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What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement ring?

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DeliaPA

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 27, 2013
Messages
5
Hi everyone! Ok, quick background: my husband and I are looking for an engagement ring. When he proposed we were just buying our house and didn't want to spend a lot of money on my ring, so we got a little temorary ring. Now it's been a few years and we're ready to get my longterm ring! Yay! I've gone back and forth a lot, but I think I want a light yellow diamond 1.5 - 2.0 ct. I think we're going to go with a loose stone because it looks like we can get better prices that way.

I don't want to order and return stone after stone after stone, so I'm hoping someone can give me a better idea of what color rating I'm looking for. I don't want a dark or vivid yellow stone, really I want it to be just yellow enough that it's obvious it's supposed to be yellow and that it's not just an inexpensive white diamond... if that makes sense. Sort of lemonaid-ish in color? I'm including a couple of pictures from google images to show the shade of yellow I like.

Is M going to be yellow enough or do I need to go farther down the color scale? I've had a hard time finding a source for diamonds between M and Fancy... does anyone know an online dealer with N-O-P-Q-R-S-T...? If shape is relevent I'm interested in round, oval and cushion w/square proportions. Does anyone have pictures of their own light yellow diamonds? I think sometimes they look nicer with a halo of white diamonds around them, but I also like a simple pave band with white diamonds and just the one center stone.

I've seen nice colors on Fay Cullen, but the settings are a little too vintage for me. Brilliance.com has a good selection of loose L and M stones, and the the person I chatted with suggested that an M with an EGL certificate would likely be more like an O, P or Q in color. I know working with a local jeweler might be a good idea, but I don't want to get talked into something different than what I want, so I'd rather do it online, or at least have a good understanding of color, price and options before going to a local jeweler.

Ok, that was long! Thanks so much!!!

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Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

Do some research on here before ordering from Fay Cullen...
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

Check out Mark Broumand's site. He has videos of his stones (and settings) that'll give you a good idea of what color grade you're looking for. I think you're going to have to look at a few stones to begin with and decide for yourself though. I always thought I was a fancy intense girl but seeing a fancy light in person really made me fall in love with the lighter shade. Also there are always different tones of yellows out there, so really it's all about which ones sing to you.
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

The colors of the yellow diamonds you're showing in your pictures look much more like fancy light yellows and certainly much more yellow than an M,N,O,P. I do think you might be able to go with a W/X or a Y/Z and have your jeweler do a partial gold cup under the diamond to deepen the color. If you can find a diamond you like without going into the "fancy" range- you'll save a lot of money. For online resources- I suggest you call or email David at Diamonds by Lauren. He specializes in yellow diamonds and has lots of lower alphabet diamonds- and you may find an S,T or other diamond you like,too. He also has all sorts of settings from different benches at a variety of prices. You could also check out Fancydiamonds.net but I think most of theirs will be fancy colored yellow diamonds. I have a Y/Z diamond from Diamonds by Lauren and love the light yellow color. Mind does not have an enhancement cup-but if I had wanted my diamond to look more yellow it would have been an option. Here's a picture of my Y/Z.

r4028jb.jpg
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

I'm not sure I understand. If you want a FLY (fancy light yellow diamond) then just get a FLY. M/N/O/P/Q/R/S will all have a tint but they are not FLY diamonds by any means. They will look more ecrue or ivory most of the time. Lowered color range diamonds also typically have a strong hue of grey or brown so because you are going down in color doesn't mean yellow.

The rings you linked too all look like they are FLY's as well. If are looking at colored diamonds then Leibresh, DBL and JA are the only online vendors I know that sell colored diamonds.
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

Thanks for the replies! The first ring I posted said it was an M, which is why I was thinking that I could go with the M-Z range rather than going with a FLY. When I've seen FLY in person they have been to bright or deep for me.
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

Here's a picture of mine (from Mark Broumand) with a FIY that I had for a moment from James Allen. Mine has always reminded me of chardonnay or butter, but also mine is fully cupped so it brings out more color.

fly_fiy.jpg
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

What size and how deep? Because larger and deeper diamonds concentrate color more. The first diamond, the round, I would have guessed was probably in the GIA P range. But it's usual for EGL USA to be off by 2 grades, and usual for old-cut diamonds to go through EGL, so an EGL M rating combined with the extra depth of an Old European Cut could mean you're really looking at a O or P color for that stone.

I have seen larger antique diamonds in N and P colors, and they are most definitely yellow and not anything else. In fact, I was shocked and kind of repulsed by the first P/Q range diamond I saw, but now I rather like them.

Another thing to consider is that modern H&A RB will wash tint out even in the M-P range or lower, and the older cuts probably won't do that as much. I have a modern-cut M, and in many lighting situations it looks very white face-up. But in some others, like the lights at Home Depot, it looks definitely light yellow, a bit lighter than that Fay Cullen round ring. The yellows change with the lighting.
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

Asscherhalolover has a lovely L colored Asscher in a diamond halo. Her Asscher always looks pale yellow in the pictures on here. You might look up those pics. If you set a tinted diamond in a halo, the halo stones might be F/G or H or so, and the difference between their lighter color and also lesser mass and the tint and larger mass of an L/M color or lower the color contrast also plays up the tint.
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

I still don't think the OP will get the "lemonade" color she is asking for in an L,M,N. And, the two pictures she posted look like the diamond color was photoshopped, so I'm not sure they'd really look like that in person.
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

Like other have said I would have a look at www.diamondsbylauren.com they have LOTS of stones as well as rings in fancy colors to look at.

I don't remember seeing if you were looking for a certain shape or cut of stone. Or is color your first priority??

I love looking and am not an expert by any means

:bigsmile:
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

athenaworth --beautiful ring! I'll have to look around on the MB site again. Chardonnay is a great way to describe the color! It's ineresting to see it next to the stone from James Allen too.
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

DeliaPA|1378324622|3514521 said:
Thanks for the replies! The first ring I posted said it was an M, which is why I was thinking that I could go with the M-Z range rather than going with a FLY. When I've seen FLY in person they have been to bright or deep for me.
Click to expand...

OP that first picture you posted is definitely photo shopped.

EDIT- oops sorry I didn't see PJ post but I have to agree with her. The photos you posted you won't find in the L-P range. Even the Q-T might be difficult, but I doubt you will figure that out till you see that with your own eyes. I would personally stick with a very light FLY, which is good for you b/c they are less expensive then other fancy diamonds, but stay away from the lower range of L-T because I think you won't find what you are looking for unless you cup it.
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

Athenaworth, I love you ring, especially the gallery.
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

1ct N from Crafted by Infinity http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/crafted-by-infinity-round-brilliant-diamond-101-nsi1-set-in-a-pinkyellow-diamond-halo-agsl-r4438
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m594/diamondsbylauren/2012_Diamond_Photos/07-20012-diamond-photos/r4438-infinity-diamond-aac.jpg

a U/V Old European Cut from https://www.pricescope.com/blog/top-3-engagement-rings-styles-diamonds-lauren
https://www.pricescope.com/files/blog/Diamonds-by-Lauren-Uber-Flower-Solitaire-OEC.jpg


M/N here: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/kate-pearce-wband-the-set-is-complete.71315/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/kate-pearce-wband-the-set-is-complete.71315/[/URL]


O/P at DBL http://www.diamondsbylauren.com/index.php/jewelry/loose-diamond-54ct-o-p-vs1-round-brilliant-gia-great-cut-laser-inscribed-r4005
http://i1133.photobucket.com/albums/m594/diamondsbylauren/611/r4005c.jpg

Once you get to N/O/P and 2ct, the mass of the stone will definitely make it light yellow.
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

Hi, as an owner of a FLY diamond I would have to recommend that you go with a true FLY and not anything lower. What you describe as what you are looking for sounds exactly like a FLY. I can tell you that in certain lighting my stone can be very light yellow, light enough that you might look twice to make sure it is yellow. In other lighting it is a much richer yellow, like butter or sunshine. I would be afraid of anything lower than a true fancy color not being a strong enough yellow color.
 
Re: What color grade for a light yellow diamond engagement r

I have a Fancy Yellow diamond and the color is perfect. If I wanted a lemonade-y shade I'd have gone with Fancy Light Yellow. I'd say stick to FLY. I saw an M color diamond recently and I really wouldn't call it "yellow". But I have not seen the U-V etc colors so I don't know what those look like in person... I do understand that ordering and returning gets to be a hassle but there really is no substitute for seeing these colors in person. Do a quick search and see which stores in your city might carry them and go check them out. You could do Tiffany's for sure, maybe Costco.

You might be pleasantly surprised to find that lower intensity colors (say M or N) are the perfect yellow for you, or more pleasing to you or flatter your skintone more, in which case your wallet will thank you... I saw a Fancy Intense ring at Tiffany's and (apart from the fact that it was completely unaffordable for me), I actually disliked the color shade.
 
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