Hazy/foggy looking James Allen images?

[j3rry333]

Hi all! I've been comparing diamonds on James Allen, and I've noticed something odd. Some of the diamonds appear a bit hazy all over compared to others. I'm not talking about inclusions/clouds or "over blue" fluorescence (which wouldn't be visible in the images anyway), but just a subtle, uniform sort of fogginess.

Here's an example of a stone with the foggy appearance I'm talking about: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-e-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-311034

Here's another: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-d-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-312121

Here's a counter-example where the stone does not look foggy: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-d-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-308731

Another non-foggy stone: http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-dia...-d-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-263848

What do you all think? Is it a camera/focus/lighting issue? Or are the first two stones actually foggier than the second two?

Thanks for your input!

 

[j3rry333]

Anyone have any ideas about this? The first two diamonds I linked to have excellent HCA scores, so I think they could be contenders for me, but I do worry that they won't look as clear and bright as they should in person. The second two diamonds are just random examples of stones with no apparent fogginess.

 

[MarionC]

I would call James Allen and talk to them directly. It could be that the camera was not focused at the right depth or the stone wasn't clean.
If you see a diamond that you think has potential you can always have them send it out - shipping is free both ways for the first 3 diamonds you look at.

I'm sure others will chime in with more ideas, but just call JA and it may "clear things up".

ps. The person who helped me so much at JA - Gary Francis - should be working today. I would ask for him.

 

[TC1987]

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-d-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-308731 Looks like a great SI2 with those twinning wisps barely there.

 

[Lorelei]

Hi J3rry, welcome to Pricescope!

I believe you are right, the method of photography that JA use often gives the diamonds a slightly ' foggy' appearance in the photos I have found, it's not usually anything to worry about. Do check of course as you would with any vendor if you are considering a diamond with grade making clouds in SI clarity grades or strong blue fluorescence or very strong blue to ensure that these factors aren't causing any cloudy type visuals with the diamond. albeit this is rare. I haven't looked through your selections to check the grade making inclusions and fluorescence grading yet, but as above, this looks like normal JA photography results to me.

 

[j3rry333]

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

Hi J3rry, welcome to Pricescope!

I believe you are right, the method of photography that JA use often gives the diamonds a slightly ' foggy' appearance in the photos I have found, it's not usually anything to worry about. Do check of course as you would with any vendor if you are considering a diamond with grade making clouds in SI clarity grades or strong blue fluorescence or very strong blue to ensure that these factors aren't causing any cloudy type visuals with the diamond. albeit this is rare. I haven't looked through your selections to check the grade making inclusions and fluorescence grading yet, but as above, this looks like normal JA photography results to me.

There are no clouds or strong fluorescence listed for either stone, so I think you must be right that the photography is causing the effect. I just wanted to make sure that there weren't other factors I wasn't aware of that could cause a stone to look foggy in real life. Thanks for reassuring me!

 

[j3rry333]

http://www.jamesallen.com/loose-diamonds/round-cut/0.90-carat-d-color-si2-clarity-excellent-cut-sku-308731 Looks like a great SI2 with those twinning wisps barely there.

Wow, that's a clean looking S12! Unfortunately the HCA is 4.9

 

[Lorelei]

You are welcome, thanks for letting me know my posts have been helpful as I am just getting back into the saddle so to speak! With the stone above, I would just like to bring up a couple of points. Firstly, if a well cut stone is the priority you can do better, as the HCA score suggests then this particular diamond is what we call a steep deep, the crown and pavilion angles are respectively too steep and deep to complement each other, this can cause light leakage, I can see this effect under the table area in the photo, note the dark areas. It might not be that noticeable in real life depending on viewing conditions and I have certainly seen worse, but I believe you can do better. It is also facing up a bit small for it's weight. Concerning the twinning wisps, these are the grade making inclusion so in these SI clarity grades, it's best to check that these aren't visible to the naked eye or causing any hazy areas in the stone.

It's so helpful that the community members post suggestions to help others find their rock, I just like to point things out that I notice good or bad about any particular diamond and I appreciate other PSers taking the time out to scroll through the listings to help!