Questions About ASET and IdealScope

[twinstealth]

These are some really great tools to have available for the online buyer... or at least they seem to be to this beginner and first-time poster. (...no i havent been lurking a long time like most, but i have spent hours upon weeks on end trying to learn enough to avoid making a big mistake in this whole diamond buying thing)

So my first question... what if in the IdealScope, red signifies reflected light, and white displays lost light, what does black tell you? There are very distinct trapezoid shapes in the princess cuts that are consitently black under the idealscope as i thumb through the AGS000''s on whiteflash... just curious.

Secondly, what are the colors in the ASET? Im seeing green, blue, red, etc etc. What is this (each) supposed to be telling the observer about the diamond?

 

[boston_jeff]

here''s a good ASET link for you...

http://www.ideal-scope.com/using_reference_chart_ASET.asp

 

[twinstealth]

Hey, awesome, thanks! This clears things up quite a bit!

Anyone else with links/ input?

I''m in the final stages now i think! Anyone want to tell me I''m psychotic for buying an online stone? Anyone? You should see the looks I get... Ive quit telling people I know...

 

[boston_jeff]

Date: 5/2/2007 2:39:19 PM
Author: twinstealth
Hey, awesome, thanks! This clears things up quite a bit!


Anyone else with links/ input?


I'm in the final stages now i think! Anyone want to tell me I'm psychotic for buying an online stone? Anyone? You should see the looks I get... Ive quit telling people I know...

No one here is going to tell you that, especially with AGS000 from WhiteFlash... once you put the stone on hold you should link to the specs/images and people will give you the thumbs up

 

[Regular Guy]

Date: 5/2/2007 2:46:19 PM
Author: boston_jeff

No one here is going to tell you that, especially with AGS000 from WhiteFlash... once you put the stone on hold you should link to the specs/images and people will give you the thumbs up

Agreed. Two points:

1) WF should be congratulated for their extensive use of ASET, which I find very helpful, especially looking at fancies, like princesses.

2) But, what is the orange I see frequently at their offerings. Just curious. At their site, they say:

"In these scopes, light returning at extremely high angles will be dark since that light normally comes from directly above and is blocked by the camera. In an optically symmetrical diamond these dark areas should look like matching arrows radiating outward from the center of the diamond. Light returning at optimum angles outside of the obscured area will be red. Less optimum angles will look light pink in the ideal-scope or green in the ASET. Light that is escaping (or leaking) from the diamond will appear white. Small, triangular patterns of white along the edges (girdle), and at meet point junctions outside of the table are acceptable and enhance a diamond’s contrast, but large patches of white indicate leakage that is detrimental to the diamond’s face-up appearance."

Not sure that answers...and though I can guess, maybe they'll share.

 

[twinstealth]

so heres what im looking at. i liked the symetrical look it has. looked like a good cut for a princess. some of the AGS000''s just looked a little sloppy to me at times. not that they didnt all reflect ALOT of light, but i just thought this pattern was different than what i had seen.

i put it on reserve.

http://www.whiteflash.com/aca_princess/A-Cut-Above-Princess-cut-diamond-159857.htm

 

[kcoursolle]

Just wanted to add that black on IS images represents light return that is blocked by head obstruction. You want some black because it gives the stone constrast. White is what you need to worry about.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 5/2/2007 2:50:54 PM
Author: Regular Guy

1) WF should be congratulated for their extensive use of ASET, which I find very helpful, especially looking at fancies, like princesses.

2) But, what is the orange I see frequently at their offerings. Just curious. At their site, they say:

'In these scopes, light returning at extremely high angles will be dark since that light normally comes from directly above and is blocked by the camera. In an optically symmetrical diamond these dark areas should look like matching arrows radiating outward from the center of the diamond. Light returning at optimum angles outside of the obscured area will be red. Less optimum angles will look light pink in the ideal-scope or green in the ASET. Light that is escaping (or leaking) from the diamond will appear white. Small, triangular patterns of white along the edges (girdle), and at meet point junctions outside of the table are acceptable and enhance a diamond’s contrast, but large patches of white indicate leakage that is detrimental to the diamond’s face-up appearance.'

Not sure that answers...and though I can guess, maybe they'll share.

Will do RG.

'Orange:' Getting readable color results for less-intense green & blue areas requires exposure settings that currently make the intense areas of light return look orange, rather than red.

The italicized, above, was written as we began experimenting with ASET. Some edits; the photos are not backlit so leakage is black in ASET (as opposed to IS where it's white). Further, as you noted, the strongest areas appear orange rather than red. This is 'intense light return,' the green 'less intense light return' and the blue (which is black in an IS) 'obstruction.

When looking at IS/ASET images we have different expectations for rounds and fancies: The modern round brilliant depends on near-equal parts of intense light return and obstruction and typically has a smaller share of less intense light return and leakage in the mix. The princess depends on near-equal parts of intense light return & less intense light return, and typically have slight obstruction and leakage in the mix.

In short...premium rounds in the IS appear nearly all red-black, often with small areas of symmetrical white.
In short...premium princess cuts in the ASET appear nearly all red-green, often with small areas of blue and black (or white if backlit).

Other fancy shapes are harder to pin down, but we are all learning and sharing.

An ASET tutorial is forthcoming. For anyone interested, here is a video webinar on common reflectors (H&A viewer, IS, ASET) that discusses the above.

 

[JohnQuixote]

Some graphics clipped from the above video presentation.

Premium round seen in IS and ASET:

 

[JohnQuixote]

Premium princess cut seen in IS and ASET:

 

[JohnQuixote]

These are examples from our setup. It's perfectly normal for other sellers, appraisers and professionals' images to vary slightly in primary hues, focal depth, etc.

For instance, whether the primary (intense light return) color is blood red, bright red or orange

doesn't matter. Assess the consistency of the hues and distribution of angular spectrum, as per above.

 

[MWG]

THanks John......great graphics and easy to understand

MWG

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 5/2/2007 4:00:46 PM
Author: kcoursolle

Just wanted to add that black on IS images represents light return that is blocked by head obstruction. You want some black because it gives the stone constrast. White is what you need to worry about.

Here is a graphic to demonstrate what KC is indicating. In diamond photos where you see 'arrows' the camera is blocking that light. In real life the human head can block it, depending on lighting and distance from the observer. Obstruction is sometimes called 'a reflection of the viewer's head,' and in the case of ASET it is a reflection of the blue in the 75-90 degree position.

I should add that you will not see dark 'arrows' in real life unless you hold the diamond perfectly still and obstruct the main light source by 30 or so degrees. Since diamonds are usually in-motion and have multiple light sources around them the 'arrows' are typically silvery flashes.