questions about flourescence

[chrgrl]

i read the part about flourescence in the knowledge section, but am still confused. what i''m looking for will be round, roughly .75 carats, ideal cut, J+, SI1+. for a round diamond of this type, i take it that some flourescence will be OK and may even make the diamond appear whiter...is this true? what if the flourescence is "strong blue"?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Here are your answers:

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/fluor.asp

 

[jaz464]

I think medium flourescence and lower may very likely help your diamond to face up whiter. I personally would not want to go stronger than medium however, as it may then be more obvious to you. Some with strong flourescence are milky or cloudy.

 

[belle]

it has been said that the presence of fluorescence (at least med-strong blue) can make lower color diamonds appear more colorless. it is the same basic principle behind the little blue crystals in laundry detergent...blue makes things appear whiter.

unless the fluorescence is an unusual very strong blue that causes the stone to appear hazy, there is really no negative effect. the diamond will of course glow under black light conditions, but hey..that''s cool! diamonds with fluorescence strong enough to be detected by the naked eye under normal lighting conditions (med+) are not all that easy to find, so i wouldn''t count on that being a main criterion. if you get a really well cut stone, your ''j'' will face up as colorless as the higher color stones in most all lighting conditions. even without blue fluorescence.

 

[aljdewey]

As long as the stone isn''t milky or oily looking, I''d not hesitate to go with ANY level of blue fluorescence.

I bought a J, SI1 stones from Wink that was "very strong blue". It''s beautiful and clear - no issues at all......and faces up gorgeous.

I wouldn''t avoid "strong" or even "very strong".....they are labels, nothing else. As long as you don''t observe milky/cloudy appearance in the stone, that''s really all that matters.

 

[jaz464]

I just wanted to say that my diamond is graded by GIA as having faint flourescence. Richard Sherwood also comfirmed this when appraising the diamond. For being faint, I can definitely notice it. Whenever it is in the sun (not just sometimes or at certain angles) the diamond takes on a violet quality. I usually hear people say you can't notice flourescence unless it is medium or stronger but that is not the case with my diamond. I don't mind it, and l always know it's mine, but some others may not like it.

 

[Lorelei]

I personally like fluoresence and have faint with my diamond, wouldn't mind stronger at all! It adds interest to me, that might not be you though. As Aljdewey and Belle say, even strong may not be discernable in some diamonds and if all is right in other respects I wouldn't let that put me off.

If you click here you will get an idea with Bluedawg's incredible diamond " Big Blue" which has medium fluoresence.

 

[aljdewey]

To help, I just cleaned my earrings and took some shots for you. They are .55 stones; both J. One is SI1, the other SI2.

In all the pictures, the one on the right is the stone with "Very strong blue" fluor.

Going from top to bottom, the first five pictures were shot in direct sunlight. The two with the darker background were taken in my study, laying on a paper towel with the flash on.

In all of these photos, the earrings look the same to me.....clear and flashy, not oily.

In the picture on the bottom right corner......that's where you can see the blue. This shot was taken in indirect light with the flash on. As you can see, it's not cloudy or oily.....it just "glows" a bit. And this is "very strong blue".

I wouldn't hesitate as long as you don't mind the blue glow (present only in some lighting conditions) and as long as the stone is clear.

Hope this is helpful.

 

[chrgrl]

wow, thanks aljdewey! when you say "the right one" do you mean the one on the right in the pictures or the one on the actual right (which would be the one on the left in the pics)?

i actually like the flash of blue, i think.

 

[Lorelei]

Nice shots Alj

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 2/18/2006 12:06:28 PM
Author: chrgrl
wow, thanks aljdewey! when you say 'the right one' do you mean the one on the right in the pictures or the one on the actual right (which would be the one on the left in the pics)?

i actually like the flash of blue, i think.

Hmmmm....I didn't say the right one, did I? It's the one on the right in the photos......meaning as you look at the pictures, the one on your right.

And yes, I like the flash of blue, too! Too bad I don't get to see it (being that it's on my ear).

 

[chrgrl]

you''re right, you did say that, but i was confused because in some of the pics the one on the LEFT seems to flash blue way more than the one on the right. so i just wanted to clarify

 

[aljdewey]

Date: 2/18/2006 12:34:50 PM
Author: chrgrl
you're right, you did say that, but i was confused because in some of the pics the one on the LEFT seems to flash blue way more than the one on the right. so i just wanted to clarify

Yeah, depending on how the lights hit them, all well-cut diamonds will throw the colors of the rainbow. The flashes aren't where you'll notice blue fluor....it's in the body of the stone.

In that picture on the bottom right, you can see that the stone on the right has a blue body tone to it. That's what you'll see with fluor when the lighting conditions are right.

I really don't see it much - even in sunlight. But I noticed that the flash from my camera really brings it out, and I know that blacklighting would also make it visible.

 

[ladykemma]

my "pawn shop pear", while I have never actually had it analyzed in a lab, turns periwinkle blue in the sunlight. absolutely gorgeous.

periwinkle blue like crayola crayon

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Fluorescence in a "J" color stone is great. Even strong or very strong, as long as it doesn''t make the stone look "oily" or "milky", which happens in only a very small minority of strong-very strong stones.

Medium fluroescence will often make a "J" look one grade whiter when you get it anywhere near daylight, strong will often make it look two grades whiter.

 

[TxBlonde]

Wow I love the way it looks! The blue is beautiful!