Diamond evaluation techniques at home?

[OoohShiny]

I may well be asking a question that's already been asked, in which case I apologise

I was just wondering if there was a recommended technique for evaluating stones you have bought online?

I'm aware of the various scopes that can be used, and that one should check a stone out in flat/cloudy daylight, bright sunlight, fluorescent tube lighting, LED lighting, spotlights, candlelight... etc etc, but I was just wondering about techniques other than that!


(I'm only posting because Lorelei's comments in another thread had me wonder if I should be looking at stones under the desk, which may worry sales people in a store )

Best thing to do when viewing a diamond in person, ask if you can take it to view away from any bright store lighting, that will give you a better idea than in the store. Jewellery stores are carefully lit for a reason, to make everything sparkle and look as attractive as possible. In everyday lighting conditions where the ring will be worn, you will have a much better idea. You could hold the stone under a desk also as a test to see what happens, if it goes completely dead, that is not a good sign. But best to view it in plain daylight if you can to give it more of a test drive.

 

[Lorelei]

I may well be asking a question that's already been asked, in which case I apologise

I was just wondering if there was a recommended technique for evaluating stones you have bought online?

I'm aware of the various scopes that can be used, and that one should check a stone out in flat/cloudy daylight, bright sunlight, fluorescent tube lighting, LED lighting, spotlights, candlelight... etc etc, but I was just wondering about techniques other than that!


(I'm only posting because Lorelei's comments in another thread had me wonder if I should be looking at stones under the desk, which may worry sales people in a store )

Best thing to do when viewing a diamond in person, ask if you can take it to view away from any bright store lighting, that will give you a better idea than in the store. Jewellery stores are carefully lit for a reason, to make everything sparkle and look as attractive as possible. In everyday lighting conditions where the ring will be worn, you will have a much better idea. You could hold the stone under a desk also as a test to see what happens, if it goes completely dead, that is not a good sign. But best to view it in plain daylight if you can to give it more of a test drive.

LOL! I have tried that one myself many times even in stores and although folk think I am a tad eccentric anyway ( which is true ) I have found in my experience that especially here, cut quality is not really considered and SA's have been interested in what I am trying to do!

I have found this to be quite an effective technique, one of the pro's here first mentioned doing this and I have found it to be useful. Well cut stones might dim a bit, like a car engine revs slow a bit but they tick over, a badly cut diamond will tend to disappear, or 'stall'. If the jewellery store owners are agreeable next time you are looking, try this test for yourself and see what happens. I think the best way is to be armed with an ASET scope, loupe, then give each the best test drive you can using the methods you mention above Shiny plus The Desk Test if desired!

 

[proto]

I just cup the diamond under my hand so that the direct spot lighting is removed. You could bring a book or something similar I suppose.

You want to be able to see the brighter/darker areas under the stone reflecting under dimmer light conditions so check that it performs at low light levels as pretty much everything sparkles like a mofo in spot lighting (although some diamonds, such as HA sparkle even more).

I never tried the under the table approach while in a store and would be mildly embarrassed to do so, to be honest.

 

[WinkHPD]

I may well be asking a question that's already been asked, in which case I apologise

I was just wondering if there was a recommended technique for evaluating stones you have bought online?

I'm aware of the various scopes that can be used, and that one should check a stone out in flat/cloudy daylight, bright sunlight, fluorescent tube lighting, LED lighting, spotlights, candlelight... etc etc, but I was just wondering about techniques other than that!


(I'm only posting because Lorelei's comments in another thread had me wonder if I should be looking at stones under the desk, which may worry sales people in a store )

Best thing to do when viewing a diamond in person, ask if you can take it to view away from any bright store lighting, that will give you a better idea than in the store. Jewellery stores are carefully lit for a reason, to make everything sparkle and look as attractive as possible. In everyday lighting conditions where the ring will be worn, you will have a much better idea. You could hold the stone under a desk also as a test to see what happens, if it goes completely dead, that is not a good sign. But best to view it in plain daylight if you can to give it more of a test drive.

LOL! I have tried that one myself many times even in stores and although folk think I am a tad eccentric anyway ( which is true ) I have found in my experience that especially here, cut quality is not really considered and SA's have been interested in what I am trying to do!

I have found this to be quite an effective technique, one of the pro's here first mentioned doing this and I have found it to be useful. Well cut stones might dim a bit, like a car engine revs slow a bit but they tick over, a badly cut diamond will tend to disappear, or 'stall'. If the jewellery store owners are agreeable next time you are looking, try this test for yourself and see what happens. I think the best way is to be armed with an ASET scope, loupe, then give each the best test drive you can using the methods you mention above Shiny plus The Desk Test if desired!

Lorelei gives good advice. If you need tools such as the ASET scope and Ideal Scope, you can contactact David Atlas, Oldminer here. He has a good supply of the tools you might need.

Wink

 

[Karl_K]

I just cup the diamond under my hand so that the direct spot lighting is removed. You could bring a book or something similar I suppose.

A piece of white paper makes a nice diffuser when held between the light and the diamond in a jewelery store if they wont let you walk around.
A bright red or blue piece of Mylar glued to a business card is handy to check for leakage if you have good eyes and no scope.
I have a blue shirt that I wear if I know im going diamond looking(the rest are black) and cup the stone in front of me and see how well it returns light just from the shirt. It is easy to see because it is blue light.
Just don't hold it too close.
But honestly at home just look at it in your usual places in a normal way and see if it suits you.

 

[Lorelei]

I never tried the under the table approach while in a store and would be mildly embarrassed to do so, to be honest.

Don't knock it till you try it, some have found that to be very helpful.

 

[proto]

haha, I dont think I would be offered any discounts for getting under the table I am afraid...

Individual results may vary, of course.

 

[Lorelei]

haha, I dont think I would be offered any discounts for getting under the table I am afraid...

Individual results may vary, of course.

While I am recovering from that good giggle, I would like to clarify I am not suggesting anyone crawls underneath a desk, diamond in hand to inspect it, but holds the stone underneath a desk or table! I can understand the confusion rereading my above posts lol!!

 

[OoohShiny]

Many thanks for the replies, all, very helpful and much appreciated!

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

Ha - a good thread, then Proto comes in with a zinger.

OP - the greater variety of light sourcing you can see in person (absent the ASET or IS images) the better idea you will garner on performance. Bring the book, business card, under the desk or any other special lighting situation you would like (I have taken diamonds outside into a dark alcove and then under trees on sunny day in the past - I think Wink mentioned this technique long ago(?)). This is an important purchase and you want it 'mind clean'. Happy hunting!

 

[marcy]

Yes it's true - I had to go look at my diamond under both our desk and table.

 

[Lorelei]

[quote="Diamond_Hawk|1401242420|3681363"]Ha - a good thread, then Proto comes in with a zinger.

OP - the greater variety of light sourcing you can see in person (absent the ASET or IS images) the better idea you will garner on performance. Bring the book, business card, under the desk or any other special lighting situation you would like (I have taken diamonds outside into a dark alcove and then under trees on sunny day in the past - I think Wink mentioned this technique long ago(?)). This is an important purchase and you want it 'mind clean'. Happy hunting![/quote]


He sure did, I am still giggling this morning! As they say, a laugh does a body good, but I don't know about that as my sides are killing me, thanks Proto!

I might add, if anyone DOES want to crawl under a desk to inspect their diamond, who am I to stop them....

 

[Lorelei]

Useful techniques mentioned from The Hawk above!

 

[arkieb1]

My husband paid for a career in flying when he was a teen cutting gemstones, whenever he looks at a diamond the first thing he does is put it under a table or under a desk with his glasses on with his hand cupped around it, and then after a careful examination, he usually makes a comment about the cut of the stone..... I always thought it was a crock, but since a few of you seem to think that it is valid I will pay more attention the next time he does it.....

 

[Lorelei]

My husband paid for a career in flying when he was a teen cutting gemstones, whenever he looks at a diamond the first thing he does is put it under a table or under a desk with his glasses on with his hand cupped around it, and then after a careful examination, he usually makes a comment about the cut of the stone..... I always thought it was a crock, but since a few of you seem to think that it is valid I will pay more attention the next time he does it.....

That's amazing arkie, he must have been very successful with his cutting to do that! Give it a try next time you have the opportunity!

 

[WinkHPD]

Ha - a good thread, then Proto comes in with a zinger.

OP - the greater variety of light sourcing you can see in person (absent the ASET or IS images) the better idea you will garner on performance. Bring the book, business card, under the desk or any other special lighting situation you would like (I have taken diamonds outside into a dark alcove and then under trees on sunny day in the past - I think Wink mentioned this technique long ago(?)). This is an important purchase and you want it 'mind clean'. Happy hunting!

Many times. It was taught to me by Richard von Sternberg of EightStar many years ago. The leaves break up the light into thousands of sources which maximizes the visual performance of the diamonds. To get the best results, be sure you are standing in the shade of the tree.

Since you were kind enough to pass on the credit to me, I feel it only fair to pass on credit to where I actually learned it.

Wink

 

[Lorelei]

Ha - a good thread, then Proto comes in with a zinger.

OP - the greater variety of light sourcing you can see in person (absent the ASET or IS images) the better idea you will garner on performance. Bring the book, business card, under the desk or any other special lighting situation you would like (I have taken diamonds outside into a dark alcove and then under trees on sunny day in the past - I think Wink mentioned this technique long ago(?)). This is an important purchase and you want it 'mind clean'. Happy hunting!

Many times. It was taught to me by Richard von Sternberg of EightStar many years ago. The leaves break up the light into thousands of sources which maximizes the visual performance of the diamonds. To get the best results, be sure you are standing in the shade of the tree.

Since you were kind enough to pass on the credit to me, I feel it only fair to pass on credit to where I actually learned it.

Wink

Very cool, thanks Wink!

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

My husband paid for a career in flying when he was a teen cutting gemstones, whenever he looks at a diamond the first thing he does is put it under a table or under a desk with his glasses on with his hand cupped around it, and then after a careful examination, he usually makes a comment about the cut of the stone..... I always thought it was a crock, but since a few of you seem to think that it is valid I will pay more attention the next time he does it.....

That is fantastic! I wonder if it is discomfiting to a sales-person to have someone with the expertise to make a determination about cut based on 'under the desk' light performance in their store. Given the minimal training most staff receives on cut quality, this could boggle some minds... I just want to be a fly on the wall and watch it happen.

 

[OoohShiny]

Awesome input, thanks again, everyone


I actually went to a local jewellers today to enquire about rings and platinum alloys, to see if they could do 900/100 Pt/Ir ("all rings are 950, doesn't really matter what else is in them, if anyone says they can get 900 then they are probably lying" ) and while I was there I had a look at some of the settings already set with stones.

I forget how small rings and stones are when they are not plastered 12" wide on your screen...

Anyway, there were some mildly sparkly ones but they generally really were a bit 'meh' - usually white but a solid kind of white, like they were full of inclusions (the 'crushed ice' look?). It is these vast swathes of mediocrity that has me paranoid about how good a good cut actually is! lol And for the price they are charging for really very small stones with little to really set them apart from other stones...

I am hopeful that even if the size/clarity/colour/price combination works out much the same as a High Street purchase over here in the UK once taxes have been taken into account, importing an Ideal cut diamond will be vastly better!


arkie - your husband should consider getting back into cutting if/when he retires! (Do we get a PS discount? )

 

[Lorelei]

My husband paid for a career in flying when he was a teen cutting gemstones, whenever he looks at a diamond the first thing he does is put it under a table or under a desk with his glasses on with his hand cupped around it, and then after a careful examination, he usually makes a comment about the cut of the stone..... I always thought it was a crock, but since a few of you seem to think that it is valid I will pay more attention the next time he does it.....

That is fantastic! I wonder if it is discomfiting to a sales-person to have someone with the expertise to make a determination about cut based on 'under the desk' light performance in their store. Given the minimal training most staff receives on cut quality, this could boggle some minds... I just want to be a fly on the wall and watch it happen.

 

[Lorelei]

Awesome input, thanks again, everyone


I actually went to a local jewellers today to enquire about rings and platinum alloys, to see if they could do 900/100 Pt/Ir ("all rings are 950, doesn't really matter what else is in them, if anyone says they can get 900 then they are probably lying" ) and while I was there I had a look at some of the settings already set with stones.

I forget how small rings and stones are when they are not plastered 12" wide on your screen...

Anyway, there were some mildly sparkly ones but they generally really were a bit 'meh' - usually white but a solid kind of white, like they were full of inclusions (the 'crushed ice' look?). It is these vast swathes of mediocrity that has me paranoid about how good a good cut actually is! lol And for the price they are charging for really very small stones with little to really set them apart from other stones...

I am hopeful that even if the size/clarity/colour/price combination works out much the same as a High Street purchase over here in the UK once taxes have been taken into account, importing an Ideal cut diamond will be vastly better!


arkie - your husband should consider getting back into cutting if/when he retires! (Do we get a PS discount? )

Sorry you had a rubbish experience by the sound of it Shiny, but fear not. Even taking into account the extras one has to pay, I can promise you it will be worth it when you get your superbly cut rock, don't go by some of the rubbish cuts seen here, I do know exactly what you mean about the whitish no sparkle effect you describe. I was just wondering, if you can get to London, try Rob van Beurden or one of his colleagues at www.fortrez.com,, see what he can come up with?

It's a good reminder about how tiny these things actually are, easy to forget that in a sea of huge images when we are actually on average, discussing something around 6mm big....!

 

[OoohShiny]

That last sentence could probably be applied to other situations...


Thanks for the suggestion of Fortrez, though I was checking out some prices on the website - I think it will work out cheaper to import from the USA, even taking into account VAT!

I do have something in progress that I can hopefully post in Show Me The Bling soon... at which point I'm sure my fears will have disappeared!


The guy in the shop today was the owner, I think - his shop assistant that had been showing me a selection of rings before that was very helpful and nice but the owner was very blunt, to say the least... I just want to find somewhere willing to even acknowledge the existence of other alloy mixtures, who are willing to discuss their views and experiences. I may well go with a custom setting from the USA, they do at least understand customer service!!

 

[Andelain]

haha, I dont think I would be offered any discounts for getting under the table I am afraid...

Individual results may vary, of course.

I've found that if you do that at the bar it can get expensive!

 

[Lorelei]

That last sentence could probably be applied to other situations...

 

[Lorelei]

That last sentence could probably be applied to other situations...


Thanks for the suggestion of Fortrez, though I was checking out some prices on the website - I think it will work out cheaper to import from the USA, even taking into account VAT!

I do have something in progress that I can hopefully post in Show Me The Bling soon... at which point I'm sure my fears will have disappeared!


The guy in the shop today was the owner, I think - his shop assistant that had been showing me a selection of rings before that was very helpful and nice but the owner was very blunt, to say the least... I just want to find somewhere willing to even acknowledge the existence of other alloy mixtures, who are willing to discuss their views and experiences. I may well go with a custom setting from the USA, they do at least understand customer service!!

Your ring will come together beautifully Shiny! I hope you stick around after your ring is completed, you are a hoot!

 

[Lorelei]

haha, I dont think I would be offered any discounts for getting under the table I am afraid...

Individual results may vary, of course.

I've found that if you do that at the bar it can get expensive!

 

[Diamond_Hawk]

How many more posts before we get another double entendre in a thread? I would blame Proto, but I see Lorelei and Ooohshiny have played right along...and, for that matter here I am pointing it out and giving credence to the hilarity. Funny AND informative - nice job people.

 

[Lorelei]

How many more posts before we get another double entendre in a thread? I would blame Proto, but I see Lorelei and Ooohshiny have played right along...and, for that matter here I am pointing it out and giving credence to the hilarity. Funny AND informative - nice job people.

LOL! Thanks Hawk, 'tis a great thread, I seem to have a real talent for thread jacking and being a source of the conversation taking an unexpected turn.....