hearts on fire only cut that shows full rainbow of colors?

[Lula]

So I went to my local B&M yesterday to get some ideas for a new wedding band and the salesperson says, oh, by the way, have you ever seen a HOF diamond? I play along and say no (I love to look at HOF but they are way above my budget). So he brings out some diamonds and the hearts/arrows viewer and tells me all about them, shows me the stones under the viewer and says, "HOF are the only diamonds that exhibit the full color spectrum of the rainbow." I''m thinking, huh? So I''m taking this to the forum -- is his comment based on any sort of reality (scientific testing) or is he full of it?

 

[Ellen]

Date: 6/17/2009 12:21:17 PM
Author:sarap333
So I went to my local B&M yesterday to get some ideas for a new wedding band and the salesperson says, oh, by the way, have you ever seen a HOF diamond? I play along and say no (I love to look at HOF but they are way above my budget). So he brings out some diamonds and the hearts/arrows viewer and tells me all about them, shows me the stones under the viewer and says, ''HOF are the only diamonds that exhibit the full color spectrum of the rainbow.'' I''m thinking, huh? So I''m taking this to the forum -- is his comment based on any sort of reality (scientific testing) or is he full of it?

No. Absolute sales tactic hogwash.

 

[Lula]

Thanks, Ellen - thought so. It really turned me off to ever wanting to buy anything from them!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/17/2009 12:24:58 PM
Author: Ellen

Date: 6/17/2009 12:21:17 PM
Author:sarap333
So I went to my local B&M yesterday to get some ideas for a new wedding band and the salesperson says, oh, by the way, have you ever seen a HOF diamond? I play along and say no (I love to look at HOF but they are way above my budget). So he brings out some diamonds and the hearts/arrows viewer and tells me all about them, shows me the stones under the viewer and says, ''HOF are the only diamonds that exhibit the full color spectrum of the rainbow.'' I''m thinking, huh? So I''m taking this to the forum -- is his comment based on any sort of reality (scientific testing) or is he full of it?

No. Absolute sales tactic hogwash.

Ditto

 

[motownmama]

I''ve spent countless hours looking at red/orange/yellow/green/blue/indigo/violet sparks from my non-HOF ring!!!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 6/17/2009 12:26:37 PM
Author: sarap333
Thanks, Ellen - thought so. It really turned me off to ever wanting to buy anything from them!

Yep, that''ll do it!

Glad you asked though, now you know.

And you''re welcome!

 

[Rhino]

Date: 6/17/2009 12:21:17 PM
Author:sarap333
So I went to my local B&M yesterday to get some ideas for a new wedding band and the salesperson says, oh, by the way, have you ever seen a HOF diamond? I play along and say no (I love to look at HOF but they are way above my budget). So he brings out some diamonds and the hearts/arrows viewer and tells me all about them, shows me the stones under the viewer and says, ''HOF are the only diamonds that exhibit the full color spectrum of the rainbow.'' I''m thinking, huh? So I''m taking this to the forum -- is his comment based on any sort of reality (scientific testing) or is he full of it?

That''s a pretty funny statement. Fact is all diamonds exhibit fire and fire includes all of the spectrum. Some more and some less depending on cut quality of course. Even amongst those that are top cut qualities you''ll find different types of fire & sparkle patterns as observed in spot lighting environments (ie. pin vs broad) which boils down to individual taste.

Concerning the spectrum however there are 2 colors of the spectrum that are most dominant when dispersed out of diamond. Those 2 colors of the spectrum being blue and yellow. Red, orange, green, violet, etc. can also be observed but are not as common as the other 2.

 

[soocool]

The same thing happened to me a couple of months ago when I was ring hunting. The store showed me a HOF next to another stone similar in weight and color (they did not tell me the cut of the stone though). The sa, however, mixed up the stones and when she proceeded to show me how white it was in comparison to the other stone and then told me to look at the "hearts" & then the "arrows" under the scope, I asked what hearts & arrows. Apparently she mixed up the stones.

She called me a few weeks ago to see if I was still interested in the HOF stone and I said no!

 

[Kelli]

full of it!

 

[Rockit]

Tsk, tsk, tsk. I wear a HOF ring next to a Tiffany ring. They both shoot off a full range of beautiful rainbow colors and each was purchased because of it''s individual appeal with no branding in mind. In fact, the B&M store owner who sold us the HOF repeatedly remarks how spectacular the Tiffany stone is BECAUSE IT FLASHES ALL THE COLORS. Said he noticed it the first time I walked into his store. Also, I have several beautiful, non-branded, diamond pieces purchased from online vendors that show the full-spectrum of color. Feel free to pass the word on to your salesperson... rainbows are not exclusive to HOF!

 

[Lula]

Thanks, Rhino, That certainly comports with what I see when I look at my diamond (ideal cut). I certainly haven''t noticed any "missing" colors -- LOL!

The other thing he did that bugged me is that after he showed me a few HOF under the viewer, he asked to see my diamond under the viewer. I gave it to him (I didn''t tell him, and he didn''t ask, that it''s an ideal cut stone). You should have seen the look on his face when he saw the clear-as-a-bell arrows in the viewer! But did he say anything -- no, he just continued his pitch on how I should upgrade to an HOF. He did ask me where I got my stone, and I lied and said "Japan," and then he said, I''ll bet if I put this under a microscope, I wouldn''t see a speck of carbon! What a thing to say to a potential customer - is that supposed to be some sort of a reverse compliment?

And is a high-end store -- they carry Scott Kay, Tacori, Christian Bauer, HOF, Steven Kretchmer (spell) Simon G., etc., etc.

Anyway, it bugs me that he''s giving out incorrect information, especially when he''d just told me that he spent all these hours getting "trained" to sell HOF! If I was feeling particularly grumpy today, I would send HOF an e-mail and let them know that they''ve got a sales associate that needs to be retrained. The diamonds are lovely (if you can afford them) so they don''t need his kind of help!

I ordered my diamond and setting online (anniversary upgrade), and it is beautiful -- perfect. But I was thinking that I''d like to buy my new wedding band locally (and I was seriously considering a $1500 HOF 18kt. .30 ctw. 3/4-eternity band at this store) so that I wouldn''t have to deal with sizing issues and so that I could develop a relationship with a local jeweler, but after this, I think I''ll stick with my trusted online vendors.

Thanks for letting me vent! To any sales associates out there who might be reading this, please don''t assume your customer is an idiot!

 

[jet2ks]

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! (gasp for breath) Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!

The sad part is that there are a lot of uneducated shoppers that will never question the salesperson''s statement and overpay for a diamond as a result.

 

[Rockit]

Rhino, I''m glad you made the comment about the dominant spectral colors. I''ve always wanted to ask if some of the colors are more commonly seen than others. The store owner I mentioned said that he was especially pleased to see the rich red colors from my diamond because red is more rare to see than the other colors, and I''ve always meant to follow up on this, but, I never did. So, is it because the wavelengths or reds are longer? But, wait, that doesn''t work because blue and yellow are kind of near the middle in terms of length... but, no... green is in between... argh! Is it about how the physical qualities of diamond disperses each unique wavelength? Ack. OK, I''m sooooo confused! Grrr....

 

[Rockit]

OMG... I wish I could have seen his face when he saw your diamond in the viewer! Very funny story.

All kidding aside, for what it is worth, I purchased my HOF band because the diamonds did the best job matching the lovely performance of the diamond in the Tiffany ring. And, we looked at a PILE of diamond bands, including Tiffany. This was the best of the bunch... memorable, even. However, the HOF band I liked was done in white gold and I wanted platinum. So, instead of taking the white gold and living with it, or resetting those stones, we ordered another HOF band that arrived just days before the wedding (too late to change). As lovely as these diamonds are, I do not think they are as pleasing or as well-matched as the stones in the first band we saw (which was sold when we returned to pick-up the platinum band). If I had it to do again, I would probably do it differently. So, for me anyway, ALL diamonds have unique characteristics and qualities, branded or not, and all pieces – even those of the same design – have distinctive qualities, some more pleasing than others.

 

[Lula]

Date: 6/17/2009 1:18:17 PM
Author: Rockit
OMG... I wish I could have seen his face when he saw your diamond in the viewer! Very funny story.


All kidding aside, for what it is worth, I purchased my HOF band because the diamonds did the best job matching the lovely performance of the diamond in the Tiffany ring. And, we looked at a PILE of diamond bands, including Tiffany. This was the best of the bunch... memorable, even. However, the HOF band I liked was done in white gold and I wanted platinum. So, instead of taking the white gold and living with it, or resetting those stones, we ordered another HOF band that arrived just days before the wedding (too late to change). As lovely as these diamonds are, I do not think they are as pleasing or as well-matched as the stones in the first band we saw (which was sold when we returned to pick-up the platinum band). If I had it to do again, I would probably do it differently. So, for me anyway, ALL diamonds have unique characteristics and qualities, branded or not, and all pieces – even those of the same design – have distinctive qualities, some more pleasing than others.

yes, Rockit, I know what you mean -- I''ve looked at many 3/4-eternity bands lately and the HOF one was stunning -- just gorgeous. The stones were perfectly matched and the setting was flawless. And to my mind, $1500 was pretty reasonable, given how it compared to other rings I''d seen that were the same ctw., but not ideal cut, 14kt. not 18 kt., and priced from $800 to $1000. I was willing to suck up the additional $500 - $700 because this ring was so beautiful, and it was only 1.7 mm. wide! I, too, wanted platinum and the SA said that it could be made in platinum, but your experience makes me reconsider that. But I don''t want the white gold and platinum destroying each other either -- but that''s another post!

P.S. Your jeweler sounds like a real "gem" (pun intended). I''m jealous!

 

[DiamondFlame]

Date: 6/17/2009 12:21:17 PM
Author:sarap333
So I went to my local B&M yesterday to get some ideas for a new wedding band and the salesperson says, oh, by the way, have you ever seen a HOF diamond? I play along and say no (I love to look at HOF but they are way above my budget). So he brings out some diamonds and the hearts/arrows viewer and tells me all about them, shows me the stones under the viewer and says, ''HOF are the only diamonds that exhibit the full color spectrum of the rainbow.'' I''m thinking, huh? So I''m taking this to the forum -- is his comment based on any sort of reality (scientific testing) or is he full of it?

You''re too kind. I probably would have asked him, "Dude, what have you been smoking?"

 

[oldminer]

I sure he meant to say that HOF diamonds display the entire electromagnetic spectrum such as radio waves, infra-red and ultraviolet.....Right!

Rhino: Where did you get to measure the amount of colored spectral light so you could state that there is more blue and yellow coming out of diamonds? When white light is dispersed into spectral colors there is a definite proportion of each wavelength. You may be using light going in which is missing some components or you may not be in a proper viewing angle to see the rest of the spectrum, possibly??? Please explain a bit more. Thanks.

 

[glitterata]

Ditto Old Miner, please explain more, Rhino!

 

[Fly Girl]

I''m curious as well about the colors of chromatic flare. I did find this GIA article on diamond optics, which made for interesting reading. GIA Article

 

[Rockit]

Fly Girl, thanks for the article... I''ll have to read it several more times, I''m sure! Good stuff.

I get that each color wavelength reacts differently due to several factors, and that red, with the longest wavelength bends the least, however, I''m still wondering, in general terms, is red the least commonly perceived color in diamond "fire?" Or, is this just a misconception (or just plain misinformation)?

Back to the books...

 

[oldminer]

What the article is telling you in the a rather most complicated way, is as follows: When white light enters a diamond it may be broken down into its spectral colors. Since the path for each color becomes a different length inside the diamond depending on its individual refraction and path, the observer may not see all the spectral colors, like in a rainbow, all at one time next to one another as we''d expect to see with a prism. What happens is the various colors travel in distinctly and increasingly different paths and exit the stone at various angles and trajectories. This being the case, we see more individual colors as firey flash coming out of a diamond. I don''t see it supporting any particular color of "flash" as being more prevalent than another. I still think it is a matter of where one views the diamond and the character of the light that started the process when it initially entered the diamond. The article seems to support the placement of the viewer''s eyes, as well.

 

[Dancing Fire]

green and blue are the dominant colors on my wife''s ring.

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 6/17/2009 12:21:17 PM
Author:sarap333
So I went to my local B&M yesterday to get some ideas for a new wedding band and the salesperson says, oh, by the way, have you ever seen a HOF diamond? I play along and say no (I love to look at HOF but they are way above my budget). So he brings out some diamonds and the hearts/arrows viewer and tells me all about them, shows me the stones under the viewer and says, ''HOF are the only diamonds that exhibit the full color spectrum of the rainbow.'' I''m thinking, huh? So I''m taking this to the forum -- is his comment based on any sort of reality (scientific testing) or is he full of it?

Uh, WOW

I really wish that I''d been there because I would have liked to watch the guys face when I said "Do you mean of all the diamonds you have in your store, that the HOF diamonds are the only ones that exhibit a full spectrum of dispersion under the halogen store lights and the blue dio-chromatic filters?!?! Well then, why carry the other diamonds?" and then I would ask if it were possible to look at the diamonds without the filtered halogen lighting.

Doh! I LOVE playing with jewelry store "clerks"

 

[Lula]

Date: 6/17/2009 7:11:24 PM
Author: Todd Gray

Date: 6/17/2009 12:21:17 PM

Author:sarap333

So I went to my local B&M yesterday to get some ideas for a new wedding band and the salesperson says, oh, by the way, have you ever seen a HOF diamond? I play along and say no (I love to look at HOF but they are way above my budget). So he brings out some diamonds and the hearts/arrows viewer and tells me all about them, shows me the stones under the viewer and says, ''HOF are the only diamonds that exhibit the full color spectrum of the rainbow.'' I''m thinking, huh? So I''m taking this to the forum -- is his comment based on any sort of reality (scientific testing) or is he full of it?

Uh, WOW

I really wish that I''d been there because I would have liked to watch the guys face when I said ''Do you mean of all the diamonds you have in your store, that the HOF diamonds are the only ones that exhibit a full spectrum of dispersion under the halogen store lights and the blue dio-chromatic filters?!?! Well then, why carry the other diamonds?'' and then I would ask if it were possible to look at the diamonds without the filtered halogen lighting.


Doh! I LOVE playing with jewelry store ''clerks''

Yeah, good point, Todd! That ties in with the way he was treating me -- he assumed my stone was crap (before he scoped it) and was insinuating that if I was considering buying the HOF 3/4-eternity, I might as well upgrade my stone to something worthy of the eternity ring. Heh-heh, you should have SEEN his face when he looked at my stone! I''m going back on Friday to fess up and tell him that indeed I got my stone from the internet (shudder! gasp!) and give him some information on Crafted by Infinity (my stone) since he gave me a bunch of literature on HOF -- fair is fair! I may also print out that GIA article referenced a few posts ago and share that with him. Then we''ll talk...maybe. I''ll probably get thrown out of the store if other customers are in there!

 

[stone-cold11]

Enjoy.

 

[Rhino]

Hey sarap,

Date: 6/17/2009 12:58:49 PM
Author: sarap333
Thanks, Rhino, That certainly comports with what I see when I look at my diamond (ideal cut). I certainly haven''t noticed any ''missing'' colors -- LOL!

Haha... only the Creator of those colors could determine what would be there and present. Something completely out of the control of man. The only amount of control he left us in that department was how much and the type of reflections we''d observe if we did the job right.

Date: 6/17/2009 12:58:49 PM
Author: sarap333

The other thing he did that bugged me is that after he showed me a few HOF under the viewer, he asked to see my diamond under the viewer. I gave it to him (I didn''t tell him, and he didn''t ask, that it''s an ideal cut stone). You should have seen the look on his face when he saw the clear-as-a-bell arrows in the viewer! But did he say anything -- no, he just continued his pitch on how I should upgrade to an HOF. He did ask me where I got my stone, and I lied and said ''Japan,'' and then he said, I''ll bet if I put this under a microscope, I wouldn''t see a speck of carbon! What a thing to say to a potential customer - is that supposed to be some sort of a reverse compliment?

I would have loved to see his face. Don''t ya wish you had a hidden camera during these moments? (hrm... now you got me thinking

) Sometimes you gotta wonder ... did he do this all on his own (perhaps ignorantly) or was he actually trained to say this? And yea ... is this guy looking to gain a client or lose one?!?!?!? Unreal.

Date: 6/17/2009 12:58:49 PM
Author: sarap333

And is a high-end store -- they carry Scott Kay, Tacori, Christian Bauer, HOF, Steven Kretchmer (spell) Simon G., etc., etc.

Anyway, it bugs me that he''s giving out incorrect information, especially when he''d just told me that he spent all these hours getting ''trained'' to sell HOF! If I was feeling particularly grumpy today, I would send HOF an e-mail and let them know that they''ve got a sales associate that needs to be retrained. The diamonds are lovely (if you can afford them) so they don''t need his kind of help!

I ordered my diamond and setting online (anniversary upgrade), and it is beautiful -- perfect. But I was thinking that I''d like to buy my new wedding band locally (and I was seriously considering a $1500 HOF 18kt. .30 ctw. 3/4-eternity band at this store) so that I wouldn''t have to deal with sizing issues and so that I could develop a relationship with a local jeweler, but after this, I think I''ll stick with my trusted online vendors.

Thanks for letting me vent! To any sales associates out there who might be reading this, please don''t assume your customer is an idiot!

Always best to give an honest "I don''t know" instead of spouting off misinformation. Salespeople in the retail world would do themselves a service (and the companies they work for) if they *listened* to consumers and especially those who report on the Internet. Appreciate the input. Don''t give up on retailer''s though who have bricks and mortar jewelry stores! I happen to be one of them!!!

Kind regards,

 

[Rhino]

Date: 6/17/2009 1:07:42 PM
Author: Rockit
Rhino, I''m glad you made the comment about the dominant spectral colors. I''ve always wanted to ask if some of the colors are more commonly seen than others. The store owner I mentioned said that he was especially pleased to see the rich red colors from my diamond because red is more rare to see than the other colors, and I''ve always meant to follow up on this, but, I never did. So, is it because the wavelengths or reds are longer? But, wait, that doesn''t work because blue and yellow are kind of near the middle in terms of length... but, no... green is in between... argh! Is it about how the physical qualities of diamond disperses each unique wavelength? Ack. OK, I''m sooooo confused! Grrr....

That is a very good question Rockit and one in which I do not know the answer to. I know that amongst the wavelength green is the color most easily discernible. As an amateur astronomer we''ll use laser pointers with a green wavelength to point out stars at night since that is the color most easily discernible. You are correct in your statement that the blue and yellow are in the center (as is green) and perhaps because it is at the center makes it most easily discernible. I don''t have a 100% answer for ya on that one.

 

[Rhino]

Date: 6/17/2009 1:54:20 PM
Author: oldminer
I sure he meant to say that HOF diamonds display the entire electromagnetic spectrum such as radio waves, infra-red and ultraviolet.....Right!

Rhino: Where did you get to measure the amount of colored spectral light so you could state that there is more blue and yellow coming out of diamonds? When white light is dispersed into spectral colors there is a definite proportion of each wavelength. You may be using light going in which is missing some components or you may not be in a proper viewing angle to see the rest of the spectrum, possibly??? Please explain a bit more. Thanks.

Good question. Initially in working with the BrillianceScope. Since the BrillianceScope is in essence a photospectrometer is captures and actually counts the amount of colors it *sees*. A phenomena which can also be observed. It counts 4 colors in the spectrum ... blue, red, green and yellow. There is a feature in the software that allows the user to actually see the percentage of each color captured and counted. I may be able to capture this via hi-def video as I possess an analogue version of it which duplicates the same lighting.

 

[Rhino]

Date: 6/17/2009 7:11:24 PM
Author: Todd Gray

Date: 6/17/2009 12:21:17 PM

Author:sarap333

So I went to my local B&M yesterday to get some ideas for a new wedding band and the salesperson says, oh, by the way, have you ever seen a HOF diamond? I play along and say no (I love to look at HOF but they are way above my budget). So he brings out some diamonds and the hearts/arrows viewer and tells me all about them, shows me the stones under the viewer and says, ''HOF are the only diamonds that exhibit the full color spectrum of the rainbow.'' I''m thinking, huh? So I''m taking this to the forum -- is his comment based on any sort of reality (scientific testing) or is he full of it?

Uh, WOW

I really wish that I''d been there because I would have liked to watch the guys face when I said ''Do you mean of all the diamonds you have in your store, that the HOF diamonds are the only ones that exhibit a full spectrum of dispersion under the halogen store lights and the blue dio-chromatic filters?!?! Well then, why carry the other diamonds?'' and then I would ask if it were possible to look at the diamonds without the filtered halogen lighting.


Doh! I LOVE playing with jewelry store ''clerks''

I pity the clerk who gets you.

 

[Lula]

Date: 6/17/2009 8:00:46 PM
Author: Rhino
Hey sarap,

Date: 6/17/2009 12:58:49 PM

Author: sarap333

Thanks, Rhino, That certainly comports with what I see when I look at my diamond (ideal cut). I certainly haven''t noticed any ''missing'' colors -- LOL!

Haha... only the Creator of those colors could determine what would be there and present. Something completely out of the control of man. The only amount of control he left us in that department was how much and the type of reflections we''d observe if we did the job right.

Date: 6/17/2009 12:58:49 PM

Author: sarap333


The other thing he did that bugged me is that after he showed me a few HOF under the viewer, he asked to see my diamond under the viewer. I gave it to him (I didn''t tell him, and he didn''t ask, that it''s an ideal cut stone). You should have seen the look on his face when he saw the clear-as-a-bell arrows in the viewer! But did he say anything -- no, he just continued his pitch on how I should upgrade to an HOF. He did ask me where I got my stone, and I lied and said ''Japan,'' and then he said, I''ll bet if I put this under a microscope, I wouldn''t see a speck of carbon! What a thing to say to a potential customer - is that supposed to be some sort of a reverse compliment?

I would have loved to see his face. Don''t ya wish you had a hidden camera during these moments? (hrm... now you got me thinking

) Sometimes you gotta wonder ... did he do this all on his own (perhaps ignorantly) or was he actually trained to say this? And yea ... is this guy looking to gain a client or lose one?!?!?!? Unreal.

Date: 6/17/2009 12:58:49 PM

Author: sarap333


And is a high-end store -- they carry Scott Kay, Tacori, Christian Bauer, HOF, Steven Kretchmer (spell) Simon G., etc., etc.


Anyway, it bugs me that he''s giving out incorrect information, especially when he''d just told me that he spent all these hours getting ''trained'' to sell HOF! If I was feeling particularly grumpy today, I would send HOF an e-mail and let them know that they''ve got a sales associate that needs to be retrained. The diamonds are lovely (if you can afford them) so they don''t need his kind of help!


I ordered my diamond and setting online (anniversary upgrade), and it is beautiful -- perfect. But I was thinking that I''d like to buy my new wedding band locally (and I was seriously considering a $1500 HOF 18kt. .30 ctw. 3/4-eternity band at this store) so that I wouldn''t have to deal with sizing issues and so that I could develop a relationship with a local jeweler, but after this, I think I''ll stick with my trusted online vendors.


Thanks for letting me vent! To any sales associates out there who might be reading this, please don''t assume your customer is an idiot!

Always best to give an honest ''I don''t know'' instead of spouting off misinformation. Salespeople in the retail world would do themselves a service (and the companies they work for) if they *listened* to consumers and especially those who report on the Internet. Appreciate the input. Don''t give up on retailer''s though who have bricks and mortar jewelry stores! I happen to be one of them!!!


Kind regards,

Thanks, Rhino, for your comments. I''d say there are alot of people in the diamond business who do know how to "do the job right," who take what creation offers and maximize it''s beauty. And that''s why I appreciate this forum -- you hold each other to high standards!

I would have loved to have a camera to capture this guy''s face -- now you''re giving me ideas - "60 Minutes" expose, here we come!

I won''t give up on B&M stores. I''ve had some fine custom work done in the past by local jewelers who educate and guide their clients rather than trying to pull a fast one! If I lived on the east coast, I''d love to visit you (and see that 1.74 O IF in person!). IMO, one great thing about Pricescope vendors is that many of them do maintain a B&M store (like you, and Wink, and many others that I see referenced on PS). May I say that I believe all of you are on the cutting edge of diamond technology, marketing, and sales.