Is the bow tie effect on this natural 2 ct. radiant concerning?

[diamondnewbie2021]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here so please forgive me if I’m posting in the wrong place.

I ordered this 2 ct. radiant (E, VS1) for my fiancé last night and was very happy with my decision until someone pointed out the bow tie effect, which I was not aware of before.

Is this an acceptable level of bow tie or should I be concerned?

Thank you.

 

[mwilliamanderson]

That looks like a minimal bow tie effect to my eye. Do you have video of the stone moving? It would be helpful for people wanting to comment. You might be interested to read this article about the subject.

DIAMONDS 101: THE BOW-TIE EFFECT

The bow-tie effect in diamonds is a light/dark gray to black area running across the width of the stone. This area is created by a reflection of

www.laurenbjewelry.com

 

[diamondnewbie2021]

That looks like a minimal bow tie effect to my eye. Do you have video of the stone moving? It would be helpful for people wanting to comment. You might be interested to read this article about the subject.

DIAMONDS 101: THE BOW-TIE EFFECT

The bow-tie effect in diamonds is a light/dark gray to black area running across the width of the stone. This area is created by a reflection of

www.laurenbjewelry.com

Thanks so much for your reply! I just uploaded a video to YouTube so you could check it out.

https://youtube.com/shorts/hTxGYkPjxHs?feature=share

 

[mwilliamanderson]

It could be that they are not tilting the stone enough in this particular video but I'm concerned that the bow tie effect just stays there even while the stone is moved. Hopefully others who know more about this cut will weigh in, but those are my thoughts. Have you done a search here to see other peoples radiant cuts?

 

[mwilliamanderson]

Help with Radiant cut/proportions

I’m considering purchasing a second hand radiant engagement ring that comes with a GIA report. I like the size and the color/clarity but am worried that the diamond won’t sparkle due to its large table size. I will see the ring in person later this week but wondering if it’s not even worth...

www.pricescope.com

This thread might be helpful to read.

 

[diamondnewbie2021]

It could be that they are not tilting the stone enough in this particular video but I'm concerned that the bow tie effect just stays there even while the stone is moved. Hopefully others who know more about this cut will weigh in, but those are my thoughts. Have you done a search here to see other peoples radiant cuts?

I have, and I don’t think it is this obvious on other radiant cuts. It does seem to give it a positive sparkle that I like, but I don’t know enough either to make a judgement one way or another. The jeweler himself denies it is even a bow tie effect and just attributes it to the poor lighting and setting.

 

[mwilliamanderson]

Hopefully @tyty333 and @lovedogs can weigh in on this particular stone.

 

[mwilliamanderson]

The jeweler himself denies it is even a bow tie effect and just attributes it to the poor lighting and setting.

This is a cause for concern in my opinion, whether it's just ignorance on their part or intentionally misleading. I was looking around and found this one which shows no bow tie at all. https://www.bluenile.com/diamond-de...NDS&track=viewDiamondDetails&catalogView=true

 

[tyty333]

Did you purchase this from a vendor that has a good return policy in case it doesnt sparkle like expected?

The bow-tie does look minimal but you can find some with less. I only consider bow-ties to be dark and to stay
dark a good portion of the time.

Are you looking for small sparkles (crushed ice radiant) or something with also some bigger flashes. Crushed ice radiants
are the hardest to evaluate online.

Also, when looking at radiants you want to find a stone that has a decent crown height. Unfortunately, we can see the side
of the crown from that video.

Hopefully, when you get it you can take some more up-close pictures and post them. Make sure to look at it in all different
lighting conditions.

 

[diamondnewbie2021]

Did you purchase this from a vendor that has a good return policy in case it doesnt sparkle like expected?

The bow-tie does look minimal but you can find some with less. I only consider bow-ties to be dark and to stay
dark a good portion of the time.

Are you looking for small sparkles (crushed ice radiant) or something with also some bigger flashes. Crushed ice radiants
are the hardest to evaluate online.

Also, when looking at radiants you want to find a stone that has a decent crown height. Unfortunately, we can see the side
of the crown from that video.

Hopefully, when you get it you can take some more up-close pictures and post them. Make sure to look at it in all different
lighting conditions.

Thank you very much! This is really helpful. Yes, the vendor does have a decent return policy, so that shouldn’t be an issue.

I wish I had known about the crown height information earlier, although I don’t know how I would have figured it out using the GIA report and video alone. I was aiming for a larger table while still keeping within the recommended range. I was also aiming for a higher length to width ratio.

Does the crown height seem very narrow in the video? And all in all, do you think the diamond lacks in quality?

 

[tyty333]

A larger table is not a good idea IMO. Some of the best flashes come off the crown and if you have very little crown with
a large table you miss those flashes. IMO, you should be looking for a smaller table in the acceptable range.

To check on crown height you really need videos like Blue Nile and James Allen. They spin the stone so you can see if the
crown is flat or has some height to it.

For example, this stone is showing acceptable crown height IMO.

1.30-Carat Radiant Cut Diamond | Blue Nile

www.bluenile.com

This one is too flat (IMO).

1.50-Carat Radiant Cut Diamond | Blue Nile

www.bluenile.com

 

[Serg]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post here so please forgive me if I’m posting in the wrong place.

I ordered this 2 ct. radiant (E, VS1) for my fiancé last night and was very happy with my decision until someone pointed out the bow tie effect, which I was not aware of before.

Is this an acceptable level of bow tie or should I be concerned?

Thank you.

Dead Zone — is a large, stable dark area visible in a diamond when it is slightly tilted. It can be seen with both eyes simultaneously and is mostly independent of lighting conditions.


The Dead Zone usually appears as a result of the observer being reflected in the diamond without any mixing of reflections from the surrounding space. In some cases, the effect is intensified by light leakage zones, where the diamond reflects into areas from which no bright light can reach the observer — for example, the body or the setting when the stone is mounted in jewelry.


In a well-cut diamond, reflections from various directions — including light sources — are mixed, so the observer’s reflection becomes part of a dynamic light pattern, producing contrast between bright and dark areas. In a poorly cut diamond, the observer’s image does not mix with bright reflections, resulting in a large, persistent dark region known as the Dead Zone.

BowTie, NailHead, and DeadRing are specific types of Dead Zones that have become widely recognized and named due to their common appearance. However, there are many other types of Dead Zones, which can look very different depending on the diamond’s cut.


You should not evaluate a Dead Zone based on a single photo. A dark area visible in a static image — sometimes referred to as a Dark Zone — may actually be a Dead Zone, but it could also be an area of high dynamic contrast (changing from light to dark when the diamond is tilted) or stereoscopic contrast (where one eye sees the area as bright while the other sees it as dark), which is common in well-cut round brilliant diamonds.


To properly assess a Dead Zone, the diamond must be observed in motion and in stereo mode — that is, with both eyes from a distance of approximately 350–450 mm.