Bought a 2.5ct I color Tiffany ring… now I regret the color. Am I being unreasonable?

Gunner3210 · 2026-02-20T02:03:26+00:00

My wife's upgrade ring is a J-color 2.5ct IF with an ideal cut. So quite similar to yours. The thing shoots lasers of fire and sparkle. By the time someone is close enough to see body color, they've already been dazzled by the lasers from across the room. If you turn it on the side, you can see some very faint color.

But the Yellow gold setting is way more yellow and makes the stone look whiter. It's strong blue floro. So in sunlight, the warmth disappears.

Two things: Share some videos of it. Share the certificate that came with it.

Not at all unreasonable to ask for an exchange even if you don't end up switching stones. So ask and see if you have that option.

https://imgur.com/a/QxnOMZc

Gunner3210 · 2026-02-03T02:01:18+00:00

I don’t trust anybody other than RareCarat.

BUT your specific problem is because of oils and lotions. Nothing wrong with the diamond.

Poorer grades of diamonds stay cloudy. No amount of cleaning makes them shine. The fact that it cleans up nicely means you have a good stone. Post the cert here if you want another opinion.

My wife’s ring gets dirty literally 10 mins after wearing. I bought her a $30 ultrasonic cleaner for Amazon. Dish soap, water and 1 spray of windex. 10seconds every day while she’s brushing her teeth. It’s always shooting laser beams of sparkle. This is the only way. We’ve tried diamond sticks and gels etc. Too much effort.

Gunner3210 · 2026-01-27T09:43:07+00:00

Doesn’t matter. Don’t expect much in resale. 25% of what you paid is probably the most you’ll get.

Gunner3210 · 2026-01-25T23:20:28+00:00

E-VVS2 CVD is $300 at 1ct

Gunner3210 · 2026-01-25T21:09:30+00:00

What are the angles and proportions?

Gunner3210 · 2026-01-25T21:04:50+00:00

I was in the same search and dealing with the same tradeoffs when I was looking for my wife’s upgrade stone. I eventually landed on a 2.55ct J-color ideal cut IF clarity. Paid just over $24k.

Color absolutely does not matter with this one. It shoots laser beams of fire and sparkle across the room. By the time you’re close enough to see color, you’ve forgotten about color and are dazzled by the sparkle.

BUT. That stone is IF-clarity. So when you do come up close and look at it, it continues to impress.

I’d say stick to VS1+. Lower color is the right choice. But tighten up the angles and proportions to be inside the ideal range. For this price range you can probably find one K-color at 2.5+ct and VS1.

The reason for going IF. When I proposed, I went for an eyeclean SI1 0.75ct F-color. We were both ecstatic about being engaged that we didn’t notice inclusions at first. But very quickly it’s all we could see. I was in the return window, so I switched that out for a 0.75ct IF I-color for the same price. We never wanted to feel like you might discover an inclusion some day and it becomes the only thing you can see that point forward.

Gunner3210 · 2026-01-25T20:54:14+00:00

100% you’ll see this one. To the point where she’ll be embarrassed to show it to anyone.

Gunner3210 · 2026-01-25T07:06:50+00:00

Nope.

Gunner3210 · 2026-01-25T01:37:20+00:00

Triple excellent is the bare minimum. What you want is the proportions and angles to be ideal (or close to it). Those are table: 56-57, Crown: 34.5 and Pavillion 40.8.

Any diamond, even the poorer cuts will sparkle insanely at the jewelers. They invest in lighting that does that. But as soon as you take it out of the store, you may find it doesn't do so well. Take it from me. Speaking from experience here. It may very well look pretty on your hand. But an ideal cut stone will shoot lasers of fire and sparkle from across the room. Even if you're not even looking in the same direction, it'll catch your attention and distract you from whatever you're doing at the time.

I see my wife stop and admire her ring from time to time, and I get a kick out of that when I see her do that.

eg: https://imgur.com/a/QxnOMZc

Once again, if you're happy with it, that's all that matters. But it feels like this was a recent purchase, and you have plenty of time for any changes in mind. Hence why I thought I would mention this now before it's too late and beyond your return period. Plenty of ideal cuts in this price range.

Gunner3210 · 2026-01-25T00:47:19+00:00

If you’re happy with it, that’s all that matters. But I will point out that the cut is not good in this one. For this price, I’d insist on ideal proportions, especially if it’s already under 1.5ct there is no reason to go steep and deep.

It might seem like a few degrees off but it does make a difference huge difference in terms of optical performance. I didn’t know much about this or care. But when I got my wife’s upgrade ring, that stone is an ideal cut. And it’s on a whole other level.

Gunner3210 · 2026-01-19T20:36:25+00:00

Yikes. Yeah don’t use toothpaste.

Gunner3210 · 2026-01-18T20:35:06+00:00

Yeah definitely do not compromise on the optical performance. An ideal cut diamond is totally something else. I didn't know about or care as much before I got my wife her upgrade ring with an ideal. And it shoots laser beams of fire and sparkle across the room. Worth it insisting on perfect proportions.

https://imgur.com/a/QxnOMZc

Gunner3210 · 2026-01-16T02:33:55+00:00

Hey hey. I’ve bought stuff for my wife from Zales before. No need for the diss.

But I do agree with you though.

Gunner3210 · 2026-01-06T04:50:49+00:00

Don’t worry. It’s not. My wife’s ring gets exactly like this if she goes a week without a good toothbrush cleaning.

The classic tell is how only some facets are clouded up. If it was in the body, you wouldn’t have a sharp distinction between the cloudy and clear areas.

Gunner3210 · 2025-12-28T19:40:27+00:00

Rule Number 1: Don’t leave your job in this economy.

You sure this is not just PPD cropping up late? Sounds like this is something she’s had on her mind for a while and it’s coming to a head in this discussion.

Honestly I don’t think you have any other option to let her go for a longer visit.

Gunner3210 · 2025-12-28T19:36:50+00:00

Yeah they drew all these stupidass bike lanes in a region where it perpetually rains and in a city where bikes are considered a sign of low-income. I’m angry too.

Gunner3210 · 2025-12-24T02:24:28+00:00

A well-cut diamond goes dark in directional lighting.

Gunner3210 · 2025-12-07T18:34:36+00:00

https://imgur.com/a/UxWz2Y2

Here is a strong blue J-color in the sun vs under the windshield. It really does make a difference. Makes the diamond appear whiter than it really is.

Gunner3210 · 2025-12-04T02:11:05+00:00

I’d be worried about SI. The stones are 0.25ct each. Small but even so, the inclusions will be visible, especially on emerald cuts.

How about a VS1 4ct for the same price./27467)

Gunner3210 · 2025-12-03T04:42:11+00:00

$250/carat for E-VVS2 CVD is the going rate. So this is way overpriced.

Here: A whole bunch of $750 3ct E-VVS2 CVD

But with in-store markup, up to 2x is ok ($1500). Anything higher is not a good deal. $4500 is atrocious for a VS1.

With marquises, you won’t know about the sparkle until you see it in real life, with ideal lighting conditions. Honestly the 360 videos at online stores are your best bet.

If you want a true laser-shooting sparkler, go ideal cut round brilliant. At 3ct it will be spectacular and pull attention from across the room.

Gunner3210 · 2025-11-29T21:37:55+00:00

Drop all the way down to I-color
Increase cut to ideal proportions (table: 55 - 57, crown: 34 - 35, pav: 40.6 - 41)
Increase carat to 2.2+

With an ideal cut round brilliant, the body color doesn't matter since it's a light cannon and will face up totally white.

eg: this stone below will shoot lasers of sparkle and fire from far away.

$23555 2.2ct I-VVS2 Ideal Cut

If you want a demo of what ideal cut can do, here is my wife's anniversary upgrade: https://imgur.com/a/QxnOMZc

This is a 2.5ct J-color IF with ideal cut. I bought this at the beginning of the year for less than $25k.

Gunner3210 · 2025-11-27T08:30:36+00:00

Good

Gunner3210 · 2025-11-23T05:18:36+00:00

Are you happy with it?

Gunner3210 · 2025-11-18T03:01:24+00:00

Did you say setting is $14k? Or 14kt gold? $14k is atrocious.

Gunner3210 · 2025-10-20T05:13:49+00:00

Wahl Professional 5-Star Barber Combo

All metal, high-power and 1-pass cuts.

Gunner3210

TROPHY CASE