Usefulness of asets for brilliant fancies?

[diamondseeker2006]

ASET is a reasonable tool with fancies if you know how to read it.
Each shape has its own signature that shows better cut and it is not always the most obvious stuff that makes the difference.
More red does not always mean a better stone.

I look at those 2 asets and my thoughts are 2 middling stones that likely the second one is slightly better.
The problem is actually finding a well cut one.
The odds of any 2 on the market both being middling or worse is very high.
The odds of any random 2 being well cut are very very slim.

Bingo again. With rounds, people who stay here awhile are educated as to what a great round IS/ASET image should look like. Prior to that, we could easily have been choosing between two mediocre diamonds at a local jeweler and picking the better of the two and end up with a mediocre diamond because we didn't have any great ones as options.

In the case of fancies, there are fewer excellent cut ones, and either people don't have the patience to look for a great one with the tools available, or they don't know how to interpret the images, or they don't use a vendor who will select stones for them and compare their performance.

I am extremely thankful to PS for educating me on diamond cut quality.

 

[Karl_K]

Converting the ASET to greyscale shows one of the problems why I would not consider it well cut.

The ratio of leakage to light return is not very high outside the center.
One end is worse than the other.
In the real world this is going to look dingy grey in diffused lighting at a distance.

 

[Niel]

see from everything ive heard about this stone from a reputable gemologist who has actually looked at real picture of it its the exact oposite. Which brings be back to the point in the first place. If thats a bad aset, why does it look good in real life? because it does, from all accounts. And i trust the person who is actually looking at it.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

see from everything ive heard about this stone from a reputable gemologist who has actually looked at real picture of it its the exact oposite. Which brings be back to the point in the first place. If thats a bad aset, why does it look good in real life? because it does, from all accounts. And i trust the person who is actually looking at it.

Niel, they aren't impartial. They want to sell those diamonds. It may indeed look good to the gemologist. But that may be because he isn't comparing it to an excellent one. Would you buy a "good" cut round instead of excellent?

 

[Rockdiamond]

All due respect for all those offering opinions- casting doubts about either of these diamonds based on the info provided is premature IMO. These are not "bad ASETs"
I'm not saying the ASET shows either or both stones are worth persuing- but if someone was looking at either of them and told me it was a good looking marquise, I would not doubt it based on the ASETs posted.
Both stones are nice shapes- there are no obvious deficits apparent in ether ASET

DS- I don't know who it is offering the opinion- I do agree that many sellers will try to push a stone no matter what it looks like.
But that does not mean all sellers will offer misleading opinions.

 

[Rhino]

One thing I'll say about ASET's and fancy shapes is this …

Were I a consumer I would not want to make a buying decision without it and at the same time I would also add that it isn't always predictable especially considering the array of photography setups. Even so there are features in ASET images that don't translate the same from consumer to consumer. Just a recent case in point. I had an Asscher here that showed some over blue in it's ASET but IRL was one of the most stunning Asscher's I've ever seen. Quality of imagery is important but understanding actual diamond optics like brightness, contrast, fire and sparkle and what the rarest look like are *key* to interpretation of any optical examination. I've seen diamonds that get great BrillianceScope results as well that had bad contrast in diffuse lighting. At the same time I've seen diamonds lauded with known crappy ASET results where the consumer was told it was great.

On top of that you also have gemological issues that can impact brilliance and/or transparency that you'll never see in photography or ASET/IdealScope images. A good start yes. An end/all be all? There is no substitution for study, quality education and the proper tools for the job.

The advice of my ol friend Al Gilbertson is still the best. Narrow down your selections (I would add with technologies demonstrating the features you're looking for)… have fun and compare with your eyes as much as possible.

Kindest regards,
Rhino

 

[Rhino]

Converting the ASET to greyscale shows one of the problems why I would not consider it well cut.

The ratio of leakage to light return is not very high outside the center.
One end is worse than the other.
In the real world this is going to look dingy grey in diffused lighting at a distance.

You may be right but one thing you need to consider my friend when looking at an image of a diamond against black is that leakage will actually look worse than it would under more normal conditions. Not that gray is much better but black is the worst.

 

[diamondseeker2006]

David, I certainly agree that not all sellers will give misleading recommendations. I think I am just a little more wary of drop shippers over you guys who are experienced and personally handle hundreds of diamonds a year. It is good to see one like JA adding more and more information, though, and I do commend them for that. I would find it pretty easy to buy a rb from them but hard to buy a fancy cut since they limit you to three asets or is images. I might need to see about 10 (or more) for these marquise stones in order to really feel like I was narrowing down the bunch to the one or two best (and maybe these two are the best they have, but I can't know that without seeing more!). Perhaps they are working on improving their ASET photography and planning to offer them for all stones, and that would be great!

 

[Karl_K]

Converting the ASET to greyscale shows one of the problems why I would not consider it well cut.

The ratio of leakage to light return is not very high outside the center.
One end is worse than the other.
In the real world this is going to look dingy grey in diffused lighting at a distance.

You may be right but one thing you need to consider my friend when looking at an image of a diamond against black is that leakage will actually look worse than it would under more normal conditions. Not that gray is much better but black is the worst.

I did take it into consideration which is why I said dingy grey rather than salt and pepper blackish.

 

[Niel]

I take issue with the idea they are trying to up upsell him. I've dealt with James allen many time. I've seen others deal with them where they have been blatantly honest, to the point where they did not recommend any reserved stones and lost that sale.

Also they were aware which stone was his favorite of the bunch. It was near 1/3 the cost more, and they still recommended this, the cheapest of the 3.

So yeah you're right companies so try and upsell you. But I don't think this is the case.


And Karl. Just so I understand. in no instance can you be presented with a mediocre ASET and end up with a well cut stone.