Tips: DIY ASET/IS. Light Performance. Diamond Photography.

[flyingpig]

I often see many members asking about diamond photography and assessing light performance when buying a diamond "blind" without ASET/IS. The best is to stick with a vendor who provide ASET/IS images or getting a ASET/IS for yourself (http://ideal-scope.com/). But if these are not your options. Here are some tips.

First,

This is how many beginners take a photo of a diamond. I mean, in real life, this is how a diamond appears and behaves. However, if your intention is to take a photo of perfect arrows and to assess light performance, these images don't do any good. You need a special setup.

Here is how ASET works and different parts of a diamond reflect light.
http://www.whiteflash.com/about-diamonds/diamond-education/about-aset.htm

Here are tools you need. A white funnel from dollar store, white paper or white styrofoam (easy to secure the diamond), black paper, pastry piping bag tip.


To take an "arrows" photo, place your diamond on a black paper (I layered black paper on top of a styrofoam to secure the diamond). Cover the diamond with a white funnel with THE NARROW SIDE DOWN and THE WIDER SIDE (opening) UP.

If you let some direct light thru, diamond's appearance is more crystal/glass like. (left) If you completely cover the diamond to have it exposed to white diffused light only, the result on the right is what you will see.

Now, flip the funnel and cover the diamond with THE WIDER SIDE DOWN. This eliminate any obstruction and arrows dissapear.

Here you can focus more on light return and blatant light leakage if there is any. I think Blue Nile's GGAL "OPTICAL BRILLIANCE ANALYSIS" uses this kind of environment.

Lastly for fun, using a yellow pastry piping tip to mimic the idealscope environment. (you need white blackground in this case to check light leakage). Note: yellow is not the most ideal. In fact, it is terrible, because it is hard to distinguish yellow light return from white leakage. But.. hey.. that's what I have


You can roll up any white/color paper into a cylinderical or cone shape. You can also use backlit environment for better assessment of light leakage. I have other methods to assess light return/light leakage. Use whatever you have. ASET is A condition. IS is A condition. Office lighting is A condition, so is spot-lighting.
Create your own lighting conditon, play with your diamond and have fun and happy holidays

QUIZ: It is the same diamond in all photos. WHAT IS THE COLOR GRADE OF THIS STONE??

 

[dollyanjuli]

Re: Tips: DIY ASET/IS. Light Performance. Diamond Photograph

this is the MOST FUN and i am now dying to go home and do this!!

Ok..i will play the color game although I am terrible at this (everything D-F looks the same to me, H-I also looks the same lol)

i am going to guess...H, VS1?

 

[ringo865]

Re: Tips: DIY ASET/IS. Light Performance. Diamond Photograph

So cool. I did something similar to the pastry piping bag tip with a rolled up bright fuschia post-it note. It worked pretty well but for the trying to balance everything while trying to center my phone camera. Can't wait til you divulge the color.

 

[gm89uk]

Re: Tips: DIY ASET/IS. Light Performance. Diamond Photograph

What is the colour?

 

[flyingpig]

Re: Tips: DIY ASET/IS. Light Performance. Diamond Photograph

J .

My point is that diamond's appearance is highly dependent on the color temperature of ambient lighting.

 

[gm89uk]

Re: Tips: DIY ASET/IS. Light Performance. Diamond Photograph

Wouldn't have ever guessed!
Beautifully cut stone btw, and thanks for the tips!

 

[diamondnewbieny]

Beautiful diamond! Thanks for the tip and I would never have guess it’s a J color. Bye my diamond is also J color.

 

[Karl_K]

toilet paper roll works as a h&a scope.
Arrows, just look at the diamond through the tube with the stone centered in the tube. Getting it aligned is the hard part.

Lay the diamond table down on a dark paper put the roll over it, center everything, tada hearts.
It will not be as good as a h&a scope for seeing fine details but it will tell you hearts.
You can even use a full roll so it sits by itself.

 

[Karl_K]

Re: Tips: DIY ASET/IS. Light Performance. Diamond Photograph

J .

My point is that diamond's appearance is highly dependent on the color temperature of ambient lighting.

That is true when viewing in person also, the better the stone is cut the less often you see body color across a wide range of lighting.
Most of the time you see the color of the light/environment.

 

[Karl_K]

I used to always keep a business card in my wallet with red Mylar on one side and blue on the other.
Hold the diamond over it and line it up right in the right lighting and the blue or red is leakage.
You can use a magnifier to help see it.

 

[Dancing Fire]

toilet paper roll works as a h&a scope.
Arrows, just look at the diamond through the tube with the stone centered in the tube. Getting it aligned is the hard part.

 

[kmoro]

Re: Tips: DIY ASET/IS. Light Performance. Diamond Photograph

J .

My point is that diamond's appearance is highly dependent on the color temperature of ambient lighting.

I was going to guess K, lol

 

[gm89uk]

I was going to guess K, lol

Remember in that last photo he was using a yellow pastry piping tip. Otherwise no way I can tint to guess a k