Light behavior, does it really matter?

[EdSkinner]

I was just wondering how many people out there are interested in getting light behavior reports on their stones before they purchase them. Are they the wave of the future or just a passing fad?

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 9/19/2006 3:06:32 PM
Author:Basset Hound
I was just wondering how many people out there are interested in getting light behavior reports on their stones before they purchase them. Are they the wave of the future or just a passing fad?

I''m out of the ordinary here I think. I didn''t. I still haven''t. I''ve seen my stone under a H&A viewer and that''s it. I don''t have a decent sarin and I''ve not seen any IS or ASET or diamcalc or any of those other things. I thought I would need to, but I don''t. I''m curious to see how horribly my stone would do in an IS (I suspect it would be bad lol) but boy would I have been missing out on an incredible stone had that been something I used to rule out inferior stones.

If I were getting a round I would expect all of that stuff because - well why not? it''s there to be had so have it! If you want a white circle, by all means you should concern yourself with straight up light return being *tight*. Maybe even for princess and asscher, but I really don''t think it''s necessary after all, no. When I first got here I thought oh I need all of these scans, but you know, those who said your eyes are the best tool are telling the truth.

I would say "it can''t hurt" to get all of those scans done, but I think it can hurt. I think you can rule out total beauties because they don''t fit some conformed set of rules. My stone breaks all of the rules, it doesn''t conform for squat and yet it truly is a gorgeous stone. I doubted my stone and myself because I didn''t have all of those numbers and statistics to back me up, I questioned whether or not it was doing things in all the right ways, so I compared it and compared it and I''d have to spend literally 3x the money to find a conforming stone that beat mine out. Go figure!

I think that the tools are good, for now, to educate people. If you''re going to spend THAT MUCH on a diamond, you should know what you''re getting, even if all you''re getting is a bowser. Know it, choose it, own it. Once people are educated, I think that people are going to start looking at diamonds in other ways, ways that are not just about face up.

I''m sure I''m not only in the minority here, I''ve probably got a very unpopular opinion LOL So - take that into consideration LOL

 

[EdSkinner]

Cehrabehra, You have alot of good points. I agree your eyes are your best tool. Thank you

 

[Rank Amateur]

If light didn''t act the way it does in a diamond there would be no reason to cut and treasure them. No sparkle, no raimbows.

The behavior of light in a diamond is critical!

 

[Regular Guy]

The additional confidence associated with an examination of light behavior is one of several reasons I would, without question, recommend the newly certed AGS0 diamond over the equivalent GIA one, most other things being equal. If there was a modest premium for the AGS0 option, that would still readily get my recommendation.

Still, no one is cost insensitive. But, when buying virtually, and if light performance info is available (using other instrumentation as well, and also, even in consideration of being local) I have to see where it adds value.

I''m surprised people have been slow to affirm this.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 9/19/2006 3:06:32 PM
Author:Basset Hound
I was just wondering how many people out there are interested in getting light behavior reports on their stones before they purchase them. Are they the wave of the future or just a passing fad?

depends on what your talking about...
For an online stone id rather have a full helium report an IS or simular image, an ASET image, an hearts image for rounds, real good regular photo for asschers, and a professional opinion with a huge bonus for a helium generated gem file over any light behavior report.
The cut grades by the labs mean next to nothing to me other than a starting point. They pass stones im not interested in.

For a in person stone I have my own tools and will do my own eval. but a full sarin or helium report would be nice.

B-scope is the most usefull of the light reports it has kewl pictures :}

 

[EdSkinner]

A diamond is probally one of the three most expensive things that you will buy besides a house and car. Yet I have found that people are reluctent to find out as much as they can about such an expensive purchase. The new tecnology that is avilable on the market (ie: Gemex, Imagem, ect.) does not seem to be in great demand. I have seen stones that are both cut to "IDEAL" standards, and perform differently to light. Is the reason certificates for light behavior are not issued is that they are not readly avilable or is it that the difference of light performance is so minor that the purchaser doesn''t seems to care? Is the tecnology so new that sales and customers do not want to learn about it? 25 years ago, certificates for color and clarity quality were rare, it was a blind trust between the customer and the jeweler. Today it is comonplace, with the addition of cut within the last 15 years. Will light behavior annalisis become a comon place part of the diamond certificate or will it just fade out like and EDSEL?

 

[EdSkinner]

Storm: Enlighten me. Please forgive my ignorance. The reports you mention: helium, IS, ASET, how readly avilable are they to the public? The only thing I have been exposed to at this point are Gemex and Imagem.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 9/19/2006 6:55:47 PM
Author: Basset Hound
Storm: Enlighten me. Please forgive my ignorance. The reports you mention: helium, IS, ASET, how readly avilable are they to the public? The only thing I have been exposed to at this point are Gemex and Imagem.

Don''t get me wrong, i think it''s great we have these tools... I just feel concerned that they could be used to rule out gorgeous stones. If you always get a stone that fits the "ideal du jour" they''re gonna be fairly cookie cutter. Thankfully there are all kinds of ideals. Rod''s ideal is 60/60 and mine is 53/66 LOL