Unusual 360video

[xxxxxx]

Hi everybody,

I’ve been browsing lab Diamonds the last year. Trying to catch on striation etc..One thing I’ve noticed are a particular kind of 360 video where the diamond (graded a D E F or G) looks gray! I see them especially on diamonds in the 4carat+ range.
Is there anybody that can explain the effect? Those diamonds look so unattractive even if they have nice specs on the cert.

Examples:

https://www.brilliantearth.com/lab-diamonds-search/view_detail/8666363/

Round Lab Created Diamond

Shop Beautiful, Affordable, and 100% real diamond engagement rings. Clean Origin Lab Created diamonds are identical to mined diamonds having the same chemical, physical and optical properties as their mined counterparts.

www.cleanorigin.com

Any ideas are welcome!

 

[muesli]

It looks a bit "steely", the surroundings seems light grey to me, maybe it's because of that?

 

[OoohShiny]

I can't get the video to work right now - is it one of the stones that goes dark grey at one or two specific angles but otherwise seems fine?

I can only assume that such things happen when the grain/stria aligns with the viewers eyes, meaning light somehow bounces along it (like reflections off water when the sun is low) rather than going through it, if that makes sense??

 

[xxxxxx]

@OoohShiny There always HPHT stones with very similiar tables etc. most likely there from the same grower. So striation is definitely not an issue. I sent two different examples: do both videos not work?
@muesli thats an idea I hadn’t thought about yet!

 

[MakingTheGrade]

If it’s graded D then yeah there shouldn’t be any body color. Makes me wonder if the walls are grey/it’s reflecting something gray.

He’s the profile of a fancy gray diamond for comparison.

 

[OoohShiny]

@OoohShiny There always HPHT stones with very similiar tables etc. most likely there from the same grower. So striation is definitely not an issue. I sent two different examples: do both videos not work?
@muesli thats an idea I hadn’t thought about yet!

It might just be my eyes / my screen, but I don't feel the two in the OP look that grey at all?! lol

To my eyes they just look like they are reflecting the surroundings!


This is what I was thinking about when you mentioned darkness / greyness - you can see how it sort of 'switches off' at about 45 degrees:

Lab-Created 1.03 Carat asscher diamond

This asscher cut 1.03 carat Lab-Created D color vs2 clarity has a diamond grading report from IGI

www.jamesallen.com

 

[Ada Diamonds CEO]

Your eyes are not deceiving you, and that's why the diamond is so cheap. Unfortunately, there is are lot of gray, lifeless, monochromatic HPHT goods on the market today.

FWIW- We regularly sell large stones from the grower of the diamond in question, but we also reject about 40% of the stones we inspect from that grower for blue nuance, phosphorescence, and/or gray/lifeless light performance.

Like any other grower, the quality of their production varies greatly, and videos + certificates are not enough information to separate the sensational goods from the unexceptional goods.

There are a number of reasons that a diamond can be gray, but you really need to do FTIR analysis of the stone to determine the exact cause. It can be substitutional defects and/or post growth treatment.

Characterizing Diamonds with FT-IR Spectroscopy

FT-IR spectroscopy is an established method to distinguish authentic diamonds from counterfeits.

www.azom.com

 

[xxxxxx]

@Ada Diamonds CEO I was hoping that you would chime in. So yet another thing to take into consideration while buying lab diamonds. I have the feeling it’s easier to buy a mined diamond online then a lab diamond

 

[bv_jewels]

@Ada Diamonds CEO I was hoping that you would chime in. So yet another thing to take into consideration while buying lab diamonds. I have the feeling it’s easier to buy a mined diamond online then a lab diamond

Look at Clean Origin, Great Heights, With Clarity & even James Allen -- zero down on similar spec diamond... Look at the cut, culet and girdle thickness if you are in to fancy cuts... All of this will affect the light of a diamond. Call them and ask if they are selling CVD or HPHT - they will be happy to talk and discuss. I spoke around with atleast 5 different vendors online and went to local stores to see the diamond in person before I bought online and saved a decent amount

 

[Ada Diamonds CEO]

@Ada Diamonds CEO I have the feeling it’s easier to buy a mined diamond online then a lab diamond.

While I don't have any experience shopping for mined diamonds, I agree with you.

Why? Mined diamonds come out of one single 'lab' (the Earth), have been studied for decades, and are largely understood from a chemical and crystallographic perspective.

On the other hand, lab diamonds are from dozens of different sources, grown with different equipment, recipes, temperatures, and different post growth treatments. Unfortunately, a 400-600 pixel video and paper (a certificate) can help you weed out the unexceptional lab diamonds, but it can't reveal the compelling stones.

Bottom line, I'll never buy a lab diamond, even from my best growers, without inspecting it in person first.

 

[Rhino]

Hi everybody,

I’ve been browsing lab Diamonds the last year. Trying to catch on striation etc..One thing I’ve noticed are a particular kind of 360 video where the diamond (graded a D E F or G) looks gray! I see them especially on diamonds in the 4carat+ range.
Is there anybody that can explain the effect? Those diamonds look so unattractive even if they have nice specs on the cert.

Examples:

https://www.brilliantearth.com/lab-diamonds-search/view_detail/8666363/

Round Lab Created Diamond

Shop Beautiful, Affordable, and 100% real diamond engagement rings. Clean Origin Lab Created diamonds are identical to mined diamonds having the same chemical, physical and optical properties as their mined counterparts.

www.cleanorigin.com

Any ideas are welcome!

@Ada Diamonds CEO I was hoping that you would chime in. So yet another thing to take into consideration while buying lab diamonds. I have the feeling it’s easier to buy a mined diamond online then a lab diamond

Hi Lessics,

The gray that you see posted in a D may have nothing at all to do with internal graining or stria but solely on the camera settings the diamond is taken in. Don't get me wrong ... photography is great as it gives anyone shopping info they formerly didn't have but is definitely not conclusive when it comes to determining gemological features such as Jason has pointed out.

With regards to earth mined ... same issues exist but with the subject of internal features being discussed happens to a lesser extent although there are a host of other gemological issues besides graining that needs to be examined IMPO such as surface breaching inclusions that may compromise structural integrity, the effects of mixed features such as fluorescence when combined with graining, etc.

Good stuff and good questions.

Peace,
Rhino