What is the best way to set a grayish yellowish green stone?

[platinumrock]

Hello Ladies, I''m been missing in action for a few months, but I''m back. Okay, I admit it. I''ve been trying to stay away from this forum with hopes of curing my DSS. And look what happens! I''m over here asking advice about settings.

That''s like sending an alcoholic to the bar. Bad. Baaaaaad!!!

 

[T L]

PR,
I missed you!!!

I have a fancy colored diamond that's green grey, and the rose gold setting really brings out the green. I also have some more yellowish green grey diamonds, and they're lighter in color than that particular one, so I'm still debating on what color to set them in as I have a rose gold setting, but since they're on the lighter side, the rose gold doesn't do much for them. They're olive in color, and like you, I want to bring out the green.

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 10/31/2009 10:18:17 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
PR,
I missed you!!!

I have a fancy colored diamond that''s green grey, and the rose gold setting really brings out the green. I also have some more yellowish green grey diamonds, and they''re lighter in color than that particular one, so I''m still debating on what color to set them in as I have a rose gold setting, but since they''re on the lighter side, the rose gold doesn''t do much for them. They''re olive in color, and like you, I want to bring out the green.

Hi TL, I missed you too!!!! How have you been?? I saw the pic of your olive diamond over in Rocky Talky, and it''s beautiful! What are your plans with it? I''m debating which metal color enhances a greenish stone best: white, yellow or rose.

Also, do you have a hard time capturing the true colors of your green diamonds? Mine is not as photogenic as Peachy..haha...

 

[T L]

Date: 10/31/2009 10:38:47 PM
Author: platinumrock

Date: 10/31/2009 10:18:17 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
PR,
I missed you!!!

I have a fancy colored diamond that's green grey, and the rose gold setting really brings out the green. I also have some more yellowish green grey diamonds, and they're lighter in color than that particular one, so I'm still debating on what color to set them in as I have a rose gold setting, but since they're on the lighter side, the rose gold doesn't do much for them. They're olive in color, and like you, I want to bring out the green.

Hi TL, I missed you too!!!! How have you been?? I saw the pic of your olive diamond over in Rocky Talky, and it's beautiful! What are your plans with it? I'm debating which metal color enhances a greenish stone best: white, yellow or rose.

Also, do you have a hard time capturing the true colors of your green diamonds? Mine is not as photogenic as Peachy..haha...

Oh, I'm trying to figure out if it's HPHT treated (colorwise), but in any case, it's a nice stone, and I want another one the same color to be the side stones for something else. It's hard to find that much green in a diamond though, unless it's treated. I have a couple of greenish grey yellow diamonds, and one that's a yellow with a tiny bit of green, but they all don't match, and they're all around 40 points. The 1.05 ct green grey one in my rose gold ring is a darker color, and the rose gold really brings out the green, coupled with the two pink diamonds on each side. I get so many compliments on that ring, even from our family doctor!! It's very unique. Here's an ebay ring with similar color to my green grey (it's actually certed greenish yellowish grey) and it has two pinks on the side. Ignore the hefty price tag, I don't think that diamond is worth anywhere near what they're asking, even with the pinks, but it gives you some ideas. I personally think this ebayer is scamming based on the fact that people might think this is a true GIA fancy green, which is a completely different ball of wax than an olive colored diamond (which is much much much less inexpensive and what this is). However, it gives you an idea of how the pink and olive go nicely together to bring out the green(IMO).

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=280333620836&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

Thanks for the kind words on my olive stone. I use a Nikon coolpix, and have had lots of luck with it, except with green!! LOL!! That was not my photo of the stone, but it's close to the true color.

 

[platinumrock]

Here is a pic of the stone. This was taken in direct sunlight.

Hope this helps!

 

[T L]

Date: 10/31/2009 10:48:36 PM
Author: platinumrock
Here is a pic of the stone. This was taken in direct sunlight.

Hope this helps!

Nice stone!! I think that''s more in line with the olive color I am imagining to go well in rose gold. It''s dark like mine. How does it look next to a penny? Does it have a lot of brown in it?

 

[MonkeyPie]

Oohh, pretty stone! I love it.

I chose halo because I think that being surrounded by whiter stones will really make the color of the center stone stand out.

 

[platinumrock]

TL, thank you! In natural light, it looks greenish-gray with yellow and orange fire. In fluorescent light, I see more yellow fire. In incandescent light, it looks olive. Sometimes, the color is apparent, sometimes it isn''t. I placed it next to a penny, but I didn''t really see a contrast. Then again, it''s night time...maybe it will look different in the daytime. The only time it looks olive is under incandescent light, with a tinge of brown. But for the most part, it has more of a grayish tone to me than brown. At least to my eyes anyway.

MP, thank you! I agree, a white halo would make the greenish color pop and look BIGGER.

Hmmm...decisions, decisions....

 

[T L]

Date: 10/31/2009 11:10:44 PM
Author: platinumrock
TL, thank you! In natural light, it looks greenish-gray with yellow and orange fire. In fluorescent light, I see more yellow fire. In incandescent light, it looks olive. Sometimes, the color is apparent, sometimes it isn''t. I placed it next to a penny, but I didn''t really see a contrast. Then again, it''s night time...maybe it will look different in the daytime. The only time it looks olive is under incandescent light, with a tinge of brown. But for the most part, it has more of a grayish tone to me than brown. At least to my eyes anyway.

MP, thank you! I agree, a white halo would make the greenish color pop and look BIGGER.

Hmmm...decisions, decisions....

My 1.05 ct stone has absolutely no orange or brown. It''s a straight grey green, like a very steely green, even more so than the olive diamond I posted in the ebay link. Therefore, the rose gold really makes the green pop. I''m wondering if it would work if your stone has that "tinge of brown" as you mentioned. I''m thinking the rose gold might bring the brown out more?? Hmmmm??? I recently got a new 40 point yellowish greenish grey, a bit lighter than yours though, and I have to play with it in yellow gold and get back to you. I''ll try to take some pics.

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 10/31/2009 11:24:46 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 10/31/2009 11:10:44 PM
Author: platinumrock
TL, thank you! In natural light, it looks greenish-gray with yellow and orange fire. In fluorescent light, I see more yellow fire. In incandescent light, it looks olive. Sometimes, the color is apparent, sometimes it isn''t. I placed it next to a penny, but I didn''t really see a contrast. Then again, it''s night time...maybe it will look different in the daytime. The only time it looks olive is under incandescent light, with a tinge of brown. But for the most part, it has more of a grayish tone to me than brown. At least to my eyes anyway.

MP, thank you! I agree, a white halo would make the greenish color pop and look BIGGER.

Hmmm...decisions, decisions....

My 1.05 ct stone has absolutely no orange or brown. It''s a straight grey green, like a very steely green, even more so than the olive diamond I posted in the ebay link. Therefore, the rose gold really makes the green pop. I''m wondering if it would work if your stone has that ''tinge of brown'' as you mentioned. I''m thinking the rose gold might bring the brown out more?? Hmmmm??? I recently got a new 40 point yellowish greenish grey, a bit lighter than yours though, and I have to play with it in yellow gold and get back to you. I''ll try to take some pics.

I just clicked on that Ebay link and I can''t believe that seller wants 195K for that ring!

It''s not even a true green, it''s a modified green like ours. And he has one offer!

TL, it''s hard to describe this stone''s color. I''ll try to take more pics that represents its real life color. The one I posted has a lot of colors going on at the same time.

I can''t wait to see your 40 pointer!

 

[T L]

Date: 10/31/2009 11:48:18 PM
Author: platinumrock

I just clicked on that Ebay link and I can't believe that seller wants 195K for that ring!

It's not even a true green, it's a modified green like ours. And he has one offer!

TL, it's hard to describe this stone's color. I'll try to take more pics that represents its real life color. The one I posted has a lot of colors going on at the same time.

I can't wait to see your 40 pointer!

That seller is nuts. I feel sorry for whoever he is going to rip off. Olive diamonds like that are less pricey than regular white diamonds.

I know what you mean about the many colors going on at once. The fire in the diamond tends to sometimes interfere with the background color.

My diamond is more of a pure dark graphite green in incandescent light and closes up (top picture - sorry about the bad focus), and in sunlight, it tends to go more olive and get a bit brighter and cast off more colors. At Home Depot, well, I wish I had a picture under those huge hallogens!!

They should sell diamonds there, they would sell quite a bit. LOL!! Rose gold setting with two light pinks on the side. I'm so glad I went with the rose gold with this stone. I tried it in white gold, and plunked it in there, and it kind of went dead. Just to give you some ideas, if your stone is similar in color to mine.

 

[ma re]

PR, don''t get me wrong, but I think that if you want to amplify the green in that stone, your best bet is to set it...with some other green gems as sides. I''d suggest green sapphires, to keep the color as close as possible. Not trying to spoil the fun here, but I don''t think this stone has serious amount of green, so I''m not sure it''d get brought out no matter what color metal you choose. If your budget allows it, getting 2 smaller diamonds just like it (and making a three stone ring) might be good too.

 

[LD]

PR - welcome back!

I had a similar dilema with my chameleon diamond which is officially graded as yellowish, brownish, green! (Talk about covering all bases)! Now then, you'd think that with this combination yellow gold would be a no brainer (especially as it looks more green or yellow at different times of the day) BUT in actual fact, it looked horrible with yellow gold - and I wouldn't have even considered rose gold! In the end after much debate and CAD comparisons, I went with Platinum and that was exactly the right metal for it. Because it's not one colour (very similar to your diamond because people will perceive the colour of yours differently) it's better to have a neutral metal rather than one that will compete.

At the end of the day, your diamond, not the setting, should take centre stage. The focus should be on the diamond. If you go for accent diamonds, for the same reasons above, I wouldn't go with warmth but would only go with icy white. Getting the right warmth will be difficult and then they could compete with the central diamond. By going with the icy white you're in effect promoting the colour of the central diamond. Here are a couple of photos of my chameleon for you to see.

Hope that helps?

Here are the CADs showing the different metals. You'd think looking at these that the yellow gold head would work wouldn't you? It doesn't because the CADs don't show the true colour (and the colour change) of the Chameleon.

So this was the finished result - the side diamonds are very very white.

From further away

Sorry about the mucky ring in this photo but it gives you a side view as well.

 

[T L]

Date: 11/1/2009 3:43:54 AM
Author: ma re
PR, don''t get me wrong, but I think that if you want to amplify the green in that stone, your best bet is to set it...with some other green gems as sides. I''d suggest green sapphires, to keep the color as close as possible. Not trying to spoil the fun here, but I don''t think this stone has serious amount of green, so I''m not sure it''d get brought out no matter what color metal you choose. If your budget allows it, getting 2 smaller diamonds just like it (and making a three stone ring) might be good too.

Hi Ma Rae,

I do think there is enough green in it to try to make it come out, so to speak. I would call that an olive diamond. With colored diamonds, it''s rarely about buying them for vivid eye popping color. For example, the Hope Diamond is not an eye popping blue, in fact I think it''s graded a "grey blue" or something akin to that. Colored diamonds are the only stones where I do accept some amount of grey or brown because they are beautiful in their own right from any other species of gem, and it helps keep the cost down. If you were to buy a true fancy vivid green, well, you might as well sell your first born children to finance the purchase. LOL!!

 

[ma re]

TL, well, you''re more experienced than me in buying colored diamonds so you may be right on the color part. I do realize you can''t expect them to be of very intense and/or vivid colors, that''s probably the case because of their extremly high R. I. combined with precise cutting, but I might be wrong on that. I''m yet to see a blue diamond with a color saturation of even mediocre blue sapphires.

 

[LD]

How about this one? Sorry to threadjack PR

 

[T L]

Hi LD,
I assume that''s irradiated, so in irradiated diamonds, I have seen more vivid yellows, blues, and greens. Even HPHT treated pink diamonds tend to be a more vivid pink. In natural color though, strong to vivid color tends to still have some slight grey or brown component, except in very rare cases, and those diamonds are just astronomically priced and rare.

 

[platinumrock]

TL, what a difference a new camera makes! I can definitely see the green in your gray-green now! It's gorgeous! The rose gold definitely gives it that extra oomph. How often do you wear this ring? Oh, and I completely agreen (agreen..haha) with you that I am more forgiving with diamonds when it comes to modifiers. Diamonds have such a unique brilliance and luster that colors don't have to be pure or intense.

LD, How have you been??? I've always loved your chameleon. Its color changes are amazing, and I agree that the white metal brings it out the best. Oh, to own a chameleon one day! How often do you wear your ring? It really heps that you and TL have had some personal experience with setting a stone with a greenish tone. You were able to see for yourself what works and what doesn't. I can see this stone in white metal with white diamonds, but do I halo it or do I accent it with diamonds on the shank?

Ma Re, you are right, my stone does not have a strong or intense green color, so no offense taken.

I actually prefer a hint of color rather than vivid or intense because I still want to see fire and brilliance. Besides, like TL said, it would have cost me my future newborn to afford a true vivid green color especially in this size. I also love the fact that the gray and yellow modifiers give this stone such different personalities in different lighting! This stone..hmmm..maybe I should give it a name...Olive? I've seen Olive look gray, apple-green, off-white, champagne and yellow-green in real life and photos as well. And I love it!

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 11/1/2009 9:20:11 AM
Author: LovingDiamonds
How about this one? Sorry to threadjack PR

I''m not normally into blue colors, but in diamonds, OH MY!!!

LD, is this your stone? How big is this?

 

[platinumrock]

I have some more photos to show you so you can see how the tone changes in different lighting.

This one was taken in indirect sun outside. It makes me think of apples (at least on my own monitor..hehee)

 

[platinumrock]

In incandescent light, looking more olive.

 

[T L]

Date: 11/1/2009 9:42:21 AM
Author: platinumrock
TL, what a difference a new camera makes! I can definitely see the green in your gray-green now! It''s gorgeous! The rose gold definitely gives it that extra oomph. How often do you wear this ring? Oh, and I completely agreen (agreen..haha) with you that I am more forgiving with diamonds when it comes to modifiers. Diamonds have such a unique brilliance and luster that colors don''t have to be pure or intense.

LD, How have you been??? I''ve always loved your chameleon. Its color changes are amazing, and I agree that the white metal brings it out the best. Oh, to own a chameleon one day! How often do you wear your ring? It really heps that you and TL have had some personal experience with setting a stone with a greenish tone. You were able to see for yourself what works and what doesn''t. I can see this stone in white metal with white diamonds, but do I halo it or do I accent it with diamonds on the shank?

Ma Re, you are right, my stone does not have a strong or intense green color, so no offense taken.

I actually prefer a hint of color rather than vivid or intense because I still want to see fire and brilliance. Besides, like TL said, it would have cost me my future newborn to afford a true vivid green color especially in this size. I also love the fact that the gray and yellow modifiers give this stone such different personalities in different lighting! This stone..hmmm..maybe I should give it a name...Olive? I''ve seen Olive look gray, apple-green, off-white, champagne and yellow-green in real life and photos as well. And I love it!

Hi PR,
Thanks for the comments on my grey green. I wear this ring almost every day. My mother wants to steal it from me.

Your stone looks more green in the last picture. Very nice!! Did you see the green that the one ebay seller I linked above was selling for 1.3 MILLION dollars??? Now, that is the green that costs your newborn. It''s quite different than these more olive stones, and not to be confused. The Dresden green is one of the most famous diamonds in the world (right up there with the Hope) and is the most famous green. True GIA fancy greens are among the most difficult stones for them to grade since their color is caused by natural radiation from the earth. However, olive greens are not caused by that same phenomena, but rather, a combination of colors that produce the olive color. Sorry to thread hijack, but just wanted to impart some info on the various kinds of green diamonds.

 

[platinumrock]

Incandescent light, looking more yellowish/champagne.

 

[platinumrock]

Daytime, overcast...looking more gray.

 

[T L]

Date: 11/1/2009 9:59:48 AM
Author: platinumrock
Incandescent light, looking more yellowish/champagne.

Really lovely stone PR, I''m loving all the new photos, and it looks to be a very sizable stone as well. I''m thinking rose gold might compliment it, even though it does have what appears to be some brown. Champagne stones actually look nice in rose gold, I''ve seen them before, so I take that back about what I said earlier by not setting it in rose gold. Can you take a picture of it next to a penny or on top of a penny?

 

[platinumrock]

Daytime, indoors, filtered sunlight.

 

[platinumrock]

Even colored diamonds can have this type of fire too!

 

[T L]

It appears to have some fluorescence too. Do you have a UV light? Neat stone!!

 

[platinumrock]

Date: 11/1/2009 10:08:34 AM
Author: tourmaline_lover

Date: 11/1/2009 9:59:48 AM
Author: platinumrock
Incandescent light, looking more yellowish/champagne.

Really lovely stone PR, I'm loving all the new photos, and it looks to be a very sizable stone as well. I'm thinking rose gold might compliment it, even though it does have what appears to be some brown. Champagne stones actually look nice in rose gold, I've seen them before, so I take that back about what I said earlier by not setting it in rose gold. Can you take a picture of it next to a penny or on top of a penny?

Thank you TL! I actually love champagne diamonds. I know theyr're not as popular, but they have amazing brilliance when well-cut.

It's like getting lost in honey.

Oh, and thanks for the info about green diamonds. It's not a thread-jack at all, especially when it's useful information.

I will try to take some pics with a penny just for you!

ETA: Where do I get a blacklight? It's funny because I have not used flash in any of these pics. The flash just whitens everything out.

 

[LD]

OMG PR what a phenomenal stone. It has sooooooo many personalities. Whilst TL and I normally agree on colours (and I''m sensitive to grey/brown modifiers the same as TL - although not as much as her) we are polar opposites with metal colours

As I was looking at your new photos I was yelling "white" "white" "white"! It''s so unique and you need that baby to have a stage fit for a queen!

In terms of haloing or side stones? Either will look lovely. If you feel it''s too small then a halo''s a great idea. I''d reiterate that I''d go for super white diamonds though. That way they''ll look good with the apple, grey, green, champagne colours you''re seeing. BTW are you wearing a pink/red top when taking the first photograph because there''s definitely some pink coming through at the bottom of the diamond?

PR/TL - yes it''s my blue diamond. It''s irradiated and a .70ct. It has a gorgeous blue colour and isn''t as dark as some others I''ve seen.

PR I''ve got some irradiated green diamonds set in both white and yellow gold - the green''s are a yellow green and not really the colour of your diamond but if you want to see what they look like with white diamonds and different colour metals I''ll post up piccies for you but not sure they''ll help much.