Why does my "H" look yellow

[Rod]

Thanks.....I''m glad you found it amusing

In all seriousness, I was at a the mall yesterday (got to admit that mall lighting sure makes a nice diamond sparkle) and I was sipping a Starbucks coffee at a table next to a wood paneled wall and I noticed that my stone looked sort of Champagne in color. My stone is G and I truly believe it''s a very colorless G, but my stone absolutely picked up the wood paneling color. I actually thought it was pretty cool.

 

[squarediamondlove]

Hey Mara,

I wasn't saying I see straight yellow at all, I just said I see a tint. I think we use different language to describe the same thing. You don't see outright yellow in an H color but you do see a bit of an off white tint to it however the tint is yellow in nature, as opposed to say redish or blueish. I don't know maybey its just me but I can see slight tint on her center stone when contrasted with the pave around. I think its more apparent b/c there is a contrast between the center diamond and the halo pave. Is it just me?

I have seen a good amount of H color princesses (plus I have an H color princess cut pendant) to come to the conclusion that you do see the slightest tint in an H color stone. I don't think one should deny that you don't see tint in an H color and that it looks colorless b/c then it would essentially not be graded as an H color. The nature of an H color stone is that it does exhibit a very very small degree of yellow pigment that some can pick up and others can't. Whether most people see it or whether it bothers you is a different question. I never even though my H color pendant had a tint to it at all until I started getting more interested in diamonds and my eye became trained at seeing the degree of tint. Now looking at my pendant I clearly see the slightest slightest bit of tint (without comparing it) Like Rod, says it becomes like some kind of a disease.

And I completely agree with you Mara in a sense that you should not be seeing a strong tint of yellow or a clear yellow/beige color on your stone at all. If that is the case, it has to do with the environment around you. I know I was at GOG and they had these hanging lamps with little tiny lights on them, I think they called them "sun lamps" and they totally made my stone look like it had a yellowish tint to it. Normally, however, I never really notice tint in my D color stone. H color should not be obviouse or easily detected by an observer, but rather, it should look like its basically colorless to a third person. However again, if the H center is contrasting with or playing off the pave in your halo, the color difference can be more visible then normally. I think that may be what is happening here.

 

[GGLW]

Just wanted to say you have a beautiful ring! Enjoy your ring and don''t worry about the lighting in your office...

 

[coda72]

I also see a slight tint on the center stone compared to the pave, but it could be just the picture. I think I am also color sensitive, so that may be why. I have F, G, H and I colored colored diamonds, and I can definitely see the tint in the I colored ones. I can''t see any color difference in the F and G. The H doesn''t look really any more tinted than the F, but it is in yellow gold and I don''t know if that makes a difference. I haven''t compared the H to the G and I yet. I do think there''s a certain point that people can detect color in diamonds, and it''s different for everyone.

But at any rate, nycgirl, I think you should just enjoy your beautiful e-ring, and not worry about the color. There''s certain things that bother me about my e-ring, but I don''t let it affect my enjoyment of it.

 

[Mara]

actually Kal you are right in that a princess H may be different from a rb H...

I still can''t see anything in those pictures gals...maybe it''s just me.

 

[Mara]

Oh also I know sometimes when I am in my kitchen with recessed track lighting that my stone sometimes looks totally yellow with lots of colored sparkle but it''s obviously not yellow typically. So even just lighting colors or types of lighting or the bulbs can have something to do with it too!

 

[websailor]

Lighting definitely comes in different colors - typically offices will use cool white flourescent lamps becuase they are basically cheap both to buy and to operate.

Have you ever noticed the lighting in jewelry stores above the counters is different than your office - most likely the majority of jewelry stores will have metal halide or halogen lights - at the higher end of color replication.

Your diamond is simply reflecting the colors that the lighting is putting out.....



Color Rendering - Accurate color replication
Color rendering index (CRI) is a measure of how accurately an artificial light source displays colors. CRI is determined by comparing the appearance of a colored object under an artificial light source to its appearance under incandescent light. The higher the CRI, the better the artificial light source is at rendering colors accurately. High (above 80) CRI is preferred in the home. ENERGY STAR requires that qualified fixtures have lamps with CRI above 80.

 

[nycgirl]

In my new apartment, I will be sure to get good lightbulbs (although I might have to dust/vacuum a lot more)!

Thanks for all the help!

 

[mamchris]

Hey NYCgirl

Don''t make me beg, but please please please more HAND SHOTS and how about a profile, I can''t wait to see more pics. I love your ring

Don''t worry about the color your ring is terrific. I''ll be waiting for photos!!!!

 

[janf]

Date: 2/13/2006 4:54:37 PM
Author:nycgirl
I have a 1.53 H VS2 Princess and in my office/apt. it looks beige! Why is that-its driving me nuts!

I nit pick way way more at my D VVS 1.97 very nice cut princess a lot more than I nit picked at my e-ring form an ex-engagement that was .9ct average cut I color Si clarity marque.

Kaleidoscope,

How did you feel to go from a .9 I to a 1.97 D?

 

[RockDoc]

A lot of you don''t seem to understand color grading.

A diamond can look different in the face up position than its position, lighting environment. Some look the same as the grade, others look lower, and some look higher. The color of the grading tray will also affect the color one sees.

The essential rule to remember is that the diamond will refract what light it is in. If you look at it on a cloudy day, where the light is grayish, the diamond will refract that same gray light.

The same with lighting. Yellow from incandescent bulbs will add yellow color to the stone.

The lighting that pros use, to grade the body color of diamonds is very specialized. The presence of UV can also have a bearing on the appearance of the stone.

Also not all stones show yellow color that are tinted. Some show greenish, brownish, and silvery tones, even in stones that are H color. It is a little unfortunate that the major labs only report the presence of color rather than what color it is if present.

Rockdoc

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 2/16/2006 2:10:41 PM
Author: RockDoc
Also not all stones show yellow color that are tinted. Some show greenish, brownish, and silvery tones, even in stones that are H color. It is a little unfortunate that the major labs only report the presence of color rather than what color it is if present.
Rockdoc

AIIIGHHH.

Thank you SO MUCH for writing that little piece of genius review for the amateur color graders out there. It''s one of my pet peeves that people seem to think any tint in a stone is "yellow".

 

[Lorelei]

Yes this is worth mentioning, manys the time mine seems to have a silvery tint. It would be good if the labs did mention which colour tint if applicable is in the diamond, I suppose most purchasers wouldn't be interested but to me that ADDS interest to a diamond being a natural gemstone. But I suppose reading on a cert regarding a brownish tint might be offputting to some and maybe that could be a reason why they don't.

 

[Mara]

actually i recall when i was shopping and speaking to brian re: my current 1.60 J SI, he thought that the stone had a grayish tone. better than yellow in a J for sure in my opinion!

 

[RockDoc]

All three stones are the same color grade, but look at the face up difference


Why is this? Anyone know?

Rockdoc

 

[singer]

It''s because of the halo. I have a halo ring as well with an I colored round center stone. When it was just set as a solitaire on a plain band it looked very white, but since I have had it set in my halo mounting, it sometimes has a very light yellow tint to it (although I''m the only one that seems to be able to tell). I''m very color sensitive. The white little diamonds and white gold around the stone seem to make "its true colors shine through." I don''t mind it though...don''t let it bother you. Your ring is GORGEOUS!!

 

[singer]

BTW, my response was to nycgirl''s original post.

 

[RockDoc]

Here''s a side view....


Rockdoc

 

[Rod]

Does it have anything to do with the fact that the setting is yellow and the side stones are reflecting the color of the prongs reflected?

 

[RockDoc]

Rod


Nope.......This is a one piece casting where the prongs are yellow gold

Rockdoc

 

[dazzling]

I can totally relate... when I first showed my parents my gorgeous engagement ring, I was in their home- which has mocha/ beigey colored walls and ceiling....it was so weird! I kept going "it really looks whiter at my home!" When my sister saw, she said, "oooh, I like the color, it is really interesting! (I wasn''t insulted...she was being sincere... it looked kind of champagne colored.)

It was odd to feel like I was making excuses for my ring! Wall and ceiling color really make a big difference for my stone, which is an H colored asscher. I adored my ring, yet when in rooms with brown ceilings and walls, I sometimes wondered if I should have gotten a cushion or round. I felt guilty for not being delighted with my ring 100% of the time. Now that I understand the situation, I think it is kind of cool. I love how my blingy changes all the time depending on the surroundings!

By the way, your ring is gorgeous!

We probably all need to stop obsessing- but that is unlikely. Perspective is good though... I try to remember that many would only dream of having rings like the ones shown on this forum!

 

[jldunn]

I''ve got another interesting scenario. I''ve got a platinum setting with a RB center and two pear sides. All are AGS graded F. When I look at in my kitchen, they all look perfectly white, the center a little more so than the pears. I move it side to side, the pears sparkle with lots of fire, the center sparkles but is more glassy.

I go into my kitchen, with recessed track lighting (yellower) and now the center RB looks beige, but the pears still look nice and white. Move it side to side, and the whole things sparkles so much you can barely look at it.

I''m not sure why the pears still look white, something with physics I guess. I think the moral of the story is, if it the ring doesn''t look good in the light... just give it a little shimmy.