Will all coloured stones look ''dead'' without a light source?

[m00sie]

Sorry if this is a stupid question :s but is it typical for coloured stones to look ''dead'' inside a room that has very little light source from windows/doors etc? Or would a dead stone just mean that the cut is very poor?

 

[LD]

As a rule no. Most won''t but there are so many factors ie. what gemstone is it, is it a dark coloured stone to begin with etc etc

Some gems perform far better in incandescent lighting, some in daylight so I guess it depends on the stone. For example I recently bought a stoplight red spinel. In incandescent lighting it was amazing. Out in daylight it blacked out and was so dark it was unbearable.

On the other hand, I have an incredible blue sapphire that I was convinced would lose it''s "neon" quality in some lights - it doesn''t - it looks great in all lighting conditions even though it''s a poorly cut stone.

This is why it''s incredibly important when you buy a coloured stone to evaluate it in all lighting conditions because it can look VERY different and you need to love it all the time - not just when you''re sitting under the stairs with a candle!

 

[RaiKai]

Date: 3/30/2010 6:17:53 PM
Author: LovingDiamonds
As a rule no. Most won''t but there are so many factors ie. what gemstone is it, is it a dark coloured stone to begin with etc etc


Some gems perform far better in incandescent lighting, some in daylight so I guess it depends on the stone. For example I recently bought a stoplight red spinel. In incandescent lighting it was amazing. Out in daylight it blacked out and was so dark it was unbearable.


On the other hand, I have an incredible blue sapphire that I was convinced would lose it''s ''neon'' quality in some lights - it doesn''t - it looks great in all lighting conditions even though it''s a poorly cut stone.


This is why it''s incredibly important when you buy a coloured stone to evaluate it in all lighting conditions because it can look VERY different and you need to love it all the time - not just when you''re sitting under the stairs with a candle!

Agreed.

I have a small sapphire whose cut I do not admire in the least (in fact, I avoid looking at it closely as I do not like the cut at all!), that is an amazing vivid blue ALL the time (well, except when it is pitch black as I can''t see it at all!).

 

[Arcadian]

^^ I sooooo agree with LD. Case in point, I had just returned a really lovely blue spinel. It was amazingly lovely and hard to let go of, but I did because of a very simple reason, against my skin it "blacked out". I can''t keep a stone that does that, no matter how much I love its color.

Its very important to evaluate a gem in every light to see what you can live with and what is your own personal deal breaker.


-A

 

[T L]

I agree with LD as well, she higlhlights the important fact that a gem should always be viewed in various light sources, fluorescent, incandescent, direct and indirect sunlight, diffused natural light. I know I do ask questions about different light sources when I purchase/consider a gem. While some gems may not look great in all lighting (typically the most expensive ones do), it is important that it looks it''s best in the lighting you intend to wear it most often, and that it doesn''t go hideously bad in another light source. It may not be as vivid in one light source vs another, but you probably don''t want a Dr. Jeckyll/Mr. Hyde stone either. JMO.

 

[Arkteia]

Mahenge spinel "holds" its color under all types of light.

The small Tanzanian one definitely looks much better (redder) in incandescent lighting.

LD - please, what is a "neon" sapphire? Is there a thread anywhere? Have never seen it! Is it light blue? Dark blue? What is it?

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 3/30/2010 5:59:22 PM
Author:m00sie
Sorry if this is a stupid question :s but is it typical for coloured stones to look ''dead'' inside a room that has very little light source from windows/doors etc? Or would a dead stone just mean that the cut is very poor?

LILO...Light In Light Out. Since any gem is just a very fancy mirror, it can not produce light which is not already there. If you have a single candle in a dark room, then that gem will only be able to reflect the light from that candle from a few facets, in a very few positions. What is important when viewing a gem is not so much total light levels, as a contrast between the darker areas of you environment and the lightest areas. This is why looking at a gem outside in bright sunlight is very much like looking at that gem in a dark room with a single candle...the sunlight just overpowers everything else and will make most stones look bad. Imagine being inside of an evenly lit room which is flooded with bright, diffuse light. This would also make a stone look less than ideal, since the only objects reflected are the walls, which all have the same light coming from them. No contrast = poor performance. Looking at gems in a well designed jewelry store, on the other hand, will make them look great because there are multiple strong light sources in a typically much darker background. Looking at a gem under a tree with no leaves has a similar effect, (with one big difference...I''ll start a thread about that since it''s kind of interesting).

 

[kas baby]

Date: 3/30/2010 11:07:09 PM
Author: Michael_E

Date: 3/30/2010 5:59:22 PM
Author:m00sie
Sorry if this is a stupid question :s but is it typical for coloured stones to look ''dead'' inside a room that has very little light source from windows/doors etc? Or would a dead stone just mean that the cut is very poor?

LILO...Light In Light Out. Since any gem is just a very fancy mirror, it can not produce light which is not already there. If you have a single candle in a dark room, then that gem will only be able to reflect the light from that candle from a few facets, in a very few positions. What is important when viewing a gem is not so much total light levels, as a contrast between the darker areas of you environment and the lightest areas. This is why looking at a gem outside in bright sunlight is very much like looking at that gem in a dark room with a single candle...the sunlight just overpowers everything else and will make most stones look bad. Imagine being inside of an evenly lit room which is flooded with bright, diffuse light. This would also make a stone look less than ideal, since the only objects reflected are the walls, which all have the same light coming from them. No contrast = poor performance. Looking at gems in a well designed jewelry store, on the other hand, will make them look great because there are multiple strong light sources in a typically much darker background. Looking at a gem under a tree with no leaves has a similar effect, (with one big difference...I''ll start a thread about that since it''s kind of interesting).

I for one, would love to read more on this. We''ll be starting optics next week in physics and I''d really like to make it interesting for myself and tie it all back to gemstones

Oh the things we do to make class more entertaining...

 

[Arkteia]

So...where should I live, sleep and work to demonstrate my gems to their best advantage? Short of a leafless tree or a jeweler''s shop (not a bad idea, not at all).

 

[ma re]

I've seen a ruby that looked washed out in sunlight/overcast/indirect daylight, but was a much nicer shade of red at night, indoors, under standard incandescents. But I've also seen an aquamarine that looked pale, dull and grey indoors and got a more intense shade of blue (plus a ton of sparkle) when brought out in the sun.

 

[chrono]

Do you mean that the stone looks dead under indoor lighting? If the stone looks fine outdoors, then it is not the cut but the stone itself. Some stones look better indoors, some look better outdoors and some look great both indoors and outdoors, depending on the gemstone variety and also on the individual stone itself. There are also variations under indoor lighting as well; some do well under fluorescent but not with halogen and incandescent, and etc. I think you get the idea now. Therefore, it is always recommended that a buyer check it out under ALL these lighting condition.

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 3/31/2010 3:25:44 AM
Author: crasru
So...where should I live, sleep and work to demonstrate my gems to their best advantage? Short of a leafless tree or a jeweler''s shop (not a bad idea, not at all).

As others have mentioned, it depends on the stone and what you want to see. Some have micro inclusions or fluorescence which makes them look their best where there is some UV light present, some look better in low light levels with lots of contrast in the background. You just have to walk around in different environments and see what your gems look like. My comment about a leafless tree was more directed to sparkle and fire as this high contrast environment is almost as good for viewing these components of a gems beauty as walking into a lighting store or better yet being in the middle of a large number of Christmas lights at night.

 

[m00sie]

Thanks for all the replies

The stone in question is a diamond cut demantoid. It looks fantastic outside, and just as great inside as long as there are enough windows (and light). If there are fewer windows (and less light) it just goes dead. I''m going to return it for this reason.

I will definitely check the appearance of all future stones in all light sources.

 

[T L]

Date: 3/31/2010 4:43:32 PM
Author: m00sie
Thanks for all the replies

The stone in question is a diamond cut demantoid. It looks fantastic outside, and just as great inside as long as there are enough windows (and light). If there are fewer windows (and less light) it just goes dead. I''m going to return it for this reason.

I will definitely check the appearance of all future stones in all light sources.

Many demantoids shift to a more olive or yellow color indoors, and dispersion is easier to see in some lighting than other lighting. Even sphene kind of loses a bit of it''s dispersion in some lighting.

 

[Lady_Disdain]

Date: 3/31/2010 12:50:45 PM
Author: Michael_E

My comment about a leafless tree was more directed to sparkle and fire as this high contrast environment is almost as good for viewing these components of a gems beauty as walking into a lighting store or better yet being in the middle of a large number of Christmas lights at night.

Perhaps I should leave my christmas decoration up longer this year.

 

[ma re]

Date: 3/31/2010 9:48:19 PM
Author: Lady_Disdain

Date: 3/31/2010 12:50:45 PM
Author: Michael_E

My comment about a leafless tree was more directed to sparkle and fire as this high contrast environment is almost as good for viewing these components of a gems beauty as walking into a lighting store or better yet being in the middle of a large number of Christmas lights at night.

Perhaps I should leave my christmas decoration up longer this year.

LOL, definately! Speaking of which, once I had a chance to see how yellow gold (and not even high kt, it was ordinary 14k), looks amazing in a room where only the standard white christmas lights are shining from the tree. You wouldn''t believe.