Platinum setting what is the lowest color that Brian recommends?

This is a continuation on the blog post Brian Gavin Blue vs Hearts and Arrows wherein Jason asked a series of questions, one of which is what is the lowest diamond color that should be set in a platinum engagement ring or platinum prongs.

This question is pretty common because people seem to be under the impression that diamonds which are warmer in color, such as those in the J-K-L and lower range, might appear to be yellow when set in a platinum or white gold setting.

The thing to remember with “white diamonds” is that the visual difference between the diamond colors is extremely slight and it can be quite difficult to judge the color of an ideal cut diamond like those featured within the Brian Gavin Signature and Brian Gavin Blue collections from a top-down perspective because of the volume of light that is being returned through the crown facets… this makes the diamonds appear brighter than most non-ideal cut diamonds.

Combine the factor of diamond brightness with the fact that the effect of the white metal prongs touching the diamond will have a tendency to make the diamond look whiter as it reflects through the diamond, and it becomes a bit difficult to say what the cut-off should be for setting a white diamond in platinum or white gold prongs… I think it truly is a matter of personal preference.

What effect does blue fluorescence have upon diamond color?

Then there is the matter of blue fluorescence upon the color of a diamond… it is a well known fact that strong blue fluorescence and very strong blue fluorescence in a diamond can boost the body color to the high side of the range of color when the diamond is subjected to a light source with strong ultra violet light.

So the strong blue fluorescence exhibited by this 1.160 carat, L-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Blue diamond could conceivably make it appear to be very similar in color to this 1.237 carat, K-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature diamond in direct sunlight, and I certainly would not hesitate to set a K-color diamond in a platinum or white gold setting. And on that note, we’ve set a lot of diamonds with K-L-M color in Brian Gavin Signature settings which feature F/G color accent diamonds and they seem to look perfectly fine because our eyes are naturally drawn to the larger diamond center stone, and thus the color of the accent diamonds is not a critical factor.

How diamonds are graded for color:

Keep in mind that diamonds are graded for color under laboratory conditions which are nothing like the real world… the room is completely dark except for the little bit of light which is cast out from the GIA Diamond Light, the diamonds are placed upside down on a plain white sorting tray, and evaluated from a side profile at a slight tilt, which makes it easier to distinguish the subtle differences between color grades. But in the real world, diamonds are subjected to a variety of light sources at the same time, and they will pick up and reflect different colors from every color which is present within the room, thus the color grade of the diamond becomes difficult to ascertain outside of the controlled environment of a diamond grading room.

What metal color should you pick for an engagement ring?

I’d say that a good rule of thumb is that if you’re looking to see color in a diamond, you’re going to see it, even in diamonds which are graded as D-colorless in color, because all diamonds have a hint of color to them and they will be affected by every color which is present in the room, including the clothes that you are wearing when you look at diamonds… there will be people who prefer the icier white look of D-color diamonds set in platinum, and others who like the middle tones provided by diamonds in the near-colorless range such as G-H-I-J, and other people who like the warmer look of K-L-M colored diamonds, who can also appreciate the slight contrast provided by setting the stone in a platinum or white gold head… and others still who will prefer the warmer look created by setting a lower color diamond in a yellow gold head which will deepen the color of the stone by a color grade or two, by reflecting the color of the yellow metal through the stone, it’s really all a matter of personal preference which is why Brian Gavin Diamonds offers diamond engagement rings in platinum, white gold, yellow gold, and rose gold, in an effort to appeal to every persons individual sense of style.