Best Lighting to evaluate a diamond?

[SoCal30]

So I just received a new diamond that I bought online, looks somewhat dull, am I viewing it under correct lighting? What''s the best lighting to evaluate the diamond''s brilliance and fire? The specs are below.

Princess cut square
VS1, E
1.02 ct
depth 68
table 69
5.75x5.7x3.9
Polish:VG
Symm:VG
GIA

 

[JulieN]

There's no really right or wrong environment...it depends on what you want to bring out in your stone. And you need a basis for comparison. The lighting that maximizes your stone's fire will probably diminish the brilliance....

 

[poptart]

I would try and look at it in as many different lighting environments as possible in order to decide if you are impressed with it or not.

*M*

 

[avlis]

there a couple things.. you really want to look at it in a mix of diffuse and spot lighting, also look at it in the sunlight. I have halogen spotlights in my living room plus large south facing windows so the diamonds really pop there. a good place to really see it if you have no good lighting at home is a warehouse store, like home depot, or anything that doesn''t use regular florescent lighting, but rather HPS or halogen lights.

the BEST place i have found so far has been the blues hockey arena, great lighting there.

 

[Lorelei]

Basically you want to check it out in as many different lights as possible bearing in mind that it won't react the same way in different lighting situations, and that you are happy with it in most of them. Diamonds don't always sparkle all the time, but it needs to retain a large degree of appeal to you even if it is ' sleeping' so to speak. Once you have checked it out in different lights and get a feel for how it behaves then you can decide if it is the right one for you.

 

[SoCal30]

Thanks for the comments, I''ll try some different environments to see it. From the specs alone, it should be a really good diamond? right? As far as these specs go, is there anything that stands out as a red flag that is causing the dullness?

Princess cut square
VS1, E
1.02 ct
depth 68
table 69
5.75x5.7x3.9
Polish:VG
Symm:VG
GIA

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I don''t know a thing about princess cut dimensions, but I will just say that diamonds vary in appearance greatly depending on the lighting. They do almost nothing under standard florescent light. I''ll second the idea of seeing it under halogen lights. The first time I saw mine at a convention center I couldn''t believe how beautiful it was under those lights! It''s just that they don''t look the same in all lighting.

 

[Julianna]

Date: 7/11/2007 5:40:21 PM
Author: SoCal30

Thanks for the comments, I''ll try some different environments to see it. From the specs alone, it should be a really good diamond? right? As far as these specs go, is there anything that stands out as a red flag that is causing the dullness?

Princess cut square
VS1, E
1.02 ct
depth 68
table 69
5.75x5.7x3.9
Polish:VG
Symm:VG
GIA

General guidelines for a princess cut, both depth and table should between 64% and 75%. You look to be right down the center with this one.

 

[jstarfireb]

I don''t know about the lighting, but I have to say I''m really impressed with the spread of this diamond. 5.7ish square is huge for a 1ct princess! My ACA princess has a depth closer to 75, so perhaps the shallowness of your stone (which is also responsible for the excellent spread) is the culprit?

 

[kcoursolle]

One thing to keep in mind is that although many princesses can be quite sparkly, princesses on average are less sparkly than round brilliants. You can''t compare your princess to rounds and say that how it looks. If you really want a comparison, I would check out an AGS0 princess cut and compare it to that under a variety of lighting conditions.

 

[oldminer]

A round diamond may look its best when the sun is somewhat overhead on a sunny day and you look at the stone in daylight.

A typicaly princess cut probably will not look as well in this light model, but will do better in a brightly lit, diffused light room, where the light falls on it strongly from lower angles than directly above.

These are generalizations, not applicable to every diamond or every situation. I am pushing for the industry to evaluate the performance of diamonds based on the round lighting model of most intensity from a narrow angle above the stone. In this way, we can develop fancy cuts which do come close or even exceed, round diamond performance in the same environment. Having one lighting model for fancy shapes and another for rounds leaves us always comparing apples to oranges.....

 

[frozengirl]

I have found that when my diamond is cleaned by the jeweler is sparkles like crazy. The sparkle itself really varies between settings - home lighting, outdoor sunlight, mall, etc...

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

The very first light I use for a round is an ideal-scope.
Fancy shapes ASET

Because the light is always the same.

If you use other light you should be sure to have a comparison stone.

Look in several types of light and from different distances as if you owned the stone.
Most people do not spend as much time looking from 8 inches as they do glancing at the dancing sparkles from arms length - so look from where you will likely get the most pleasure.

Be sure if the stones are loose to cover the pavilion - like sitting it between your fingers