Diamond in direct sunlight

[wbrandon]

So I recently just purchased a diamond from James Allen and I am very happy with the ring. However, when I took a look at the diamond outside in direct sunlight.. Well I defiantly didn't see what I expected. My diamond looked extremely white but with no sparkle at all. Can anyone explain why this could be happening? It is an excellent cut diamond and had these specs:

Depth 62.1 %
Table 58 %
Crown Angle 35.0°
Crown Height 15.0%
Pavilion Angle 40.8°
Pavilion Depth 43.0%
Star Length 50%
Lower Half 80%
Girdle Slightly Thick, Faceted, 4.0%
Culet None

Thanks for any help you can give me!

 

[MarionC]

Is it pristinely clean? That will make a difference.

 

[wbrandon]

Yes I cleaned it before.

 

[SirGuy]

What were the conditions? Overcast, cloudy, or sunny without a cloud in sight?

 

[wbrandon]

It was very sunny if I recall

 

[VRBeauty]

It's counter-intuitive, but direct sunlight is not the best lighting in which to view a diamond. What you're looking at could simply be an optical illusion, as it were. Does it perform well in other types of light?

https://www.pricescope.com/forum/ro...nd-go-dark-in-direct-sunlight-t132751-30.html

 

[wbrandon]

Inside it performs wells in brightly lit rooms as well as decently lot rooms. Shines the most with bright lights in the bathroom! Haha

 

[Lookinagain]

What does the certificate say about flourescence?

 

[tyty333]

You need to go under a tree where the bright light gets sort of filtered. That's when mine looks the best outside. Bright, bright sun
can make it go dark.

 

[wbrandon]

It's not that the diamond goes dark. It looks basically all white! And it's a strong blue fluorescence.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

It's not that the diamond goes dark. It looks basically all white! And it's a strong blue fluorescence.

It's very likely the strong fluorescence is responsible for the issue you are seeing. Direct sunlight has an abundance of high intensity UV wavelengths that activate the fluorescent effect and can negatively impact transparency. More on fluoresecence can be found here:
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-flourescence

 

[wbrandon]

This is very disappointing.:/

 

[mns12]

Have you had an independent appraisal done? I would do that before making any rash decisions.

 

[kenny]

James Allen has a good return policy, and (IIRC) 30-day money back guarantee.
Call them today and explain you didn't know about fluorescence and would like to change the diamond.
Even if it is beyond 30 days maybe they can help you.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

This is very disappointing.:/

The good news is that direct sunlight is essentially the only lighting scenario that will cause this problem. Even sunlight filtered by clouds or window glass will reduce the amount and intensity of UV to the point that fluorescence is not activated. Indoor fluorescent lighting is also not of high enough intensity to active the effect, unless you hold the diamond within several inches of the light source.

So, from a practical standpoint, if the viewing environments where you are likely to be observing the diamond day to day do not include a significant amount of outdoor direct sun, the transparency issue is largely moot.

 

[Dancing Fire]

It's not that the diamond goes dark. It looks basically all white! And it's a strong blue fluorescence.

Here is my VSB under the sun light..Does your ring look this blue or deeper blue?

 

[Dancing Fire]

My wife's non fluor ring compared to my VSB ring. Indoor and outdoor under the sun photos.

 

[wbrandon]

My diamond isn't a blue color. It truly is white there is no blue at all.

 

[ecf8503]

My opinion only, but direct sun is not a good lighting condition for diamonds of any cut shape of mine (mrb, AVC, AVR, emerald, or oec). It can mess with your psyche and make you question your choice, for sure! But know you are not alone. Take it under a tree, into Home Depot, or anywhere with concentrated light and it will sparkle like mad. As long as it looks good in the lighting conditions you will normally be viewing it in, I wouldn't be concerned. Doesn't sound like fluor is the issue. And fluor is cool.

 

[SirGuy]

Lighting matters so much! I will second the scattered light approach for a fun light show.

Below is my lady's ring in different types of sunlight. Cloudless sunny day, overcast, and dappled lighting (through mostly-closed blinds in the living room).

Are any of these what you're seeing?

 

[wbrandon]

The last picture probably is the most similar that you have shown!

 

[VRBeauty]

Be sure to check that baby out under a black light before you decide to return it! I'm in the fluoro is cool camp - both because of the black light effect and because it will likely look whiter (than it's been graded) under other lighting as well.