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Confused about fluorescence

K

Katlo

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jul 1, 2016
Messages
25
Hi,

I've been reading posts on PS regarding fluorescence but i can't decipher if it would be a good thing or a bad thing in the diamond i wish to purchase. I am looking at 0.7/0.8 however to achieve this size in my price range, i need to look at K to M coloured stones. I've read that fluorescence can make lower coloured diamonds appear whiter, then on the other hand, i've heard it can make them appear dull or milky, which is definitely what i don't want. I will be ordering from James Allen, and it will be set in to a solitaire pendant and will be SI or VS quality RB with an excellent cut. Can educated much appreciated.

Thank you in advance :angel:
 
When you find a stone that meets your requirements you'll need to ask the vendor if it is milky/oily due to the fluorescence.
A lot of PSers like the idea of fluorescence because well, its kind of a cool scientific phenomenon to see a solid stone glow
a color under black light.

What is your budget?

Brian Gavin has a line of Blue stones that have already been check for any negative affect.
http://www.briangavindiamonds.com/diamond/brian-gavin-blue-diamonds-with-fluorescence/
 
Hi tyty,

Thank you for the link. I havent explored Brian Gavin before. At first glance, it looks as though the diamond prices are a little higher than James Allen. I'd really like to stick with JA just because their video technology is amazing. And i love the settings for their pendants.

In your experience, have you known JA to be honest regarding milkyness etc? I'll need to ask the question on their live chat session and trust what they say. Do you think this will be wise? i do hope so :)
 
Fluorescence goes in and out of style. Currently it cuts the price of a higher colored diamond and increases the price of a lower colored diamond.

Actually oiliness is quite rare, and there are people who actually seek it out because it's cool. I get the impression that the majority of oily stones are picked out and sold to somebody who was specifically looking for it. Just an impression, no data. IMHO the talk about oiliness comes mostly from people who want to talk someone out of buying someone else's diamonds. It's easy just not to stock any strong fluorescence stones and tell customers that makes you a quality jeweler.

JA vets all their stones before they send them out to you, and they can evaluate the fluorescence. That said, you shouldn't expect an M stone to look like an F, even when it is in sunlight. It might look less yellow, but in a different way.
 
There is almost no concern about fluorescence unless it is very strong or if the clarity of the stone is low (avoid clouds and fluoro). If you go down to M color, just know your stone will look light yellow. I like it in an antique stone, but not so much in a modern cut. I'd honestly stick with J or maybe K if you want your diamond to look somewhat white.
 
Katlo|1489247204|4139273 said:
Hi tyty,

Thank you for the link. I havent explored Brian Gavin before. At first glance, it looks as though the diamond prices are a little higher than James Allen. I'd really like to stick with JA just because their video technology is amazing. And i love the settings for their pendants.

In your experience, have you known JA to be honest regarding milkyness etc? I'll need to ask the question on their live chat session and trust what they say. Do you think this will be wise? i do hope so :)
Click to expand...


Yes, BGD are priced higher.

I have not bought a stone from JA but from being on this forum for a long time I can say that there has been only once that I know of
that a stone had an issue (and I've seen a lot of people purchase stones from them). I consider them trustworthy (or I would not post
their stones). In the rare case where there may be an issue they do have a very good return policy so I dont think you should worry
too much.

Is there a particular stone you are looking at? When you find something, you can put it on hold then post a link to it and we can
take a look. We can provide feedback if you'd like.
 
I found them to be very honest, but you want to ask them to ask their gemologist about the fluorescence of the diamond and whether it has negative effects on that particular diamond rather than just the chat person.

I was specifically looking for med blue fluor and didn't want any milkiness, I asked about it (since it was a D colored diamond which is more likely to have ill effects) and they were very honest and gave me a heads up that the diamond I was looking at had some barely discernable milkyness. I really appreciated their honesty and ended up ordering the stone anyway to compare it with some others I had. Their return policy is great so you can always just compare it with another and return if you don't like it.
 
Katlo|1489242253|4139245 said:
I've read that fluorescence can make lower coloured diamonds appear whiter, ...
Click to expand...

True, but this can only happen when the fluorescence is 'activated' by ultraviolet light, aka UV.
There is UV light in sunlight and in a black light but not in usual indoor lighting.

We often read that good cut also conceals body color but ...
Keep in mind good cut returns more light which quickly overpowers the body color of a diamond BUT only in the top view; IOW looking straight down into the diamond, on axis or nearly on axis.
Good cut will not conceal body color in the side view, which is actually how we usually see our diamond ring.

Good luck!
 
OP, you may be able to get a J color if you go down to eye clean SI... A J in that size will appear white with or without fluoro.
 
Also, if you post your budget, we can help you find a stone that checks all the boxes. :))
 
Thanks All!

So am I right in thinking diamonds with strong fluor in D - F is a disadvantage, but strong fluor in lowered coloured stones is advantageous? I looked at the link a kind member posted above, and saw some diamonds that had a hint of blue in daylight and I really don't mind it! As long as they aren't hazy!

My budget is maximum £1,100 for the diamond. Id like it to be as big as possible. Ive now broadened my search to Bluenile as I feel it'd be easier to deal with shipping and possible returns etc.
 
I saw a strong blue I color diamond inside a jewelry store and it looked noticeably bluish to me. It was a very light blue but both of us noticed it. It was a 1.5 carat GIA XXX. We both liked it but it was different. I have an E EC diamond with medium blue and I do think it makes the diamond icier white. As long as the diamond isn't hazy I don't think it's a negative when diamond shopping but of course it's a personal preference.
 
Katlo|1489411203|4139640 said:
Thanks All!

So am I right in thinking diamonds with strong fluor in D - F is a disadvantage, but strong fluor in lowered coloured stones is advantageous? I looked at the link a kind member posted above, and saw some diamonds that had a hint of blue in daylight and I really don't mind it! As long as they aren't hazy!

My budget is maximum £1,100 for the diamond. Id like it to be as big as possible. Ive now broadened my search to Bluenile as I feel it'd be easier to deal with shipping and possible returns etc.
Click to expand...

Strong fluorescence in any color isn't a disadvantage IF it's determined to have no negative effects AND IF you like fluorescence in a diamond.

Okay, so that's about $1350.00 USD... let me see if I can find a few.
 
So to maximize size for the budget, I think you should consider 60/60 stones, I/J/K colors, and eye clean SI clarity. The 60/60 will reflect more white light, which will help with the color, if needed. I feel I/J/K will still look white in the sizes your budget will allow. Eye clean is eye clean... ;))

I have listed these from largest to smallest diameter, since you said you wanted the biggest spread possible. :))


I'm thinking out of the box on this one. It doesn't have any fluoro and the HCA is 2.7, but it has nice spread. There's something about it that catches my eye... maybe it's the very pretty faint brown undertone (would look cool in rose gold)? The inclusion on the edge can be pronged...
(5.70 x 5.67 mm), $1310
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.70-carat-k-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2601016

This one has no fluoro, but the cut looks nice with crisp, fat arrows. It appears to be a "high K" and I think it would appear white face up as well...
(5.60 x 5.58 mm), NF, HCA: 0.7, $1350
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.65-carat-k-color-vs2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2311617

This has amazing clarity and I feel it will appear white face up at this size...
(5.58 x 5.55 mm), FF, HCA: 1.9, $1330
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.66-carat-k-color-vvs1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2407235

I think this one will appear very white...
(5.51 x 5.48 mm) MF, HCA: 1.8, $1250
https://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.60-carat-j-color-si1-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-2311514


After minimizing all the videos, my picks would be the $1330 and $1350.
 
Katlo|1489242253|4139245 said:
Hi,

I've been reading posts on PS regarding fluorescence but i can't decipher if it would be a good thing or a bad thing in the diamond i wish to purchase. I am looking at 0.7/0.8 however to achieve this size in my price range, i need to look at K to M coloured stones. I've read that fluorescence can make lower coloured diamonds appear whiter, then on the other hand, i've heard it can make them appear dull or milky, which is definitely what i don't want. I will be ordering from James Allen, and it will be set in to a solitaire pendant and will be SI or VS quality RB with an excellent cut. Can educated much appreciated.

Thank you in advance :angel:
Click to expand...
Not sure if you saw the pricescope wiki on fluorescence in your reading. It gives you a good overview of the issues to consider in determining how to factor this trait into your own personal buying matrix.
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-flourescence
 
Does it have to be a round? :halo: This would allow you to get the size you're wanting AND be icy white and super clean! :bigsmile:

$1315 (6.93 x 4.61 mm), D/VS1
I'm no pear aficionado, but this one looked nice from what I could tell...
https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-details/LD08068601

What is the intended's finger size? Are you open to yellow or rose gold, or is white metal a must? An oblong fancy (or even a round, for that matter) would look amazing in a halo or delicate bezel with milgrain -- it would also add SIZE.
 
UGH! I just remembered BN's links never work...

Search:
Pear, 0.57 ct, D, VS1, $1300-1400

It will be the only one listed
 
Oh wow, thank you so much for finding a few diamonds for me! I actually love the way a pear looks as a solitaire however I was going to go with BlueNile 'build your own', and that only gives you the option to use, round, princess or cushion. I like cushion, but realised on my search that rounds face up bigger than cushions.... I'm slowly learning!

Is 60/60 referring to table/depth? Does this allow for optimum sparkle? Thank you for all of your help so far! :) :) :)
 
Katlo said:
Oh wow, thank you so much for finding a few diamonds for me! I actually love the way a pear looks as a solitaire however I was going to go with BlueNile 'build your own', and that only gives you the option to use, round, princess or cushion. I like cushion, but realised on my search that rounds face up bigger than cushions.... I'm slowly learning!

Is 60/60 referring to table/depth? Does this allow for optimum sparkle? Thank you for all of your help so far! :) :) :)
Click to expand...

I'm confident that Blue Nile will allow you to build a ring using the pear stone, Or any other shape they have in inventory. All that means is that you find a diamond first, then choose one of their settings to put it in. Just call them and tell them what you want.

Yes, 60/60 refers to those diamonds with a table/depth around 60. They usually sacrifice fire, while reflecting more white light. They face up larger than diamonds with a smaller table, maximizing size for budget.
 
OP, forgive me if you've already mentioned this, but what size is her finger?
 
Hi!

Its not for a finger :) It's for a solitaire pendant. I'm looking at some lovely pears on BN right now... I keep changing my mind!
 
Katlo said:
Hi!

Its not for a finger :) It's for a solitaire pendant. I'm looking at some lovely pears on BN right now... I keep changing my mind!
Click to expand...

Ahhhh... I see. Keep us posted.
 
If it's for a pendant, you could switch from EX GIA cut to VG cut with HCA below 2.
Slightly shallow stones are not good candidates for GIA EX but they have an EX HCA score and they perform very well in pendants and earrings because there is no head obstruction like when you look at your ring.
 
Stephan said:
If it's for a pendant, you could switch from EX GIA cut to VG cut with HCA below 2.
Slightly shallow stones are not good candidates for GIA EX but they have an EX HCA score and they perform very well in pendants and earrings because there is no head obstruction like when you look at your ring.
Click to expand...

Agreed.
 
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