Whats your opinion on Fluorescence

[davidmarcs]

What are you feelilngs about fluorscence (Medium blue) particulary on the near colorless dimaonds(G/H color), do you think this takes away from the diamond at all?

 

[Fly Girl]

No worries about medium blue fluor at all. In fact, I prefer fluor in my diamonds. It makes for a more interesting stone under UV lights!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/26/2008 3:00:41 PM
Author:davidmarcs
What are you feelilngs about fluorscence (Medium blue) particulary on the near colorless dimaonds(G/H color), do you think this takes away from the diamond at all?

Not at all, I am always extra delighted with diamonds which have fluorescence, here is some info on fluorescence you might like to read also. Apparently medium and above fluoro can help a diamond to face up a little whiter in some cases ( near colourless and above) so it can be considered beneficial by some.

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

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Agreed.

 

[strmrdr]

like it love it give me some more of it!

 

[iluvcarats]

I LOVE it! There is just something delicious about that bluish purple glow!

 

[trishy]

i love it!!!

i am in the market for an upgrade currently and im actually looking specifically for a near colorless, or colorless diamond with medium or preferrably strong blue fluor. my diamond currently has none, and its still beautiful, of course, but i think that there is something magical about the supernatural glow it gives under a black light. and i absolutely adore

the blue-white coloring or my absolute favorite is that slight lavender hue it has when its in the sun.

it is a priority for me as high as any of the 4 c''s. i wish they had a store or a website that strictly sold diamonds with fluor or allowed me to search, with fluor as a priority cuz most i find have none, or faint at best.

so, my precious is waiting somewhere, patiently for me to find it.... someday.... somehow....

i know it apparently brings the price of the diamond down... thats GREAT FOR ME, as i consider fluor a bonus thats priceless.
to be honest, i cant wait... if you know where i can find diamonds with strong blur flour easily...

PLEASE LET ME KNOW!!!

 

[Miss Fortune]

guess I'll be in the minority but I'm not a huge fan of fluro. I have med blue fluro in a D colored asscher. I have to say though, it's a pretty stone and isn't milky or cloudy AT ALL. I think I dislike my D med blue fluro because my two side trap side stones don't have any fluro and it throws me off. of course, everyone thinks I'm crazy. They can't see the difference :/ I'm looking for an upgrade w/o fluro.

I don't think I would mind it at all in a G or H though.

 

[beaujolais]

Miss Fortune:

So, what is it that you see in your main stone compared to the traps?

Thanks.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

Some people love fluorescence because it gives an extra to how the stone reacts in various light conditions. Some also love it because it helps stones with a lower colour look whiter.

Other people hate fluorescence because the trade has constructed a self-fulfilling prophecy that fluorescence lowers the value of the stone.

A lot of people are indifferent about fluorescence.

In the case of medium fluorescence, all this is not so important as with strong or very strong fluorescence. Therefore, do not worry about it.

Live long,

 

[elle_chris]

I''m one of those that''s indifferent to it.

Paul, I keep hearing it helps lower color diamonds look whiter. But my G stone has medium blue and I have yet to see it. I have another stone .50ct "I" color that has strong blue and I''ve never seen it either. So am wondering how "much" does it actually help?

 

[John P]

Date: 12/27/2008 11:05:52 AM
Author: elle_chris
I''m one of those that''s indifferent to it.

Paul, I keep hearing it helps lower color diamonds look whiter. But my G stone has medium blue and I have yet to see it. I have another stone .50ct ''I'' color that has strong blue and I''ve never seen it either. So am wondering how ''much'' does it actually help?

In general the effect of fluorescence on color is most noticeable in the lower (I and below) colors, although in the marketplace the influence on price is greater in the higher (D through H) colors.

Remember that this is a sliding scale. Descriptors are not absolute. Whether you can see the ''strong'' in your I depends on the lighting and where on the ''strong'' scale it falls; your ''strong'' may be closer to medium than to very strong. Your best chance for seeing it normally will be in sunlight, where UV is present. It may be fun to check your I next to your G under UV/blacklight to see how the strengths compare.

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 12/27/2008 11:29:35 AM
Author: John Pollard

Date: 12/27/2008 11:05:52 AM
Author: elle_chris
I''m one of those that''s indifferent to it.

Paul, I keep hearing it helps lower color diamonds look whiter. But my G stone has medium blue and I have yet to see it. I have another stone .50ct ''I'' color that has strong blue and I''ve never seen it either. So am wondering how ''much'' does it actually help?

In general the effect of fluorescence on color is most noticeable in the lower (I and below) colors, although in the marketplace the influence on price is greater in the higher (D through H) colors.

Remember that this is a sliding scale. Descriptors are not absolute. Whether you can see the ''strong'' in your I depends on the lighting and where on the ''strong'' scale it falls; your ''strong'' may be closer to medium than to very strong. Your best chance for seeing it normally will be in sunlight, where UV is present. It may be fun to check your I next to your G under UV/blacklight to see how the strengths compare.

John, I don''t see the blue in sunlight. I mean, the stones look blueish but i''m thinking that it''s just the sky. Have been meaning to try the blacklight but need to find a store that sells them.

 

[John P]

Date: 12/27/2008 11:47:24 AM
Author: elle_chris

John, I don't see the blue in sunlight. I mean, the stones look blueish but i'm thinking that it's just the sky. Have been meaning to try the blacklight but need to find a store that sells them.

It may be that elle (the sky). Every diamond is different. Imagine a scale of 1-100 where 'medium' is 21-30, strong is 31-60 and very strong is 61-100. If your I is closer to 31 on that scale it's far less likely you'll see the influence in natural light than if it were closer to 60.

If it's worth $20 to you (includes shipping) for a handheld LW UV blacklight, here's a source:
http://www.blacklightonline.us/

There are higher quality gemological tools out there, but the little $6.99 model above is in the mobile toolkit of a pretty good appraiser I know.

 

[elle_chris]

Ooh, thanks for the link, about to order it.

So based on the scale, how does a person really know if the fluoro is going to help their stone look whiter? It can be the sky, it can say strong on the cert, but really be closer to medium, and aside from that, you''d really need a sunny day where it may show (or may not), or be in bar that has blacklights (my least favorite if you''re wearing black as any piece of lint shows

). In other words, how often do you really see it?

I''m not trying to be argumentative, just trying to understand if it''s worth it to search for diamonds with only strong fluoro if you''re looking at lower colors?

 

[jstarfireb]

I love fluorescence and wish WF allowed it in their ACA stones!

 

[John P]

Date: 12/27/2008 12:25:56 PM
Author: elle_chris
Ooh, thanks for the link, about to order it.

So based on the scale, how does a person really know if the fluoro is going to help their stone look whiter? It can be the sky, it can say strong on the cert, but really be closer to medium, and aside from that, you'd really need a sunny day where it may show (or may not), or be in bar that has blacklights (my least favorite if you're wearing black as any piece of lint shows

). In other words, how often do you really see it?

I'm not trying to be argumentative, just trying to understand if it's worth it to search for diamonds with only strong fluoro if you're looking at lower colors?

Not argumentative at all elle! These are great (important) questions. We often try to reduce things to numbers and letters on this forum, which is ok up to a point, but yours is an important illustration of why in-person assessment is still critical for many factors of diamond beauty. It's pretty well-known that every SI diamond must be measured on its own merits. Fluorescence is the same way.

The position on the sliding fluorescence scale will impact how color is helped, or not. Add to that the fact that color grades are ALSO on a sliding scale (a J can be closer to an I or closer to a K), how the shape of the diamond, the size and especially its cut will influence the amount of color seen face-up and you have several variable factors. All this before you even begin considering the lighting environment, which is most important of all. Our dear friend Rockdoc (may he rest in peace) would even throw into this discussion how different labs judge fluorescence a bit differently, and how those judgments have even changed over time - were he still with us.

I'd say that, in general, lower colored diamonds enjoy some level of benefit from strong-very strong. Staying with very strong you can be confident that there will be some visible impact, but you'll find some people (old-school dealers mainly) who discriminate against that description on a grading report and will not bring in those diamonds.

If you want a precision decision, your best bet is to interface with an expert or enthusiast who has the diamond in hand and can adequately describe how its specific recipe of color, fluor and cut impact appearance.

 

[elle_chris]

Thanks for anwering John

So yeah, the bottom line, like with your example of SI stones is having a trusted vendor/jeweler tell you if the fluoro impacts the stone.

Oh, and I ordered the blacklight. Lol, the shipping was more than the product!

Will post pics of both stones showing the difference in fluoro when I get it.

Again, thanks.

P.S. sorry for the threadjack.

 

[John P]

Date: 12/27/2008 1:00:06 PM
Author: elle_chris
Thanks for anwering John

So yeah, the bottom line, like with your example of SI stones is having a trusted vendor/jeweler tell you if the fluoro impacts the stone.

Oh, and I ordered the blacklight. Lol, the shipping was more than the product!

Will post pics of both stones showing the difference in fluoro when I get it.

Again, thanks.

P.S. sorry for the threadjack.

You''re most welcome! I look forward to seeing your fluoro photos.

You may need to experiment with white balance and exposure settings to get them to appear as they do IRL. Either way you''re going to have fun.

 

[kcgunesq]

Date: 12/27/2008 12:16:12 PM
Author: John Pollard

Date: 12/27/2008 11:47:24 AM

Author: elle_chris

If it''s worth $20 to you (includes shipping) for a handheld LW UV blacklight, here''s a source:

http://www.blacklightonline.us/


There are higher quality gemological tools out there, but the little $6.99 model above is in the mobile toolkit of a pretty good appraiser I know.

YOu can also find blacklights at many of the big box pet stores. They sell them to help people find where animals have urinated. For exmple, there is this $16 combination blacklight/flashlight
unit. Its not much less expensive, but perhaps easier to obtain if you are already out shopping.

 

[elle_chris]

Thanks Kc but I already ordered the other one. You''re right though, I should of realized that pet stores would carry them.

 

[John P]

I have two cats and it never occured to me to use gem-grading UV to seek boo-boos. Of course my cats are purrfect and would never boo-boo outside their designated box... right?

 

[Diamond*Dana]

I love a stone with fluorscence. The center stone in my three stone has some fluorscence and it just glows in sunlight!

 

[Eva17]

i love flouro too

 

[Miss Fortune]

Date: 12/27/2008 8:03:57 AM
Author: sonomacounty
Miss Fortune:


So, what is it that you see in your main stone compared to the traps?


Thanks.

a hint of blue. that's all. it just looks a different color than my non fluro side traps.

 

[trishy]

Date: 12/29/2008 12:04:39 AM
Author: Miss Fortune

Date: 12/27/2008 8:03:57 AM
Author: sonomacounty
Miss Fortune:


So, what is it that you see in your main stone compared to the traps?


Thanks.

a hint of blue. that''s all. it just looks a different color than my non fluro side traps.

oh please show us a picture of this!!!

have you got one??

 

[arjunajane]

I''m in the love it camp.

I have an ideal cut K with med blue, and when I''m walking in strong direct sun, it does have a blue/violet glow/tint that is just so fun to look at!

My thoughts are that as long as it doesn''t have any of the very rare negative effects, its a definate plus. And as many have proven in this thread, becoming quite a desirable trait

 

[rnbwsktles]

I have a D color ring with Med. Fluorescence and this is the bluest it has ever looked. This picture was also taken with a cell phone which made it a little worse. (This is the picture I sent to everyone immediately after getting engaged and most thought it wasn''t a diamond lol. I could just sense the disappointment/judgement as these were not non-diamond engagement ring types of people!)

I love this aspect of the diamond. In my office under the fluorescent lights it sometimes has an icey color but no one else would ever notice that. Also, in non-direct sunlight it occasionally looks like some of the facets are a beautiful royal blue.

 

[elle_chris]

Date: 12/29/2008 11:22:15 AM
Author: rnbwsktles
I have a D color ring with Med. Fluorescence and this is the bluest it has ever looked. This picture was also taken with a cell phone which made it a little worse. (This is the picture I sent to everyone immediately after getting engaged and most thought it wasn''t a diamond lol. I could just sense the disappointment/judgement as these were not non-diamond engagement ring types of people!)

I love this aspect of the diamond. In my office under the fluorescent lights it sometimes has an icey color but no one else would ever notice that. Also, in non-direct sunlight it occasionally looks like some of the facets are a beautiful royal blue.

beautiful

My stone with medium blue has never looked like that though.

 

[trishy]

Date: 12/29/2008 11:22:15 AM
Author: rnbwsktles
I have a D color ring with Med. Fluorescence and this is the bluest it has ever looked. This picture was also taken with a cell phone which made it a little worse. (This is the picture I sent to everyone immediately after getting engaged and most thought it wasn''t a diamond lol. I could just sense the disappointment/judgement as these were not non-diamond engagement ring types of people!)

I love this aspect of the diamond. In my office under the fluorescent lights it sometimes has an icey color but no one else would ever notice that. Also, in non-direct sunlight it occasionally looks like some of the facets are a beautiful royal blue.

oh YUMMMMM!! thats what i love about fluor. it adds a little bit of magic