We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's G?

[puppylover10]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

Based on my limited experience I think you'll love the G!

Before the bf proposed he took me to a physical store and we looked at diamonds of different colors. I looked at a D, F, H, and I. I looked at the I first and it looked warm to me even when not comparing it to higher colors. Then I saw the F and thought it looked great and then the H which compared to the F looked warm. The sales person then took us outside and showed the diamonds in the sun and I couldn't tell the difference in colors in the sun because of all the sparkle.

Anyway, even though I loved the colorless diamonds I ended up with a G cause of the price difference between color grades. My ring is set in a platinum band and I think it looks great. Looking down from above, the diamond looks ICY white. Compared to the bird's eye view, the diamond looks a lot warmer from the side. But I'm totally happy with the color. Looking from the top down, I have a hard time imagining how it could look any more colorless.

 

[Randall]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

Thanks again for the advice and kind words! I just received the shipping notification so by this time tomorrow I should have it in my hands!

My only regret is that I didn't have more money to spend but having said that I feel like the next big leap from the size that this will be and the size I'd perhaps prefer for her would have cost at least another 2500-3500 more plus taxes. If that size increase matters to her I'll easily do it but she's very practical so I'm hoping that she'll see that this just means we have more money left for our wedding!

I'm hoping that when the excitement wears off a bit and we're able to talk more about the specs and all that I've learned and I'm able to explain to her how big the price jump is from say a 6.10mm round (a bit below 1carat) and 6.6mm round (half a mm increase in size and a little over 1 carat) and that I used math to figure out the best use of my budget (soon to be our budget) so that WE can still have money left for our wedding I'm hoping she'll agree that it was money well-reserved. Maybe I'm too practical but that same amount of money could go to making the wedding prettier, help her pick out a nice dress, and a bunch of other things... And, yes, those are the first two things I'm going to remind her of if it seems like she expected more size!

We'll see though. Listening to some of you other ladies and your shrinking diamond stories has me a extra parnaoid! You know how we men get when size is discussed!

 

[ms.halo]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

^^ Do you know what her expectations are? I think you got a very respectable size, but you don't want to have to talk her into it, you know?

 

[Dreamer_D]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

Once set in a halo the downgrade in size will nto be noticable anyways.

 

[Randall]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

^^ Do you know what her expectations are? I think you got a very respectable size, but you don't want to have to talk her into it, you know?

Well, before I knew anything about diamonds I think we both thought 1 carat. She walked into a local jeweler shop on her own last month though once we discussed settings and told me that even the 0.70 halo setting she tried on looked big to her and that I shouldn't go overboard because the idea of having anything super expensive on her hand makes her nervous. What can I say? I'm a VERY lucky man. She's an incredible woman and she usually means what she says.

I think it'll work out with the ring. I'll let you guys know when we get back from vacation though!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

^^ Do you know what her expectations are? I think you got a very respectable size, but you don't want to have to talk her into it, you know?

Well, before I knew anything about diamonds I think we both thought 1 carat. She walked into a local jeweler shop on her own last month though once we discussed settings and told me that even the 0.70 halo setting she tried on looked big to her and that I shouldn't go overboard because the idea of having anything super expensive on her hand makes her nervous. What can I say? I'm a VERY lucky man. She's an incredible woman and she usually means what she says.

I think it'll work out with the ring. I'll let you guys know when we get back from vacation though!

Lesson 101.
No woman ever means what she says to her Man.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

In my experience, a halo on a .70ct stone makes it look about the same as a 1.7ct solitaire. Much to my dismay I could have saved some money.

 

[Randall]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

I now have the replacement ring in my hands and it's everything I was hoping it would be! I compared it side-by-side with the H for around 5 minutes under different lighting conditions right before shipping the other one back and the difference was remarkable. The "G" really does appear far more closer to colorless to me than anything I've personally ever seen before under various lighting conditions in person.The difference between the two under certain angles (and I don't think this is easily photograph-able but more of a human eye sort of thing that's more obvious in person) seems very obvious to me. If I had to come up with an example it would be this: Imagine two small glass square fish tanks (I'm choosing fish tanks because of the amount of water in them to demonstrate that while the difference is slight... it's still noticable). We're not talking some massive fish tank either. Imagine two fish tanks, each around the size of your desktop monitor that have both been perfectly cleaned and perfectly transparent. In each fish tank is the exact same amount of water. In one fish tank (The "G" diamond) a small drop of amber food coloring is dropped in and stirred. The food coloring has a slight effect in that it no longer looks as colorless as it did before but not enough to add a strong amount of hue to the water. You can still see through this fish tank reasonably well but you'd notice a difference if you compared it to the colorless fish tank beside it (representing D-F at the moment). Now, we recreate the look of "I" by adding 3 drops of amber food coloring into the previously clear fish tank beside the "G" example and stir. This has more of an obvious effect on the water and the water begins to show the first signs of taking on a warm hue. It's still fairly clear but side-by-side especially... it appears a bit darker than the "G" example because not as much light is coming in and bouncing back out. That said, the "I" example is still far from yellow; it's still relatively clear but a far cry from the colorless water it once was. This is the best way I can describe what I was seeing when looking at these two color and it's a big reason why I think the "I" that I had was leaning closer toward the side of "J" than "H".

Regarding the end result size, while she had said the 0.70 looked big to her in the store, that's not what I went with. I went a bit bigger than that. This is just a tiny bit under 0.90 but because the cut is so ideal and because the center stone now blends in much nicer with the surrounding halo... it looks considerably larger, prettier and, to be honest, more expensive than the other one did. In fact, even though the "I" diamond was a tiny bit larger than this... looking at the two side-by-side... I couldn't tell a difference at all so I gained in the ways I wanted (spent a bit more) and didn't lose as much as I feared.

I can't take pics but my confidence level is much higher now compared to last week where I almost felt slightly embarrassed at the idea of presenting it to her. The fire in this new ring is just outstanding. I don't know if it's because it's closer to colorless, or because it now has both excellent polish and symmetry (previously just very good), or a slightly better cut (though both were ideal) or if it's because of the faint florescence (previously none) but I feel like whenever I look at this thing and move it around ever so slightly there are multi-colored fireworks going off!

Thanks again for all your advice everyone. I felt a lot better about the decision once some of you chimed in. BN were fantastic as they always are. Everybody working for that company is terrific and I really appreciate all the extra work they put in and the patience they had while walking me through the returns process and helping me select this one. I'll definitely buy from them again and I can't recommend them enough. If you're out there reading this and you're worried about color and wondering if the online graphical color scales you've seen in google images are accurate, they're not. There IS a difference between G and J so while they all fall under the "near colorless" tier... there are differences and I recommend trying to get as close to colorless as you can afford if that's important to you. Don't let salespeople tell you that you or she won't be able to see it. Ask to see it. And if you can see it then she'll probably be able to see it too (perhaps even better because most women have better color sensitivity than men). Trust your gut. Every diamond seller wants to sell gems so they'll tell you whatever you want to help you feel like you're getting a good deal because the moment you feel like you're getting a good deal you're emotionally invested in purchasing from them. Once you've determined which of the 4 Cs matter most to you and your bride to be... don't give on the top areas that you believe will matter most to her. Good deals in the diamond industry do exist but if it's too good to be true you might be underestimating the downside of what you're giving up (Color, cut, extreme florescence, etc). The people involved with this industry basically have it ALL figured out and they're not just giving you something cheaper without it being noticeably worse in some way. You want size AND the best quality you can get, not just size.

 

[allowingtoo]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

Sounds like a winner! I know she'll be happy - your Joy is apparent and will transfer with the ring!

 

[MissGotRocks]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

I thought you'd be pleased with the G color - hope you can work something out to be able to post pictures. We'd love to see them!

Congrats on finding a ring you love - and that she will be sure to love!

 

[AnneinGA]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

Randall, I've followed your thread and can't wait to see pictures either. Congrats!

 

[starryeyed]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

Oh HOORAY Randall!!

I knew you'd like the G - so glad you feel confident about the ring. I can imagine, it must be beautiful!

You are so right - diamonds are a commodity and everything is priced in - where the inclusions are, the nature of the inclusions, whether the color is solidly in its class, or if it leans higher or lower, etc. It sounds like you found the perfect balance for your preferences. I am so HAPPY for you and I hope your future wife will be thrilled. Keep us posted!

Now, start saving for that wedding band!

 

[slg47]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

yay! i can't wait to see pics congratulations!

 

[Rhino]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

Hi Randall,

Glad that clip has helped you and thanks for the kind words. You may want to watch part 1 of that clip which is also helpful in learning about what diamond color isn't and is often mistaken for by laymen and congrats on your engagement.

Kind regards,

 

[Andelain]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

What a great description of the color! Glad you got one you love. She'll love it too!

 

[Randall]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

Hi Randall,

Glad that clip has helped you and thanks for the kind words. You may want to watch part 1 of that clip which is also helpful in learning about what diamond color isn't and is often mistaken for by laymen and congrats on your engagement.

Kind regards,

Hi Rhino,

I have to tell you that I looked at both of those videos, as well as plenty of the other vids you produced (The comparison videos that illustrate the kind of hypothetical purchasing options that buyers have when choosing size vs color, etc are all amazing) and I'll go as far as to say that your videos helped me as much during this whole process as anything I've read so thanks for putting that info out there for people!

I especially like the tone of your videos. You somehow strike the perfect balance between providing the facts and opinion from all your years of experience, while still leaving us room to take all of that in and draw our own conclusions from our own observations. I especially liked the little insights along the bottom of the color video and how you mentioned that some color sensitive people don't feel comfortable below "H." All consumers are different with different priorities and goals and it seems like you have a great grasp on the main differences people are hoping to achieve when sacrificing certain aspects of the 4Cs and the confusion/questions that come with those sacrifices. To top it all off, the videos are well-lit, high quality and the only agenda seems to be educating the masses to make more informed decisions and minimizing the amount of misinformation that's out there.

Thanks again! And if I may make a suggestion that I was personally curious about:

How can different settings effect the look of a round brilliant cut diamond in different lighting situations? I'd love to see a video that shows a diamond with similar specs in a variety of the most popular styles of engagement ring settings under similar lighting conditions to see what kind of effect, if any, the different settings can have on the amount of light entering and exiting the diamond.

I realize that would be a hard video to set-up, Rhino, but I feel like a lot of people (including myself) would love to know more about the importance of setting styles/techniques and what kind of effect(s) (if any) they have on the gems themselves.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Venice]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

Randall, I was happy to read that you are very happy with your new diamond. I am glad that you stuck to your guns and did not give up until you found the one stone to make you happy. I am very color sensitive myself, so I know what you were going through.

Congratulations! I look forward to seeing the completed ring.

 

[Rhino]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

Greetings and thanks for your thoughtful response. My comments below.

Hi Randall,

Glad that clip has helped you and thanks for the kind words. You may want to watch part 1 of that clip which is also helpful in learning about what diamond color isn't and is often mistaken for by laymen and congrats on your engagement.

Kind regards,

Hi Rhino,

I have to tell you that I looked at both of those videos, as well as plenty of the other vids you produced (The comparison videos that illustrate the kind of hypothetical purchasing options that buyers have when choosing size vs color, etc are all amazing) and I'll go as far as to say that your videos helped me as much during this whole process as anything I've read so thanks for putting that info out there for people!

I especially like the tone of your videos. You somehow strike the perfect balance between providing the facts and opinion from all your years of experience, while still leaving us room to take all of that in and draw our own conclusions from our own observations. I especially liked the little insights along the bottom of the color video and how you mentioned that some color sensitive people don't feel comfortable below "H." All consumers are different with different priorities and goals and it seems like you have a great grasp on the main differences people are hoping to achieve when sacrificing certain aspects of the 4Cs and the confusion/questions that come with those sacrifices. To top it all off, the videos are well-lit, high quality and the only agenda seems to be educating the masses to make more informed decisions and minimizing the amount of misinformation that's out there.

Thanks again! And if I may make a suggestion that I was personally curious about:

How can different settings effect the look of a round brilliant cut diamond in different lighting situations? I'd love to see a video that shows a diamond with similar specs in a variety of the most popular styles of engagement ring settings under similar lighting conditions to see what kind of effect, if any, the different settings can have on the amount of light entering and exiting the diamond.

I realize that would be a hard video to set-up, Rhino, but I feel like a lot of people (including myself) would love to know more about the importance of setting styles/techniques and what kind of effect(s) (if any) they have on the gems themselves.

Thanks in advance!

Good question and suggestion. It's not as difficult as you think to setup and I'm confident I can do it. It is in fact suggestions like this that lead to more and new video content and programs we produce so I will keep this in mind the next time I have 2 similar diamonds in 2 completely different type of settings. Are you thinking perhaps a comparison of say an H&A or Ideal cut prong set and how that would compare alongside of bezel set?

Kind regards,

 

[Siamese Kitty]

Re: We're color-sensitive and I just returned an "I" - How's

Greetings and thanks for your thoughtful response. My comments below.

Hi Randall,

Glad that clip has helped you and thanks for the kind words. You may want to watch part 1 of that clip which is also helpful in learning about what diamond color isn't and is often mistaken for by laymen and congrats on your engagement.

Kind regards,

Hi Rhino,

I have to tell you that I looked at both of those videos, as well as plenty of the other vids you produced (The comparison videos that illustrate the kind of hypothetical purchasing options that buyers have when choosing size vs color, etc are all amazing) and I'll go as far as to say that your videos helped me as much during this whole process as anything I've read so thanks for putting that info out there for people!

I especially like the tone of your videos. You somehow strike the perfect balance between providing the facts and opinion from all your years of experience, while still leaving us room to take all of that in and draw our own conclusions from our own observations. I especially liked the little insights along the bottom of the color video and how you mentioned that some color sensitive people don't feel comfortable below "H." All consumers are different with different priorities and goals and it seems like you have a great grasp on the main differences people are hoping to achieve when sacrificing certain aspects of the 4Cs and the confusion/questions that come with those sacrifices. To top it all off, the videos are well-lit, high quality and the only agenda seems to be educating the masses to make more informed decisions and minimizing the amount of misinformation that's out there.

Thanks again! And if I may make a suggestion that I was personally curious about:

How can different settings effect the look of a round brilliant cut diamond in different lighting situations? I'd love to see a video that shows a diamond with similar specs in a variety of the most popular styles of engagement ring settings under similar lighting conditions to see what kind of effect, if any, the different settings can have on the amount of light entering and exiting the diamond.

I realize that would be a hard video to set-up, Rhino, but I feel like a lot of people (including myself) would love to know more about the importance of setting styles/techniques and what kind of effect(s) (if any) they have on the gems themselves.

Thanks in advance!

Good question and suggestion. It's not as difficult as you think to setup and I'm confident I can do it. It is in fact suggestions like this that lead to more and new video content and programs we produce so I will keep this in mind the next time I have 2 similar diamonds in 2 completely different type of settings. Are you thinking perhaps a comparison of say an H&A or Ideal cut prong set and how that would compare alongside of bezel set?

Kind regards,

I think this is a great suggestion for a video! It may also be helpful in order to get a sense of how big the same size diamond looks in different types of settings. By the way, I really enjoy your videos, too. Great procrastination material-please keep them coming!

Congratulations on your upcoming engagement, Randall. (FWIW-I once had and I color that I traded for a G and was very happy. Sure, a D would have been even better, but I was able to get the "colorless look" for a lot less with the G without sacrificing too much.)