TLDR: A diamond further down the colour scale – and therefore easier on the bank balance – will still look bright and white when paired with a rose-gold setting.
Let’s be honest: buying an engagement ring is an expenny affair. Not because your fiancé’s love can somehow be measured in carats, but because together you’re investing in a piece of jewellery that you’re going to wear – and hopefully adore – for the rest of your life. In short? This is not the time to cheap out.
Having said that, there’s no need to charge in, credit cards blazing, and splash out on a completely colourless diamond. In fact, by making the most of your metal choice, you could save significantly in this area. Then you can divert that part of the budget into carats or clarity. (Or, you know, an open bar at the wedding…)
A quick theory lesson before we get to the good bits. Feel free to skip ahead if you’ve already studied up on this (you gorgeous little diamond nerd, you).
Every diamond ever sold is graded according to a standardised colour scale. The scale was invented by the Gemological Institute of America, aka the GIA – the same people who brought you the Four Cs, which have probably been drilled into your head from the second you googled ‘engagement rings’.
With diamond colour, it’s all about what you can’t see – the less colour that’s visible in a diamond, the more expensive it is. The scale begins at D (completely colourless, with top-tier pricing to match) and makes its way through a series of infinitesimal colour changes all the way to a pale-yellow Z. After that, you step into the realm of ‘fancy diamonds’ (yes, that’s their actual name in the industry), like true yellow, blue, pink and even black.
Why doesn’t the scale begin at A, everyone wants to know? Look, the answer is fairly long and boring, and frankly we know you’ve got better things to do (like compile your mood board).
Okay, class dismissed. On to the hot tips.
Clever you! Rose gold not only suits a wide variety of skin tones, it’s also very forgiving when it comes to diamond colour. Thanks to its warm undertone, rose gold will naturally make your diamond appear whiter and brighter by comparison. That means you can slide your way further down the colour scale – even all the way to K.
You’re a classic, and so is this combination. Just remember that a diamond set in yellow gold will always reflect the tint of the metal. That means there’s zero point in bothering with top-grade colourless stones in the D/E/F range. A near-colourless G/H/I will look equally beautiful.
If you have your heart set on having a colourless stone and a yellow-gold band, then speak to your jewellery designer about a white-metal setting or claws, which will help to reflect the bright white of the D/E/F stone and avoid that yellow reflection.
Let’s get the bad news out the way first: white metals will do the opposite of rose gold and will actually play up a yellow tint in your diamond.
It’s like putting two white dresses next to each other. Individually, they may both appear light and bright, but side by side it becomes painfully obvious which one’s whiter. It’s the same with white metals and white diamonds, so you’ll probably want to hang out in the top colour grades (D to H at the most).
The good news? There are subtle workarounds which could save you from an eye-watering price tag:
- A round brilliant cut will show less colour than certain other shapes.
- A solitaire will also be more forgiving than more elaborate designs. If you do go for a halo setting or side stones, make sure none of the smaller diamonds is a higher colour grade than the centre stone. We’re going for as little contrast as possible here.
- Of course, a low colour grade isn’t a disaster in everyone’s eyes. If you prefer an off-white, vintage aesthetic, then a faint-coloured diamond (J to M) will fit right into your sepia-coloured wedding dreams…
Starting to have a clear idea of your dream engagement ring? Let’s work on your mood board!
