What light settings should I ask a seller to take pictures in?

[Bccra06830]

I am having the most difficult time finding the color blue sapphire I want. I know that it is an extremely hard to find color, can anyone recommend sites or sellers? I have found some pretty sapphires, but only shown in the bright light what other light settings should I ask them to take pictures in?

 

[kenny]

Your concern is legit, but the answer is not simple as most people think.

If the photographer is using a quality camera, (a DSLR, or quality mirrorless) the brightness of the light used does not matter - at all!
To get a proper light exposure, a competent photographer will know how to adjust the camera to whatever the brightness of the light used.

The two camera settings that adjust/adapt to the brightness of the light are:

1. Shutter speed, the time the shutter is open to let light strike the sensor or film. The longer the shutter is open the more light gets in.

2. Next is the setting of the aperture (an adjustable diaphragm, opening, or "hole", in the lens similar to the pupil in our eyes) which controls the amount of light that gets to the film. The wider the hole, the more light gets in.

The correct exposure is when the combination of these two controls are correct for the amount of light present.

Nearly all cameras claim to do this "automatically", though a competent photographer is smart enough to take the camera out of the "AUTO" exposure mode when needed and set the two settings manually. (Google High Key and Low Key photography)

The most common error I see that make gems appear to be a hue that is not accurate is color balance of the camera not matching the color of the light source used.

Surprisingly, light that our brain/eye system considers to be white light does actually vary tremendously in color.
We aren't aware of this because our brain/eye system automatically compensates for variation in color temp of light sources without us noticing.
This way a red apple always seems to appear red, at sunrise, sunset, mid day, under cloudy skies or sunny, under tungsten (yellowish) or fluorescent (greenish) light.
A camera is not as powerful/complex/smart/sophisticated as our brain.
Camera are, in a word, stupid.

FWIW, this just scratches the surface of the topic.

 

[Rfisher]

Aside what’s already been said about cameras and monitors varying



What light are you going to be in the most?
Whether or not your vendor is willing to be precise on lighting temps you ask for in the additional pics -
I figure ‘indirect natural, and indirect artificial’ is good enough for most remote purchases.
Indirect shouldn’t give you that opaque white facet face shown on your picture.

Time of day and sellers location /latitude, if very different from yours, will also factor in to how it looks in natural light.

finding something that doesn’t shift/desaturate much is going to be hard. Budget comes into this.

Happy hunting!

 

[lovedogs]

Gemfix!

 

[lovedogs]

Is this the color you're after?

Natural Royal Blue Sapphire Round "Roulette" Cut | 1.27cts | #11-1347 - Gemfix

Blue Natural Sapphire Round Modified Brilliant Cut with GIA Lab Report

gemfix.com

Or darker?

 

[Avondale]

Have you owned a sapphire before? If yes, you'll know they look different depending on the lighting conditions. If no, this is the first lesson to learn.

That colour you're after, the perfect one which sings to your soul and draws your eyes into its depth - you won't get that all the time. Especially with that deep saturated blue you've shown here. In daylight, underneath a bright sky, outside, you'll get to enjoy it in its full splendor. The moment you walk inside, the moment the sun sets, the moment you end up in warmer light, it will darken and you won't be seeing this pretty blue anymore. It's best you know this and accept it beforehand, so that you're not disappointed with your sapphire once you receive it.

So, in general, here are the photos you can ask for:
- in sunlight
- in shade/cloudy sky
- inside daylight (next to a window for example)
- under fluorescent light
- under warm/incandescent light
- under LED
- under a desk (or other furniture - low light)

Which conditions matter most depend on the type of gem. For a deep blue sapphire, the worst light is incandescent and low light, this is when the stone will be at its worst, and you want to know what that looks like. LED and fluorescent will enhance the blue. Sunlight will tell you whether it closes in the sun or becomes brighter.

Vendors aren't always enthusiastic about having to take 10 additional photos in different light, but if you can get the full range, you'll also gain a better idea of how the stone responds to the surrounding light. For a buyer that's important - after all, you're shopping online, the first time you'll get to see the gem is after you've paid for it. The general rule is you want your stone to look attractive in most cases. The gems that are bangers 100% of the time regardless of the light are a rare breed and a dark blue sapphire is definitely not amongst them.

 

[Autumn in New England]

I am having the most difficult time finding the color blue sapphire I want. I know that it is an extremely hard to find color, can anyone recommend sites or sellers? I have found some pretty sapphires, but only shown in the bright light what other light settings should I ask them to take pictures in?

Well I'd say you're definitely after the right color (in my book)! Everyone is different, but I like to view my gems as the major labs do... somewhere around 5500 kelvin. Give or take certain specifics (like your proximity to the equator and cloud cover, etc.), that's approximately noon-ish. But some folks feel because they wear their gems mostly to work under fluorescents, that's how they want to examine them. Others like to examine them under incandescents. And then it also depends on the gem itself. Blue sapphires look best under cooler light sources.

In any event, I usually just ask to see a video (which is trickier to manipulate and brighten than a photo) under indirect natural daylight (not direct sun). That's your best bet. But it never hurts to ask for photos/videos under various light sources just to get a sense of the gem's personality.

Good luck!

 

[fredflintstone]

I am having the most difficult time finding the color blue sapphire I want. I know that it is an extremely hard to find color, can anyone recommend sites or sellers? I have found some pretty sapphires, but only shown in the bright light what other light settings should I ask them to take pictures in?

LED, fluorescent and sunlight. The three major sources of light. Though no one gemstone dealer has all the different variations of LED and fluorescent. Sunlight depending on the time of year, the time of day will affect the color of many stones. How close the picture or video is taken to the equator will make warm and hot colors more vivid in tropical sunlight.

Most people wear their jewelry more indoors, so indoor lighting and how the stone looks in it is paramount but also during the day time you may have a mixture of indoor and sunlight.

A blue Sapphire of this deeply saturated color will not shift color much if at all in any light with maybe the exception of CFL light which is becoming more uncommon.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

LED, fluorescent and sunlight. The three major sources of light. Though no one gemstone dealer has all the different variations of LED and fluorescent. Sunlight depending on the time of year, the time of day will affect the color of many stones. How close the picture or video is taken to the equator will make warm and hot colors more vivid in tropical sunlight.

Most people wear their jewelry more indoors, so indoor lighting and how the stone looks in it is paramount but also during the day time you may have a mixture of indoor and sunlight.

A blue Sapphire of this deeply saturated color will not shift color much if at all in any light with maybe the exception of CFL light which is becoming more uncommon.

Disagree on sunlight Fred.
Direct sunlight should not be used.
It causes all sorts of false negatives and positives.
Shaded daylight is the answer.
Also, as most gem dealers are close to the equator, there can be very large differences in "daylight".
Here is a diamond example of why sunlight does not work:

SOME GOOD DIAMONDS LOOK DARK IN SUNLIGHT

Some good white diamonds look dark in direct sunlight. Yellow diamonds look great in sunlight but white diamonds look best in shaded lighting.

www.hollowaydiamonds.com.au

 

[fredflintstone]

Disagree on sunlight Fred.
Direct sunlight should not be used.
It causes all sorts of false negatives and positives.
Shaded daylight is the answer.
Also, as most gem dealers are close to the equator, there can be very large differences in "daylight".
Here is a diamond example of why sunlight does not work:

SOME GOOD DIAMONDS LOOK DARK IN SUNLIGHT

Some good white diamonds look dark in direct sunlight. Yellow diamonds look great in sunlight but white diamonds look best in shaded lighting.

www.hollowaydiamonds.com.au

I said sunlight, not direct sunlight, my bad. You are correct.

I did all my videos in shaded sunlight, other than Opals. Also, cloudy days are fine, but if it is real deeply overcast not so much.

Yes, a stone that has a picture or video with warm or hot color will look more vivid (much more in many cases) from Thailand than say, New York.

 

[LilAlex]

For blue sapphire, outdoors with a wide-open bright overcast sky. Not stormy weather. Turns the whole sky to a giant cool-temp softbox. This is hands-down the best lighting for blue sapphire. Fortunately, I live in this lighting so I always test-drive it. Also, old-school fluorescents and full shade on a bright sunny day. Ottlite (the old GIA gem light) is pretty good but not like outdoor overcast.

LEDs are for sh*t. So is bright sun -- except for a silky glowy Kashmir lookalike.

EDIT: that particular gem in the first post could be the rare full-sun winner -- looks silky/glowy but perhaps too much so (I do not see pavilion facets). The hue is gorgeous -- super-vivd and just a step below royal in tone. Note that phone photos love blue so the real thing could be wayyy less saturated, even if someone naively tells you that it is "not edited." (It has been edited to within an inch of its life by the software before the photographer ever saw it.)

Hate to say it but the only reliable imaging is having a reliable human say "this is what it actually looks like." Or "It's a little more saturated than the second photo but perhaps not quite as saturated as the video makes it look." That is a rare vendor. I know a couple like that and they are mentioned here often.

 

[Bron357]

It can be tricky. The colour can appear different in the various lighting conditions but how you will experience the sapphire depends on where you live, what season it is and if you’ll be indoors with LED lighting or incandescent lighting or mixed office type lighting.
Obviously vendors will tend to use photos that best display the colour that will attract buyers so it’s always a good idea to choose a vendor with a good return policy just in case once you see it in person you realise it’s not for you.