Can you tell the difference btwn a gem and a colored diamond?

[EHR2009]

I love the idea of colored diamonds, but I was always afraid people would just assume it was a sapphire or aquamarine or another gemstone. How easy/difficult is it to tell the difference? Is there a thread on PS for pics of colored diamonds? If not, we should start one!

 

[stone-cold11]

I think there is one over at the colored stones forum, but I lost the thread.

 

[Moh 10]

I believe diamond has optical properties that somehow breaks up the colors of the spectrum differently than other gems, resulting in a different look.

I think experienced people can spot the difference.

 

[elle_chris]

I think it''s rare for anyone (other than family and friends) to get close enough to a ring to be able to tell what kind of stone it is other than an obvious diamond. Even that is sometimes unclear.
That said, natural blue diamonds do NOT look like sapphires or aquamarines. As i don''t know anything about other types of gems, I can''t make a comparision.

I think there was a thread in CS on colored diamonds but can''t find it.

 

[LGK]

Diamonds typically have more dispersion (fire) than other gemstones- but not necessarily. There are a few other gemstones that come close to a diamond in dispersion, or surpass it... zircon, I think, is pretty fiery if I remember right. A blue zircon can look pretty darn similiar to an irradiated teal blue diamond, in fact.

Still, deep colors of diamonds will hide the fire effect, so if you get a dark irradiated blue diamond, or a deep brown or something, I would suspect you''d have people asking you all day long what gemstone it is. A pale pink or pale yellow diamond, on the other hand, would probably not look like anything other than a diamond.

 

[AprilBaby]

I can tell but I am not sure why. I think it is the cut. Colored stones never quite have that sharp and firey cut.

 

[oldmancoyote]

Date: 4/19/2009 2:24:14 PM
Author:EHR2009
I love the idea of colored diamonds, but I was always afraid people would just assume it was a sapphire or aquamarine or another gemstone. How easy/difficult is it to tell the difference? Is there a thread on PS for pics of colored diamonds? If not, we should start one!

It depends a bit on the specific diamond and to what other gemstone you are comparing it, but in general it''s pretty easy. Colour hues are different, refraction is different, polish is different.

 

[oldminer]

Diamond is distinguished from nearly all other gemstones by it surface and internal reflective abilities. Diamond has adamantine luster because it is so hard and takes such a high polish on its surfaces. Just about the only colored gem with diamond-like appearances is Andradite Garnet. These are quite rare in fine, deep green colors and can almost look diamond-like when cut and polished at their best. Few other natural stones look like diamonds.

There are gem type materials with fire greater to or equal to diamond, but they do not look like diamond. Fire is not the deciding factor in any element of diamond grading, but a characteristic of a well cut diamond is dispersion within a natural range level which has the expected "look" of diamond material. You can''t make a diamond more dispersive without altering the cut into something like a prism and that would not be a pretty object for use in jewelry. Within the norms of standard cutting comes the normal amount of fire. Fire is highly light environment dependent. One would expect way less fire in colored gems and colored diamonds since those colors of fire near the body color of the stone would not be see as "fiery", but as body color.