Is A K Color Diamond Too Yellow? Secret Ways to Save Big

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March 28

K Color Diamond engagement rings offer great value if you know how to pick diamonds for light performance because the sparkle factor serves to mask body color.

"I’m wondering what you think of K color diamond engagement rings. Specifically, I’m looking at a K-color diamond from Brian Gavin."

"I’ve heard that Brian Gavin Signature round diamonds face-up whiter and brighter because of the ideal proportions and overall cut quality."

"Do you think this is true? I plan on mounting the diamond in an 18k white gold halo setting. I’m wondering whether the K color diamond is going to appear yellow against the white gold.”

F-color vs K-color Diamond Comparison.

F-color vs K-color Brian Gavin Signature Diamonds.

"I understand that a K color diamond is going to exhibit a little bit of color. But is it going to be more noticeable if the setting is white gold? Do you think that the F-G color accent diamonds are going to look strange next to the K color diamond?”

"My girlfriend and I have seen a non-ideal cut K color diamond in-person at a local jewelry store. We could see a hint of warmth, but do not think that the diamond looked yellow per se."

"We talked about it, and my girlfriend prefers a little bit of color and a larger stone. What would you recommend from Brian Gavin for around $7 – 7.5K that will be totally eye clean?”

K Color Diamonds Offer Great Value:

Brian Gavin Signature K color diamond tilt view

Brian Gavin K Color Diamond.

I think that K color diamond engagement rings offer great value. Diamonds in the K-L-M color range fall within the "faint yellow” classification. However, they actually face-up white with barely a hint of color.

Keep in mind that you’ll be looking at a diamond in real-world circumstances. Thus, the diamond will also be absorbing light from all around and reflecting all the spectral colors within the environment.

However, diamonds are graded for an absence of color, in sterile laboratory conditions which is an entirely different situation. When we grade diamonds for color, we are actually grading diamonds for an absence of color.

The diamonds are placed on a white sorting tray and viewed from the side profile. In other words, the diamonds are sitting on the table facet, tilting back at an angle of about thirty degrees.

At the same time, the room is pitch dark, with exception of the color corrected light that is coming from the GIA Diamond Light. We compare diamonds side-by-side with a master set of diamonds for color grading. This enables us to determine where each diamond ranks on the color scale in terms of hue and saturation.

Meanwhile Out In The Real World:

That's right, out in the real world, we tend to look at diamonds in the face-up position. Whereas a gemologist is likely to tilt back the diamond as seen here to try and see the color. It’s more difficult to judge diamond color in a ring because the setting influences our perception.

Generally speaking, the color of the setting will influence our perception of color by about one color grade. Setting a K-color diamond in white metal tends to make it look more like J-color.

Faint Yellow Diamonds Are Brighter Than You Think:

Brian Gavin Signature K color diamond.

Brian Gavin Signature K Color Diamond.

I think that the phrase "faint yellow” tends to freak people out because they correlate "yellow” with being dingy. But we’re not talking about a white piece of paper or a tablecloth which has yellowed with age. We’re talking about a diamond. A crystal clear, highly refractive, three-dimensional object, that sparkles like crazy.

The reality is that K color diamond engagement rings offer great value as far as options from the Brian Gavin Signature line of diamonds goes.

The combination of super ideal proportions and the higher degree of optical precision creates a higher volume of light return. It also produces more virtual facets within the diamond and more impressive sparkle.

More Virtual Facets Means More Sparkle:

That means that the diamond is going to face up nice and bright. And thus, the body color of the diamond will largely be masked by the sparkle factor. This is the same K-color diamond shown above in the tilt view.

As you can see, this K-color diamond faces-up much whiter than most people think it will. The client who purchased this diamond from Brian Gavin sent me these images. Here is what my client had to say about the diamond upon receipt:

"When I compare the face ups with similar face ups of the I color, I can’t even tell the difference. It sparkles like crazy, too!"

According to the GIA Gemology course material, the average color diamond sold in the United States is N-color. And yet you don't really hear people running around talking about how yellow their diamond appears to be. Why? Because people only seem to look for color in a diamond, when they are buying the diamond. The rest of the time, people are only focused on the light performance exhibited by their Brian Gavin Signature diamond.

Brian Gavin Signature K Color Diamond Reviews:

There are quite a few K color diamonds to consider from Brian Gavin. However, I’ve narrowed it down to three which enable you to maximize diamond carat weight. If I were you, I’d select one of these diamonds from Brian Gavin:

Brian Gavin Signature

Brian Gavin Signature K Color Diamond.

All three of these Brian Gavin Signature round hearts and arrows diamonds have super ideal cut proportions and exhibit the highest level of optical precision. Which means what exactly?

Quite simply, it means that these diamonds have been cut to proportions that represent the dead-center or "sweet spot” for the range designated by the American Gem Society Laboratory for the zero ideal cut proportions rating.

In addition, the facet structure of the diamond has been aligned so precisely, that each diamond exhibits a crisp and complete pattern of hearts and arrows.

That means that all of the facets per section are virtually the same size and shape. Plus, each facet has been indexed upon the diamond with extreme precision.

The higher degree of optical precision increases the volume of light return. It also creates broad-spectrum sparkle which is larger in size and bolder in appearance. Standard ideal cut diamonds can’t possibly deliver the performance of a Brian Gavin Signature diamond. Prepare to be blown away!

Effect of Blue Fluorescence on K Color Diamond:

Blue Fluorescence Diamond

Brian Gavin Blue Fluorescent Diamond.

If you’re concerned about buying a K color diamond for an engagement ring, but want to take advantage of the great value that K-color diamonds provide, then consider this 1.184 carat, K-color, VVS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature round diamond that exhibits medium blue fluorescence when exposed to black light.

There are no negative effects caused by medium or strong blue fluorescence. In fact, blue fluorescence can make diamonds look brighter and whiter when under UV light sources.

That means that the diamond is likely to face-up a bit whiter when the diamond is exposed to sunlight.

The ultra-violet light excites the blue fluorescent molecules. Which then help to filter out any of the slight yellow undertones that may be present in a K color diamond.

Blue fluorescence is also just a really cool, natural optical effect which I’m completely enthralled with. Practically every diamond I’ve ever purchased for myself has exhibited medium to strong blue fluorescence.

K Color Diamond with F-G Color Accents:

K-color Brian Gavin diamond.

Halo Setting by Brian Gavin.

I’ve seen quite a few K color diamonds set in Brian Gavin Signature engagement rings that feature F-G color accent diamonds. Once again, the difference in color is going to be there "if you happen to be looking for it.”

However, it’s not a difference that is blatantly obvious. To begin with, the diamond will reflect the whiter tones of the 18k white gold ring. Secondly, there will be a slight gap between the edge of the accent diamonds and the center stone.

Thirdly and probably most importantly, your eyes will focus on the center stone first. That makes sense because of the brighter, whiter, larger surface area. It will actually take some effort for you to redirect your focus towards the sparkle of the accent diamonds.

The difference in color will be visible if you happen to be looking for it:

Herradura Plata Tequila

Herradura Tequila.

Imagine that you’re down here hanging out in Mexico with me. Yea, imagine that… It’s hot and so I ask whether you’d like a glass of water. Sure, I’ll probably offer you a beer or a margarita, but that won’t really work for this specific example.

So we’re going with water, or we can use tequila blanco if you prefer. Herradura Suprema or Herradura Anejo would be a lot smoother, but it’s the wrong color in this particular instance. S0, stop distracting me, we’ve got work to do.

For the sake of this discussion, just drink the water even though we’re down in Mexico! LOOK. If it makes you feel better, the water from the refrigerator runs through dual UV and carbon filters. Plus, it’s ice freaking cold! Even the ice cubes are safe to, uh, drink.

The point is that you'll be able to see the difference in diamonds of different color grades if you're looking for it, but most people are only going to see the sparkle factor. With that in mind, let's take a look at the two Brian Gavin Signature diamonds below:

F-K color diamonds

F-K Color Brian Gavin Signature Diamond Comparison.

Both of these Brian Gavin Signature diamonds are cut to exhibit a higher degree of optical precision. That means that the sparkle factor and optical properties are the same.

As a matter of fact, they are six color grades apart (F-K color) but they don't look that different, do they? That's because the higher degree of optical precision and contrast brilliance make it difficult to ascertain the body color.

Okay, Now That We've Got That Settled:

Brian Gavin Anita

Anita Halo Setting by Brian Gavin.

Take a good look at this photograph of a 1.20 carat, K-color, Brian Gavin Signature round diamond, set in an 18k white gold Anita halo setting by Brian Gavin. The diamond looks great, right? The difference between the color of the center stone and the accent diamonds is not readily apparent.

Getting back to the glass of water analogy from above, imagine that I hand you a clear glass of water. You’re going to take it and drink it without much thought, right? Remember the dual filtration system!

Now imagine that I stirred in a single drop of yellow food coloring before leaving the kitchen. Would you even notice? Probably not, because it’s just a glass of water.

Then since I’m such a gracious host, I hand you a shot of Herradura Suprema. "Feel free to admire the rich amber color, the spectacular flavor blended from rose petals, vanilla, and citrus. The amazing aroma of agave, dry wood, vanilla, cinnamon, and rose petals. Soft, creamy, aged 49 months. Save water, drink tequila. Don’t you know that there’s a drought?”

Obviously, you should buy a K-color diamond from the Brian Gavin Signature diamond collection. It’s also going to face-up beautifully, sparkle like crazy, and delight all your senses as rich and full as that last paragraph of text.

Remember that light performance and sparkle factor are far more visible than slight differences in color. Brian Gavin Signature diamonds consistently deliver the highest degrees of light performance. Consequently, you might also be interested in a fancy yellow or cape colored diamond.

Use Our Free Diamond Concierge Service:

If you enjoyed reading this article and would like my assistance searching for an ideal cut diamond, please take advantage of my free Diamond Concierge Service. I don’t always have to blog about it. In fact, most of the time I don’t.

However, in this particular instance, the client gave me permission to respond via blog post. Which I totally appreciate because I’m always looking for topics to write about.

Simply submit a request using the form provided via the link above or click the button below. Provide me with basic details of the diamond you are looking for, such as:

  • Your preference for Diamond Shape.
  • The range of Clarity you prefer.
  • The range of color you are considering.
  • Levels of blue fluorescence, e.g. negligible, medium, strong.
  • The price range you are willing to consider.

I’ll conduct an in-depth search of the market, including the multiple listing services we use to trade diamonds globally. That way no stone will be left unturned. Pun totally intended.

About the Author

Dive deep into the glittering world of diamonds with Todd Gray, the CEO of Gray Matter Development, LLC. Todd has 35+ years of experience as a diamond buyer and trade consultant. He ghostwrites content for several online vendors and is an avid Freediver, currently exploring the Cenotes of Yucatan, Mexico. Dive into brilliance with Todd Gray!