J Color Hearts and Arrows Diamond
Hi Danny, I’m shopping for a $7000 diamond engagement ring and my girlfriend really wants a carat set in an 18k white gold classic style half round solitaire. After reading the tutorials on the Visible Perfection of Hearts and Arrows diamonds, I really want to buy one for her because it seems like the sparkle factor will be amazing. The dilemma that I have is that it appears that the only options available in one carat hearts and arrows diamonds within my budget are J color, and I don’t want the diamond to look yellow in the white gold setting. What are your thoughts? – Trevor J.
classic Style Diamond Solitaire:
Congratulations on your upcoming engagement Trevor, you must be very excited! The classic styles solitaire is one of my favorite diamond engagement rings because it is elegant and timeless.
Over the years, I’ve seen just about every diamond color set in this ring style, and it always seems to look amazing, because from a top-down perspective diamond color is not as apparent as we tend to expect it to be based upon the photographs which we post online to explain the differences between different colors of diamonds, which show the diamonds being graded from a side profile.
How Diamonds are graded for color:
When we grade diamonds for color, we place them upside down with the culet of the diamond pointing up, at a slight tilt, on a stark white plastic tray, which is placed under the controlled light of a GIA diamond grading light box, and evaluated from a side-profile in a pitch black room where the only light is provided by the light box.
Under these circumstances, it is relatively easy to distinguish subtle differences between different colors of diamonds, however in the real world we do not view diamonds from this vantage point and the lighting conditions are constantly changing.
The Sparkle Factor of Hearts & Arrows Diamonds:
The pattern of hearts and arrows which is visible within every Brian Gavin Signature round diamond is the direct result of cutting the diamonds to an exceptional level of optical symmetry, which exceeds the grading standards of both the GIA triple excellent and AGS Ideal-0 cut grades.
A study conducted by the American Gem Society Laboratory (AGSL) which focused on the sparkle factor of a diamond, indicated that round brilliant cut diamonds which are cut to zero ideal cut proportions, and which exhibit a crisp and complete pattern of hearts and arrows, exhibit a higher number of virtual facets, larger flashes of light, and more sparkle than diamonds which are cut to a lesser degree of optical symmetry and proportions.
One of the advantages of diamonds which are cut to this higher degree of diamond cut quality, is that the diamonds exhibit a higher volume of light return and more sparkle, which has a tendency to mask the body color of the diamond from a top-down perspective because our eyes are more apt to focus on the sparkle than be able to focus upon the diamond itself under normal lighting circumstances.
Brian Gavin Signature J-color diamonds:
There are two excellent options available within the current inventory of Brian Gavin Signature round hearts and arrows diamonds which fall within your desired price range, one is this 1.008 carat, J-color, SI-1 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature round diamond, and the other is this 1.017 carat, J-color, SI-1 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature round diamond and I feel that either one is an excellent choice which will look absolutely amazing set in our classic style half round solitaire engagement ring.
