diamonds. But if you want it all yellow, I think you need to see it first, but I don't see why one color grade would make or break the decision.

 

[PintoBean]

I agree with having the stone sent to you before setting. I also think that having the prongs be white metal and the shank/halo be yellow is the way to go in general for diamonds. But if you want it all yellow, I think you need to see it first, but I don't see why one color grade would make or break the decision.

This!!!

 

[Dreamer_D]

I owned a 1.2ct K ideal cut RB at one point. It was a little warmer than a J, but not by much. Set in yellow gold, I think the difference would be washed out.

But see the stone loose first. You will know when you see it!

 

[jrich]

Thanks for all the responses and opinions so far, please keep them coming! I can't believe how WHITE that K is D&T in your old yellow gold setting. For the record, and I know this isn't a popular choice, but I am sure I want the metal to be all yellow gold, including prongs. Just my personal preference! So if that changes anyone's mind let me know If I decided to go with the K, does anyone know if JA could/would do the melee in I-J color instead of G-H for the same price (heck, the price should be lower!)??? I thought a lot about it and I do want the melee and center diamond to be close to the same color, and not highlight the lower color of the stone. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE that look and hope to have one of those someday (I love all of them on DBL especially!!), but just not for my ering. I hate to say I'd be trying to "hide" the slight tint of the K color, but more so I just want to know if I can "pull it off" to look white face up with the setting I have chosen.

Diamondseeker, yes the cast model issue is something I am still trying to wrap my head around, I am no expert. James said he would use the 1.0 cast for a diamond up to 1.1 I think. I don't want it to be too tight! But that would be if I went with the J. If I go for a K, I think I can get around a 1.2 or so and then he'd use the 1.25 cast model.

So to recap, I am looking at either around a 1.1 J to be set in the 1.0 cast, or around a 1.25 to be set in the 1.25 cast. Any other opinions/votes on what to do??

Thank you all so much!!!
Jessica

 

[Enerchi]

A phrase I've always remembered is ... "Go BIG or go Home!" I'm a bit of a fan of large diamonds (duh!) and I don't mind the J/K colour range. I don't find (to my eye) that there is enough of a difference between the two, once you are in that creamy range, to stop me from going K if it is the larger stone I'm thinking of.

Ultimately, in your heart, you will know which one appeals - colour vs size. Go with your heart. You are going to have this for a long time so don't harbour any doubts - your first reaction is usually your best.

Good luck!

 

[SCDP]

jrich,

I found this thread helpful when deciding on my stone for my ering: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-k-colored-diamonds.112476/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/show-me-your-k-colored-diamonds.112476/[/URL]

It has some beautiful stones in different settings.

I love my K color AVC, it is set in platinum so I'm not sure if that changes what I'm about to say, but appears very white 90% of the time. When I look at it from the side or in certain, less direct light I can see a warm hint. I would not call it yellow at all, just warm and creamy. But it is always beautiful!

Good luck with your decision.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The yellow prongs are going to reflect in the stone, so I think you almost may as well go with the K. Since they cast the ring for your stone and ring size, I don't see why it would be a big deal to use I-J melee for the halo. No need to go to K, I don't think, but I do think lower than F-G would be a good idea if you don't want the difference to be obvious! I'd definitely ask that question before deciding on the J vs. K center stone. And I do still think it would be good to see the center stone first!

 

[Gypsy]

The melee change may cost more just because they may need to source only say-- 10 stones in that color and clarity for YOU, wheras the rest of the melee they buy in bulk. Since the melee ARE so small and they WILL be set in Yellow Gold, I think they will be much more affected (potentially) than a larger stone by the yellow gold. So you MAY be okay with the existing melee.

 

[D&T]

Honestly, I went up from a 1.ct J to a 1.2 ish K color.. Didn't regret it a bit (size was noticeable) especially in yellow gold, you'll be fine, and I'd go with their existing melee... the color on that melee size is a bit neglible really unless you are talking way down the color scale, I had F color melee set in an 18k yellow gold band, it reflected part of the channel set wall so it didn't "look" too much like F color unless it was set in white gold or if it was loose... I couldn't tell the difference much next to my H I or even J color RB the overall size of the K will look a little larger and ultimately that will be more noticeable vs the difference between one color grade J or k I think... unless you are talking about .30 or .50ct size difference. hope that helps. So I agree with Gypsy the cost on the melee may actually cost more since they would have to deviate from their standard protocol to source lower colored melee stones. It'll be a fabulous ring

 

[Dreamer_D]

First, do NOT judge color from photos. K color stones can face up very white. But make no mistake, there is a perceptible tint in a K color stone in many lighting environments. It may or may not please you, you can only judge in person, so do not make the decision to make the ring without seeing the stone in person.

Second, melee color will not matter. Smaller diamond looks whiter than larger because of the way they handle light. The body color matters little in my experience. It might make a slight difference to use lower color melee, and by all means do it, but you will likely in person still see a contrast. In my experience, wearing smaller diamonds beside a J or K color stone *highlights* the tint in the main diamond. A halo setting, no matter what, will make you I-J-K color stone look more tinted than if you di dnot have any smaller stones near the key stone.

 

[yssie]

First, do NOT judge color from photos. K color stones can face up very white. But make no mistake, there is a perceptible tint in a K color stone in many lighting environments. It may or may not please you, you can only judge in person, so do not make the decision to make the ring without seeing the stone in person.

Second, melee color will not matter. Smaller diamond looks whiter than larger because of the way they handle light. The body color matters little in my experience. It might make a slight difference to use lower color melee, and by all means do it, but you will likely in person still see a contrast. In my experience, wearing smaller diamonds beside a J or K color stone *highlights* the tint in the main diamond. A halo setting, no matter what, will make you I-J-K color stone look more tinted than if you di dnot have any smaller stones near the key stone.

That. Assuming you're talking about full-cut melee - single cuts are a different animal, and those would be fine in any colour.

 

[milton333]

Random thoughts, for what they're worth. DH and I were engaged at 19, and he got a diamond ring from Kay Jewelers. Not cert'd, no idea of specs other than 1/2 ct branded 100-facet cut. It was set in yellow gold with yellow gold prongs. I never thought that I had a colored diamond. I recently had it appraised by an AGS gemologist for insurance purposes, and he said it was "generously" a J, but he could see it being graded as low as K/L (it was appraised mounted). I was surprised by that - while I know it was not a D-E-F, I would have pegged it more around H. I have an H ACA that's a bit larger, .82 ct, and they face up comparably white. Sometimes I may have seen some tint in a side profile view, but that was typically in indoor incandescent light, which is the worst for showing tint, and it never bugged me.

It gets back to what other diamond jewelry you wear and your social circle, IMO. I had a bright, sparkly, flashy diamond that faced up quite white. People admired it, no one ever mentioned a tint, and I never thought it was tinted. But I live in the Midwest, and most e-rings in my age group and social circle are below 1 ct. Most are mall purchases.

I was quite happy with my J/K/L mystery diamond set in yellow gold for nearly 20 years. Honestly, I upgraded a few years ago because I wanted a larger size, not because I was unhappy with the diamond's color. PSers are very discerning about diamonds, but not everyone's social circle is the same, and if you're like me, your e-ring will be the biggest diamond you own and you won't have others to compare it to.

I would second the recommendation to have it shipped to you loose before mounting, just in case, but I'm just a vote that a lower-colored diamond can be quite lovely in YG.

 

[Amys Bling]

what did you decide?

 

[oldminer]

The difference between J or K color is very slight, but both of these colors do usually show a hint or slight tint of color to my eyes. J is really the first color to have some slight visual difference from D-H in the face up most times. K is a bit more pronounced a shift in visual tint amount, but as you can see in the photos, it does not always show itself to be tinted in any meaningful way. A side by side comparison in the same lighting of a D-F color to a J or K color nearly always shows some tint present that would have gone mostly unnoticed without a close comparison stone next to the J or K diamond. Selecting a K color diamond will likely give you a very small bit of tint that is visible in certain lighting environments that would be more difficult to see if the diamond was a J color. From I color on up through E, regardless of lighting the visibility of any tint at all is nearly always a hidden attribute.

 

[jrich]

Hi Amy and OM!

Well, I haven't been able to decide. I did decide however, that I want the Brian Gavin tiffany half round and not a halo, and so I want to get my stone from them as well. I am feeling really confident about a K, since it will be in yellow gold and I'll be able to go up ~.2 carats from a J. Just wondering if considering L's is a good idea to get more options and chances to get something eye clean since I'll be looking at SI2's and also a good HCA score. I haven't been able to get a good feel of the noticeable difference between L and K color. Specifically looking for opinions on L with faint brown.

Thanks again!!
Jessica

 

[jrich]

Bumping this up since I posted so late last night. Thank you!!

 

[yssie]

I'm not Amy or OldMiner, but I honestly can't tell what opinions you're looking for - no, you might not be able to tell the difference between a J-&-K, or K-&-L, or L-&-M, but you can certainly tell the difference between a J and an M... where does it end? What's the objective?

It sounds like the objective is to up carat/clarity/cut as much as possible, lowering colour to "just white enough". Trouble is, "just white enough" is such a subjective thing - for some people that line is an E, for others it's an M, and we all see colour a bit differently anyway so you might genuinely not see a difference in tint that I do, or vice versa!

Truly, the only way to find out what you're okay with is to go and see some stones in-person. Well-cut K/L/Ms aren't going to be easy to find though - best bet might be to visit a local appraiser and ask for some suggestions. I reckon even looking at a master set of CZs would be more useful than requesting blind opinions from a variety of strangers with even more variety in colour perception and taste

 

[jrich]

Thanks Yssie! I know the thread has taken a little bit of a different direction- sorry for the confusion. I was writing to say I have decided to go with a K instead of a J to get the size jump, but am now wondering if I should also consider L's to broaden my options. I know I don't want to go down to an M. I would also love to hear if anyone has a K or L with faint brown and their opinions on them, as Brian Gavin seems to list a few of them in his virtual list. I was hoping to talk to Leslie about this more but I can't seem to get her to respond to my emails anymore, and am hesitant to call her since I know we aren't ready to pull the trigger and make a purchase just quite yet.

Thanks again!
Jessica