IdealScope - Who uses it? Who uses it?

[dbretton]

Hello all,

Who here has used the idealscope for evaluating potential stones *before* purchase, and not after? That is, has anyone purchased one of these units and brought it with them to a brick & mortar jeweler to actually use?

Also, I read in another thread that the next version of the idealscope was forthcoming, complete with a built-in diffuser. Any update as to when that will be released?

Thanks again!

Regards,
Dennis

 

[yeewl]

Hi,
I bought a 'cupid cut' scope last year after purchasing an uncertified H&A stone. I also bought an 'Idealscope' recently when my girlfriend's dad went over to Melbourne. Before I make any purchase, whether loose stone or mounted ones , I will not only look at the GIA cert alone, but uses both scopes before deciding on the purchase, whether the leakage is still within the acceptable range for me. I just bought an E VS2 0.82 round brilliant and a F VS2 0.32 (both with GIA certs) using these scopes. You can use them even on fancy cut diamonds too.
Hope that's helpful..

 

[dbretton]

Wow!!

71 posts, and only 1 reply. I guess this thing really is just a marketing gimmick...

 

[jknapper]

dbretton, what in the world does your last post mean?

 

[yeewl]

I do not know what you meant by that last remark. Since your post stated whether anyone bought the Idealscope and use it to view 'potential’ loose diamonds before purchasing it.

I am no expert in viewing what an ideal cut is unless I have this scope to assist me. Even the ‘cupid cut scope’ pales compared to Idealscope. I wish I had purchased it much earlier, then it save me a lot of heartache when I have trade all the junky ones for the one good proportion diamond. (Pay too much attention to clarity, color and neglected cut, which makes a diamond ‘alive’, and ‘speaks’ to you.)

Even with GIA cert and good proportion doesn’t guarantee that diamond is considered an ideal because of the angle and as a result, light leakage. Way before I bought the ideal scope, I bought a 0.30 G VS2 pendent (GIA) with table 59% and depth 61.9% with thin to medium girdle faceted. I thought since it falls into the ideal proportion, it should be a good buy and I went ahead to buy it. By the time I realized the leakage at the pavilion after viewing the scope, it was too late. That mistake cost me S$2020 (US$1135) while the other 0.32 F VS2 (GIA) with table 57% and depth 60.7% thin to medium girdle and a small culet, turns out to be a real gem with no light leakage. Thanks to the scope, I made the right choice this time round and paid S$918 (US$515). I now have a bigger stone with better color and a much cheaper price and made them as a new pair of earrings instead.

You may think I am an idiot since I will make significant losses when trade in the others. The only few explanations I can offer… How many diamond rings can you wear with just only 10 fingers? Why let them sit idling in safe deposit box when you are not going to wear them again?

 

[hbright]

No. It's not a gimmick. It works in a very practical way. I didn't intially use the idealscope prior to purchase, but was able to confirm my "lucky" (got an ags 000, of which some combination of proportions are wrong) purchase with the scope. I comparing my friends diamonds, some of which looked drab, under the idealscope confirmed its ability to predict visual performance. One diamond that looked brilliant but not firey showed mostly red but smaller dark arrows. Another with great fire and scintillation and symmetry showed strong arrows and a few other dark patches. Some showed outright light leakage. It's been accurate for me.

I can't conceive of purchasing another diamond without an idealscope or HCA score. Sure, knowing the tolerances of "ideal" cuts help, but the tolerances are wide enough that at least a few combinations don't work.

If I assume correctly, you sound like you may be concerned about the store's lighting effect on the reliability of the idealscope. Well, I can't answer that, but looking at diamonds against a white background (walls or paper) will help. Also, I personally found that major leaks are quite visible under various lighting conditions. Symmetry is also easy to see in almost any lighting condition. This is just my experience, though.

Also, you can always view the stone at home properly if you shop smartly and buy with a full refund policy, which you should do anyways.

 

[Rhino]

Hi dbretton,

Actually all our clients can view before the sale advanced ideal-scope images of any diamond they are considering purchasing. It is my own invention which I call LightScope and shows, in great detail, ideal-scope data. I believe it is the inspiration for Gary's newer model coming out. People who do come to the store get to see any diamond under this viewer (LightScope) and we also keep an IdealScope in the store as well for people to see and use with the stones they are considering for purchase. I show them examples of commonly cut diamonds and then I show them the rarest cut qualities and we do this in a side by side comparison not only under the various scopes we have in store but also under various light conditions.

We have a custom lens for our LightScope which is custom made for our camera by Mamiya which specializes in medium format cameras and are some high quality optics which allow me to capture great detail of any diamond we photograph.

Peace,
Rhino