what causes this type of pattern on a round diamond?

[exoticisabella]

Photos taken with a H&A scope. The diamond is a chipped .6 carat diamond that I bought off a pawn shop for $80. It has beautiful sparkle and color to it so I had it set in a bezel pendant with the intent to give it to my mom (she''s the kind who would swoon over a cloudy, poor cut, chunk of diamond because it''s a diamond). Anyway, I couldn''t find ANY hearts or arrows. Thoughts?????

 

[outatouch0]

Well, probably not the type of answer you are hoping for but... this could be A LOT of things:

H&A viewers are meant for stones that are not set in jewelry. The hearts are viewed from the bottom (pavilion side up) while the arrows are viewed from the top (table side up).

It is hard to tell from the picture what your "setup" is in capturing this image but I would be willing to bet a few $$ that the setup is contributing to this pattern - or lack thereof.

Where is the diamond chipped at? Are those chips we are seeing? Did you clean the stone before viewing and taking the image? Often jewelry that "seems clean" is actually taking performance hits that evaporate once the piece is actually cleaned.

 

[stone-cold11]

Which direction is this view? From the table or the pavilion?

From the table, you will see the arrows, the pavilion the hearts in a H&A stone. Probably just badly aligned facets.

 

[Lorelei]

Its just the result of poor cutting Bella and rough optical symmetry which often goes with it. Might be a pretty stone in brighter lighting.

 

[exoticisabella]

Date: 11/7/2009 2:16:24 AM
Author: outatouch0
Well, probably not the type of answer you are hoping for but... this could be A LOT of things:

H&A viewers are meant for stones that are not set in jewelry. The hearts are viewed from the bottom (pavilion side up) while the arrows are viewed from the top (table side up).

It is hard to tell from the picture what your ''setup'' is in capturing this image but I would be willing to bet a few $$ that the setup is contributing to this pattern - or lack thereof.

Where is the diamond chipped at? Are those chips we are seeing? Did you clean the stone before viewing and taking the image? Often jewelry that ''seems clean'' is actually taking performance hits that evaporate once the piece is actually cleaned.

Yep, cleaned it first. This is table side up and those big chuncks of red are the chips (which IRL are hard to see unless you get your eyeball up to it

). I played with another bezel set stone and could see the arrows in that one so I just found the pattern odd and interesting

. Anyway, my mom''s eyesight isn''t that great. As long as it sparkles and is called "diamond" she''ll be thrilled

 

[chrono]

It looks like a regular not so well cut non-H&A stone.

 

[Todd Gray]

Date: 11/7/2009 2:16:24 AM
Author: outatouch0
Well, probably not the type of answer you are hoping for but... this could be A LOT of things:

H&A viewers are meant for stones that are not set in jewelry. The hearts are viewed from the bottom (pavilion side up) while the arrows are viewed from the top (table side up).

It is hard to tell from the picture what your ''setup'' is in capturing this image but I would be willing to bet a few $$ that the setup is contributing to this pattern - or lack thereof.

Where is the diamond chipped at? Are those chips we are seeing? Did you clean the stone before viewing and taking the image? Often jewelry that ''seems clean'' is actually taking performance hits that evaporate once the piece is actually cleaned.

As outatouch0 has indicated, H&A viewers are intended for use with unmounted round brilliant cut diamonds* and will not provide accurate insight into the pattern when used with mounted diamonds. However they can be used to kind of view the arrows pattern in a round brilliant cut diamond which is mounted if the viewer is tilted back at about 30 degrees - enough to make out the arrows pattern, but certainly not well enough to determine the validity of the pattern or an H&A designation... I''m merely saying that the pattern will show up better at a 30 degree tilt than it will straight down.

But the scope image does help indicate where the chips are located... Those dark blotches in the relative 12 o''clock and 3 o''clock positions are most likely the damaged areas of the diamond.

However this particular diamond does not appear to be have the Cut Precision (optical symmetry, direct alignment of the facets opposite one another) required to exhibit a pattern of hearts and arrows... Don''t feel bad, most round brilliant cut diamonds do not, due to a lack of cut precision and less than ideal proportions. I''m sure that your mother will love her new pendant regardless of the condition of the stone and whether it exhibits a pattern of H&A or not