cross-like shadows in diamond face?

[best_intentions]

Hi all, I have a question...I notice that the diamond ring I bought for my gf has a weird reflective effect that I did not notice when I checked the diamond prior to have it set in the ring...I have attached a pic...it is a radiant diamond.....the dark shadowed areas almost look like a cross shape when I look at the diamond directly. Is this a reflection from the setting?

I am not thrilled that I missed this effect (which I feel is a bit distracting) when I glanced at the finished ring under the light in the jewelers'' office before closing the purchase. I wonder if the lighting in the office somehow disguised this effect? All I saw was a fantastic sparking diamond when I looked at the stone under the light...I did not see this shadow effect.

If someone with an experienced eye could let me know what this is, I''d appreciate it. Also, if this appearance is due to a flaw in the cut, just how bad would this flaw be considered to be? Is this going to impact the value of the ring? I know, this may seem like a weird question, but it troubles me a bit. Thanks again in advance to anyone who can help advise me on this issue!

 

[bgray]

this is not uncommon in this type of cut. i believe radiants and bowties have the most issues. hopefully someone else will chime in. i think its distracting too. sorry. can you return it?

 

[Lorelei]

Hi bestintentions

The dark areas you mention look like light leakage to me, I could be wrong but thats my take on it going from the photo. If so, this is because light is escaping from the diamond instead of being reflected back to your eye. Is it possible you could swap out the diamond?

 

[30yearsofdiamonds]

When round diamonds have pavilion depths that are 48%-50% the center is dark. Does your diamond have an overly steep pavilion for a princess cut. This could cause the darkness. Did it look that way loose?

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Date: 11/29/2009 11:48:27 PM
Author:best_intentions
Hi all, I have a question...I notice that the diamond ring I bought for my gf has a weird reflective effect that I did not notice when I checked the diamond prior to have it set in the ring...I have attached a pic...it is a radiant diamond.....the dark shadowed areas almost look like a cross shape when I look at the diamond directly. Is this a reflection from the setting?

I am not thrilled that I missed this effect (which I feel is a bit distracting) when I glanced at the finished ring under the light in the jewelers'' office before closing the purchase. I wonder if the lighting in the office somehow disguised this effect? All I saw was a fantastic sparking diamond when I looked at the stone under the light...I did not see this shadow effect.

If someone with an experienced eye could let me know what this is, I''d appreciate it. Also, if this appearance is due to a flaw in the cut, just how bad would this flaw be considered to be? Is this going to impact the value of the ring? I know, this may seem like a weird question, but it troubles me a bit. Thanks again in advance to anyone who can help advise me on this issue!

Can you post a picture of the side profile of the ring. If the pavilion of the diamond is being covered by the setting head you can see this pattern.

 

[Rhino]

It''s a result of head/body reflection except your picture captured the reflection of the camera in it. This is something that would fall in the arena of grading contrast; ie the distribution of bright and dark reflections. Jeweler lighting (both in store & generally office desk do not always accurately allow a consumer to see this. Lighting in which you would is generally outside ambient/cloudy day type of lighting which is more common.

While I am a firm believer in seeing a diamond and purchasing what pleases the eyes, the question that always runs through my mind when this advice is given is

a. What standard is it being compared against?
b. What lighting is it being compared in?

Radiant''s are a tough beast and many of them on the market suffer from this as well as extraneous leakage as well.

The darker areas you see in this pic also will likely result in strong fire off of those same facets. A good example of how a diamond can look good in one lighting yet not as good in another.

 

[Michael_E]

Date: 11/29/2009 11:48:27 PM
Author:best_intentions
if this appearance is due to a flaw in the cut, just how bad would this flaw be considered to be? Is this going to impact the value of the ring?

Hold the stone at a normal viewing distance and then see how it looks. The dark areas should get smaller as you move the stone away from you and if it''s well cut, disappear altogether once the stone is at arms length. If not, then this will affect the value of the stone, decreasing it based on how distracting it is at a reasonable viewing distance. Remember that this is not usually something that anyone but you will be aware of, since they will only be close enough to see it if they are holding your hand and looking at it.

 

[best_intentions]

Date: 11/30/2009 12:37:12 AM
Author: bgray
this is not uncommon in this type of cut. i believe radiants and bowties have the most issues. hopefully someone else will chime in. i think its distracting too. sorry. can you return it?

Hi bgray, I appreciate your comments, I was not aware that radiants had such a common "bowtie" issue...at least I know now...

 

[best_intentions]

Date: 11/30/2009 5:04:38 AM
Author: Lorelei
Hi bestintentions


The dark areas you mention look like light leakage to me, I could be wrong but thats my take on it going from the photo. If so, this is because light is escaping from the diamond instead of being reflected back to your eye. Is it possible you could swap out the diamond?

Hi Lorelei,

I think that you are right about the light leakage, there are certain areas of the diamond that are less reflective than others even when viewed under a direct light source...and no, unfortunately, I cannot bring the ring back to swap out the stone..the seller made it clear that the sale was final once the ring was built. The best I could do is upgrade it, but unfortunately, it''s outside my budget for the foreseeable future. Thanks for your advice!

~best_intentions

 

[best_intentions]

As far as propertions go, the diamond has a medium girlde, a table of 72%, and a depth of 72.9% according to the appraisal form I received with the purchase...not sure what this means in layman terms. If you could elaborate on what these numbers mean for a radiant diamond, that would be great...

When I checked the diamond in the jeweler''s office, I did not notice these shadows, but then again, I think that was a trick of the lighting in the room...

Thanks for your comments!

~best_intentions

 

[best_intentions]

Date: 11/30/2009 10:18:46 AM
Author: ChunkyCushionLover

Date: 11/29/2009 11:48:27 PM

Can you post a picture of the side profile of the ring. If the pavilion of the diamond is being covered by the setting head you can see this pattern.

I tried to get a good side pic but they kept coming up blurry from the side, here is a decent pic from a slightly overhead view that shows how the setting fits over the diamond. I appreciate your help!!!

 

[best_intentions]

Date: 11/30/2009 2:00:43 PM
Author: Rhino
It''s a result of head/body reflection except your picture captured the reflection of the camera in it. This is something that would fall in the arena of grading contrast; ie the distribution of bright and dark reflections. Jeweler lighting (both in store & generally office desk do not always accurately allow a consumer to see this. Lighting in which you would is generally outside ambient/cloudy day type of lighting which is more common.


While I am a firm believer in seeing a diamond and purchasing what pleases the eyes, the question that always runs through my mind when this advice is given is


a. What standard is it being compared against?

b. What lighting is it being compared in?


Radiant''s are a tough beast and many of them on the market suffer from this as well as extraneous leakage as well.


The darker areas you see in this pic also will likely result in strong fire off of those same facets. A good example of how a diamond can look good in one lighting yet not as good in another.

Hi Rhino, I believe that you are absolutely correct about the camera being picked up in the photo, I held the ring directly under a light without obstruction, and even though the shadows were still there, they were quite a bit lighter in comparison.

I really think that the lighting in the office was the key factor that altered the way the diamond appeared when I looked at the stone by itself.

Now i know better for the future....

I really appreciate your taking the time to fully explain this, it does make me feel quite a bit better about the purchase. The stone does have its merits, it glitters very nicely in direct sunlight. Thanks so much!

[

 

[Rhino]

No prob and glad to be of some help.

 

[best_intentions]

Date: 11/30/2009 4:16:14 PM
Author: Michael_E

Date: 11/29/2009 11:48:27 PM

Author:best_intentions

if this appearance is due to a flaw in the cut, just how bad would this flaw be considered to be? Is this going to impact the value of the ring?

Hold the stone at a normal viewing distance and then see how it looks. The dark areas should get smaller as you move the stone away from you and if it''s well cut, disappear altogether once the stone is at arms length. If not, then this will affect the value of the stone, decreasing it based on how distracting it is at a reasonable viewing distance. Remember that this is not usually something that anyone but you will be aware of, since they will only be close enough to see it if they are holding your hand and looking at it.

Hi Michael, thanks for addressing that aspect of my post! I checked the ring, and although the shadows do shrink to a certain extent, I can still see them at arms'' length. I think I will take the stone to a GIA appraiser so that I can get the real story on this diamond ring. Having it documented will give me some "closure" as far as knowing exactly what I have.

Thank you so much for your insight!

 

[ChunkyCushionLover]

Date: 12/3/2009 12:18:35 AM
Author: best_intentions

Date: 11/30/2009 10:18:46 AM
Author: ChunkyCushionLover

Date: 11/29/2009 11:48:27 PM

Can you post a picture of the side profile of the ring. If the pavilion of the diamond is being covered by the setting head you can see this pattern.

I tried to get a good side pic but they kept coming up blurry from the side, here is a decent pic from a slightly overhead view that shows how the setting fits over the diamond. I appreciate your help!!!

The setting is not causing the dark areas, it is indeed obstruction as others have said.