How does your diamond look directly under a light bulb?

[mrs_w]

Does anyone have pictures of their ring under incandescent or light bulb lighting? Mine seems dark and I was wondering if yours does too and whether this is normal? Is it poorly cut and a result of light leakage?

 

[mrs_w]

specs: OEC, I/J color, SI1, 1.68 ct, circa 1900

 

[TitanCi]

Shines bright like a diamond!

Well, I suspect it's because of the OEC nature of the stone, especially from 1900. Obviously those aren't MRB standards, so I would think it's normal? I'd like to hear what the resident experts say as I want to look for a nice OEC for the lovely fiance of mine!

 

[madelise]

Shines bright like a diamond!

Well, I suspect it's because of the OEC nature of the stone, especially from 1900. Obviously those aren't MRB standards, so I would think it's normal? I'd like to hear what the resident experts say as I want to look for a nice OEC for the lovely fiance of mine!

Old cut diamonds were cut to perform near candle light, not under a light bulb. In certain lights, my diamond looks dark, too. In others, it is bright bright edge-to-edge bright. I'm sorry I don't have photos of my exact stone to show you, but I just showed this in a different thread and remembered it:



BOTH diamonds look dark. This was taken right next to a lamp that was to the right of my hand, as you can sorta tell from the lighting.

My own diamond performs like this sometimes, too.

I wouldn't worry about it. Different diamonds perform differently in different lighting environments. If you're in a lighting environment that doesn't flatter your stone for the majority of your day, and are seeking a change for your next project, keep that in mind. My rings look like $hit in my classrooms, but I get so damned happy when I see them pumping flashes when I'm out of the class.

There's a specific video that Rhino (Jon from GOG) posted on his DiamondInfo YouTube channel that addresses the darkness in certain lights, but I can't remember which chapter of his series he posted it in. Even D's go dark in certain environments, no matter if it's an AGS 0. I hope someone will chime in with it.


Titan - your FI is so lucky! Have ya'll gone looking at the old cuts in person yet? Start a separate thread on this!

 

[kenny]

I'm afraid asking, "How does your diamond look directly under a light bulb?" is not a very useful question.

Many things affect how a diamond looks.
Every diamond is a little box of mirrors and windows, so diamonds behave like chameleons.
All those mirrors can reflect many things in the room back to your eyes, not only the light source.
Therefore, the same diamond under the same light can present a zillion appearances.
This is why diamond photographers put them in white translucent boxes to prevent things in the room from appearing in the diamond.

Your eye's pupil will get smaller if very bright light gets reflected into your eye, making the rest of the diamond appear dark.

Next the angle of the diamond to your eye and to the light and the distance from your head to the diamond will also dramatically affect how the diamond looks.

 

[Karl_K]

Does anyone have pictures of their ring under incandescent or light bulb lighting? Mine seems dark and I was wondering if yours does too and whether this is normal? Is it poorly cut and a result of light leakage?

static any diamond can look a little blah under them depending.
Start moving it and it should dance.

 

[John P]

A single bulb is a relatively small source which doesn't usually provide enough hemispheric coverage for a diamond. This is the reason that the insides of even well-cut diamonds can appear dark when you're standing in clear sunlight. The sun is the brightest possible incandescent light in our world, but it only sub-tends light at about one-half a degree. This means that, in the entire 180-degree hemisphere, the sun is one tiny point light source occupying only 1/360 of the total area in which the diamond "looks" for light. The sun is ridiculously bright - so it generates crazy sparkle, further enhanced by human physiology as Kenny noted above - but the sun doesn't cover enough hemispherical area to illuminate the entire diamond's body.

Diamond graders use evenly diffused fluorescent tubes. This is because instead of pinpoint light sources diffusion creates a large, uniform light "blanket," allowing the diamond to gather plenty of light but not promoting much dispersion or scintillation. It's the opposite of standing in bright sunlight.

For a neat effect, you might find a place that has a lot of bright incandescent lighting and big mirrors. When you multiply light sources your diamond will find more of them in it's "sky," and it gives back what it's receiving. I've mentioned here before that my wife spends extra time in our master bathroom getting ready because it's a super-sparkle-zone.

More in this thread: https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/darkness-in-ideal-cut-diamonds-revisited.150108/

 

[TitanCi]

Titan - your FI is so lucky! Have ya'll gone looking at the old cuts in person yet? Start a separate thread on this!

Not hi-jacking the thread, OP, but I felt I had to answer Ms. Madelise's question: We took a look online, and ever since I started seeing them more and more online thru PS I thought "gee, if I only knew more about them before I went with a MRB"... she said they're very different, but I am trying to save up so I can buy her a smaller "play ring" if you will, but IT WILL be OEC (no thanks to you OEC ladies!) The first one I bought killed my bank account!

OP: I think you've found some of your answers from the big names on the forum! Do you have pics of yours?

 

[Christina...]

Titan - your FI is so lucky! Have ya'll gone looking at the old cuts in person yet? Start a separate thread on this!

Not hi-jacking the thread, OP, but I felt I had to answer Ms. Madelise's question: We took a look online, and ever since I started seeing them more and more online thru PS I thought "gee, if I only knew more about them before I went with a MRB"... she said they're very different, but I am trying to save up so I can buy her a smaller "play ring" if you will, but IT WILL be OEC (no thanks to you OEC ladies!) The first one I bought killed my bank account!

OP: I think you've found some of your answers from the big names on the forum! Do you have pics of yours?

Lucky lady! It's good to 'see' you again!