Do all well cut diamonds must appear dark?

[mommylawyer]

Likely broad spectrum LED light directly overhead, yes. Similar effect to sunlight.

Thank you!! I have been wondering about this for almost a year. Thanks again!

 

[MissGotRocks]

It is generally all about the lighting situation In which you are viewing the diamond. I am sure there are other times in different areas that it looks white.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

My diamond looks dark in sunlight

If you look at a diamond in direct sunlight then the better and brighter the cut - the darker the diamond will appear.

I took these photos on a hot 30°C cloudless day in front of my Canterbury store.

The first photo shows 5 different cut styles in direct sunlight. You will note the ideal-cut round on the right appears darkest (the blue hue is from the sky, the dark areas are reflections from the black phone).

Note that the only a few bright flashes in the ideal-cut round but there are twice as many in the marquise in the center ring. Yet in real life the round is quite a bit brighter than the marquise.







In the photo below I moved the stones into the shade of my body; note the round ideal-cut is now the brightest!

The better the cut the darker a diamond will appear in sunlight.

So if you think your diamond looks dark in direct sunlight – do not worry, it is a sign that the cut is really good.

If you want to look at diamonds out-doors then shade the direct sunlight. Or better still, wait for a cloudy day and find a leafy tree that has thousands of tiny point light sources and then you will be amazed at the combined brightness and firey coloured sparkles!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Here I have modelled a 1.75ct and a 1ct with exactly the same amount of yellow tint (in DiamCalc).
Note that the large stone appears yellower.
a 10ct G looks quite yellowish. (this is a sad fact of the way the grading system is. Same errors hold for clarity - almost all 10ct VS2's are eye visible etc )

 

[mommylawyer]

My diamond looks dark in sunlight

If you look at a diamond in direct sunlight then the better and brighter the cut - the darker the diamond will appear.

I took these photos on a hot 30°C cloudless day in front of my Canterbury store.

The first photo shows 5 different cut styles in direct sunlight. You will note the ideal-cut round on the right appears darkest (the blue hue is from the sky, the dark areas are reflections from the black phone).

Note that the only a few bright flashes in the ideal-cut round but there are twice as many in the marquise in the center ring. Yet in real life the round is quite a bit brighter than the marquise.







In the photo below I moved the stones into the shade of my body; note the round ideal-cut is now the brightest!

The better the cut the darker a diamond will appear in sunlight.

So if you think your diamond looks dark in direct sunlight – do not worry, it is a sign that the cut is really good.

If you want to look at diamonds out-doors then shade the direct sunlight. Or better still, wait for a cloudy day and find a leafy tree that has thousands of tiny point light sources and then you will be amazed at the combined brightness and firey coloured sparkles!

Thank you very much for this explanation! My halo ring looks exactly like that in direct light--dark with a white halo, and then bright white in the shade. I think the white gold halo makes it more obvious that the stone has gone dark. I don't notice it as much with my three-stone ring because all the stones are doing the same thing. Thanks again!

 

[Polabowla]

So my whole ring doesn't go dark, just one area on the top gets a dark grey half moon when tilted at a certain angle.
It's visible only from that angle. Is that something similar to the issue here? If not what can it be? It drives me nuts.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

So my whole ring doesn't go dark, just one area on the top gets a dark grey half moon when tilted at a certain angle.
It's visible only from that angle. Is that something similar to the issue here? If not what can it be? It drives me nuts.

picture = 1,000,000 words

 

[Polabowla]

picture = 1,000,000 words

Not a totally clear photo

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Not a totally clear photo

That is a leakage area I think. if you hold a torch or light behind that area and it lights up - then it is leakage.

 

[Polabowla]

Thank you @Garry H (Cut Nut) I will have to try it.
I only see it from that exact angle, if I tilt it slightly then the dark area disappears. Is that common with leakage?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Thank you @Garry H (Cut Nut) I will have to try it.
I only see it from that exact angle, if I tilt it slightly then the dark area disappears. Is that common with leakage?

Experiment with a torch and all will be revealed

 

[Karl_K]

Is the ceiling or even walls dark where you took the pic? Is it just in one room you see it?

If its not leakage and not the ceiling, its obstruction.
Move some bright colored paper in front of your face/hair see if you see the paper color in the diamond in that area.

 

[Polabowla]

It's in the bank safe so no experiments now.
Celing is white under bright lights .

@Karl_K what is obstruction? Csn you clarify more?

The weirdest thing is I didn't notice this in my ring until months after wearing & examining my ring closely. One day nothing, the next it was there.
However even cleaning makes no difference.

 

[AV_]

@Polabowla I see the same window in most videos of heart shape diamonds that are not very shalllow cut - it seems inevitable to see through the table and the large vertical facets at the notch. Only in the very shallow cuts the range of such viewing angles (tilt toward the screen for the stones in vieos) is very narrow - hardly to be seen, but, such stones are not often brilliant & not often bright at all [digressing - brighteness with little brilliance is possible - but there are so few such mirror bright, shallow heart shapes! - or any shape, for that matter.]

2c