Kimiko''s NeverEnding Story: My quest for the yellow diamond

[kimikocat]

Hello folks!

I''ve been on this neverending quest for a yellow diamond ring for a few months now, and have accumulated a few options. Since I can never make up my mind, I can''t decide if I like cushions, ovals, or radiants. Or all of them. I have small hands -- 3.5 (3.75 to get it over the knuckle) -- and would appreciate your opinion on (1) the right shape for my hands and (2) which of these stones you prefer?

They might not be my final choice -- I just recently found out that Eightstar does natural fancy colors and have been chatting w/ them. They are very nice.

Stone no. 1
1.12 FY radiant, VS1
dimensions: 6.34 x 5.53 x 3.59 mm
polish/symmetry: VG
depth: 64.9%
table: 63%

 

[kimikocat]

Oops, that was the cert! Here''s a front-on image of the radiant

 

[kimikocat]

Here''s the oval:

1.25 ct.
7.46 x 5.67 x 3.82 mm
depth: 67.4%
table: 54%
polish/symmetry: Good

 

[kimikocat]

And 2 cushions, one larger than the other.

 

[stepcutnut]

Oooo my fav is the cushion!!! I love the hue of yellow it is and that it's slightly elongated

 

[LD]

They all have very different colours. When buying yellow diamonds, colour is very important for me. I prefer the more vanilla yellow tones to the green/yellow hues but it''s a very personal thing. Have you seen all IRL? If so, which one were you drawn to.

They''re all lovely by the way!

 

[MMT]

My vote would be the larger cushion

 

[HeartingDiamonds]

I like the oval best (and can''t beat it for the spread either) because it seems to have some nice peachy/salmon undertones (unless its just the pics)!

I love the radiant because its color is very pretty and appears to be deeply saturated.

Can''t comment on the cushions because we cannot see a face up photo (although the rather large-ish table on the one on the right is already a bit of a issue with me).

Good luck!

 

[kimikocat]

Date: 10/20/2008 4:06:08 PM
Author: HeartingDiamonds
I like the oval best (and can''t beat it for the spread either) because it seems to have some nice peachy/salmon undertones (unless its just the pics)!


I love the radiant because its color is very pretty and appears to be deeply saturated.


Can''t comment on the cushions because we cannot see a face up photo (although the rather large-ish table on the one on the right is already a bit of a issue with me).


Good luck!

Hi Grace!

Thanks for chiming in with your expert eye! I love your choices for your site, so I like hearing your thoughts. I vetoed the cushions b/c they both have large-ish tables (around 65%, which is not ideal for me). Thanks, that''s very helpful, I can clear them out as "No."

I like the oval the best, too. I should email that vendor and ask about the peachy/salmon undertones. The radiant is a crisp lemon yellow, I think. I once asked about the origin of these stones and he said South Africa. I am not sure which color would go best with my skin tone. I am very tanned/bronze with a bit of gold/olive in the skin. What do you all think?

 

[kimikocat]

Date: 10/20/2008 4:05:59 PM
Author: MMT
My vote would be the larger cushion

ooh -- I want to know why. I had eliminated it from consideration b/c (1) it is more $$ than the oval and (2) it seems to have a large table (it is 65% table 65.9 depth or something like that)

 

[kimikocat]

Date: 10/20/2008 3:54:07 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
They all have very different colours. When buying yellow diamonds, colour is very important for me. I prefer the more vanilla yellow tones to the green/yellow hues but it''s a very personal thing. Have you seen all IRL? If so, which one were you drawn to.


They''re all lovely by the way!

I have not seen in them IRL They are from a NY based vendor, and I am in San Francisco I think they are all so pretty, I can''t choose. So I am giving you guys more eye candy -- side shots!

 

[kimikocat]

yellow oval side.

I don''t have any more views of either of the cushions

 

[kimikocat]

Handshot to give you a sense of my skin tone. The ring in the photo is a plat ring with a K-colored OEC. Spread is somewhere around 8 mm.

 

[kimikocat]

cushion dimensions:

Smaller cushion:

6.45x5.21x3.77 mm
depth: 72.4
table: 63

larger cushion:
vvs2 instead of vs1 like others
7.25x5.96x3.90
depth 65.4%
table: 65%

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/20/2008 4:06:08 PM
Author: HeartingDiamonds
I like the oval best (and can''t beat it for the spread either) because it seems to have some nice peachy/salmon undertones (unless its just the pics)!


I love the radiant because its color is very pretty and appears to be deeply saturated.


Can''t comment on the cushions because we cannot see a face up photo (although the rather large-ish table on the one on the right is already a bit of a issue with me).


Good luck!

Totally agree with this assessment!

 

[hibiscus]

All the stones look beautiful but i love that radiant most. Look rather intricate.

 

[HeartingDiamonds]

You are most welcome

.

I still like the oval best especially since seeing its profile shot - the undertones seem to be even more apparent.

The radiant appears to have a really thick girdle also, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

As for your question re. complementing your skin tone, I cannot help - that is an area that I am completely clueless in

. I am one of those who wears whatever they like!

Did I mention that I am still loving the oval best

?

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 10/20/2008 7:31:43 PM
Author: kimikocat
Handshot to give you a sense of my skin tone. The ring in the photo is a plat ring with a K-colored OEC. Spread is somewhere around 8 mm.

I think the oval''s color is more likely to be flattering on most skin tones, including yours. Bright yellow can be a harsh color IMO.

 

[kimikocat]

Hello friends! Thank you so much for taking the time to respond to my thread!

Hibiscus : Radiants have that intricate faceting. They are really interesting in person, in part because of the step cut crown and the brilliant cut body. They also tend to have steeper angles (which you can see in the side view photo).

Grace : The oval does seem to have that peach/gold body color, doesn''t it? I am thinking that it might look "softer" w/ my skin tone. I wish I could see them in person. I think if I could see them, it would be easy. Photos are so hard. I want to make sure that they have sparkle and fire as well as body color, and that''s not easy to guage from staged photos. If I read the certs correctly, both the radiant and the oval have girdles in the very thick to extremely thick range. A while back I read somewhere -- or maybe DiaGem told me this -- that colored stones have thicker girdles and bigger tables to "hold in" the body color, something that bothers me because I believe colored diamonds can be cut for brilliance/light return as well as color. Don''t ask why -- maybe I''ve drank of the kool aid.

I pretty much wear whatever I like, too. I wear a lot of obnoxious brights, but I''m pretty dark skinned so I hear that''s not a faux pas. That is to make up for all the years I spent wearing black b/c I worked in art.

Neatfreak: I agree w/ you on that comment about bright yellows being harsh on some. I think sometimes that yellow can come off better -- more complementary -- in a halo w/ white stones next to the skin. Otherwise yeah -- the stone is pretty much there saying HELLO.

I don''t think it''s necessary for the stone to complement -- as in blend with the skin. It''s not a cover up stick after all, it''s a diamond. It''s going to sparkle and catch the eye. I guess I just worry that it will clash. With the strong gold/olive undertones in my skin, I just can''t wear certain colors (like navy blue) unless I want to look jaundiced. Navy is beautiful on someone w/ fair skin/blonde hair but just terrible for my dark hair/dark skin. And I know certain yellows do the same... Maybe I should figure out which part of the classic navy color doesn''t fit w/ my skin.

 

[ksinger]

First choice is the oval, then the radiant. (I''d have been happy with an oval too, and that color is just yummy. It has the same tone from the side I see.) Both are lovely. The cushions are right out.

 

[Itgirl76]

I am a radiant girl myself and the colour is more of a yellow than a pinky tone as the oval appears on my screen. Either would be lovely.

 

[AprilBaby]

I like the oval. I have a thing about rounded edges...but the color strikes me the most, JUST GORGEOUS!

 

[ladymentha]

Wow they are so pretty! Congrats on your new diamonds!!!

 

[kaori]

I vote for the radiant

 

[iheartscience]

Wow-now this is a choice I would love to have to make!

Is it wrong to say I like all of them? Okay, okay, narrowing it down:

Radiant: beautiful color, pretty bright yellow, I love the cut. (I have a white radiant for my e-ring so I''m biased!) It also depends on whether or not you want this bright of a yellow? I like it but I also like the paler yellows like ksinger''s new yellow.

Oval: beautiful and unique color, but it doesn''t look that yellow to me! I see a lot of peachy undertones in it. It''s gorgeous, but if you want yellow, I don''t know if that''s yellow enough!

Smaller cushion: not crazy about the shape of this one (from what I can tell from the photos). The color is nice, though.

Bigger cushion: I love the shape, faceting and color, and I was going to tell you that I think I''ve read here on PS that a larger table doesn''t matter as much in colored diamonds, but you want a great cut also, so I won''t!

Okay, there''s my not very helpful assessment! If I had to narrow it down, I''d choose the radiant or the larger cushion.

 

[stepcutnut]

My vote is still the larger cushion or the radiant-the oval seems to have alot of windowing that I think would bother me personally! I already have a yellow radiant(it sparkles like mad-I love the bucket of crushed ice look), I think that's why I would lean towards the cushion(I am wanting a FY quit badly lately)

How are you planning on setting the stone you choose?

 

[dragonfly411]

That radiant is

 

[kimikocat]

Wow! I wandered off to spend some time with my honey and found all these messages I love your input. To make things even crazier -- I have another vendor -- Eightstar -- who says they have suitable stones, so if you thought I couldn''t make up my mind now, just wait!

Ksinger, AprilBaby, Thing2of2: I emailed the vendor and asked about that peachy undertone and he wrote back and said, nope, it is just straight yellow.

Kaori, Stepcutnut, dragonfly: your eye agrees with the vendor. He ranks the radiant #1 and then then oval 2nd. He thinks the radiant is a very nice cut and the oval isn''t as well done. I too wonder about the windowing. I''m going to ask.

Stepcutnut -- that radiant ring is STUNNING. I love it! Does it belong to you?

As far as settings go, I have very different ideas depending on the stone. I would set the radiant with trills or something else geometric on the sides. I would set the oval with smaller pear side stones i think. I have to be careful not to overwhelm my hand, because my ring finger is only 3.5. D

 

[stepcutnut]

kimikocat-yes the radiant baguette ring is mine

I used to have a yellow radiant with trill sides, it was a fab design-I''m sure if that''s the way you choose to go that you''d love it---I still miss mine!

 

[kimikocat]

Date: 10/21/2008 1:31:42 PM
Author: stepcutnut
kimikocat-yes the radiant baguette ring is mine


I used to have a yellow radiant with trill sides, it was a fab design-I''m sure if that''s the way you choose to go that you''d love it---I still miss mine!

Stepcutnut: What a beautiful ring. I love the sense of depth, as the emeralds move down. They are like beautiful steps...

I just heard back from the vendor and a different person in the office said he (she?) likes the oval more. The person helpfully pointed out that the oval is something like 25% larger (in area) than the radiant. One draws the eye inwards (more compact) and the other has a greater presence. The difference in price between the radiant and the oval is about 500 dollars.

So I think I need to consider what I want, as far as the overall ring design goes, and go from there.