Why does my diamond look different?

[leftfinger]

My friend has an oval ring that I absolutely love. When i put it next to mine it looks completely different. Hers looks white and mine looks grey. Mine looks like liquid silver or something and hers looks like what I think a diamond should look like. Mine is a RB but I can''t see why that would make a difference...at least that much of a difference. She doesn''t know her specs except that the color is H and mine is G. Shouldn''t mine be whiter? I know this is a stupid question, I just can''t figure out why they look like completely different colors. Mine seems white until I put it next to hers.
Any ideas?
Thanks!

 

[strmrdr]

Is yours clean?

 

[leftfinger]

Very, very clean!!! According to my SO and sisters, I "overclean it"....which I doubt is possible!

 

[decodelighted]

Couple things could affect that ...

* different grading labs? if hers is an AGS graded "H" and yours is an EGL or other more lenient lab''s "G" -- then hers might appear whiter.

* hers could be fake! most fakes look like "D" color

* different stones have different undertones ... some show yellow tinged warmth ... some have silver grey tinged warmth. I personally prefer the silver tone for modern cuts, especially when set in white metals.

* if yours is an ideal cut then those sometimes "go dark" under certain lighting conditions that favor less-well-cut stones (or other shapes/cuts than Round Brilliant)

* her stone may be cut for superior brilliance (white light return) -- where yours might be a mix of brilliance & fire & scintillation?

Some ideas. Do you have pictures of yours?

 

[strmrdr]

What was the lighting like?

 

[leftfinger]

Hi!
We were inside and it was a partly cloudy. I do have pics but I can NOT figure out how to post them...I have TRIED! :<(
My files are too large...my husband loves to take pics and just got a new macro lens, so I have great close ups but I just can''t figure out how to get them on here.

 

[leftfinger]

Hers is real, I am 100% sure of that.

 

[Indylady]

Do you think the files might be too large?

 

[leftfinger]

I am not sure. It either does nothing or says troubleshoot. I don''t know why I can''t post here. I am not usually this dumb with technology. I have wanted to post pics of my ring for a while but can''t. I read the thread that explained it and I am ashamed to admit that I am STILL not clever enough to figure this out.

 

[makemepretty]

Is this the same diamond you thought was fake not that long ago? I''d say...stop comparing diamonds with other people. No two diamonds are the same, heck the same diamond even looks different in different lighting. Hers might be whiter in some light but maybe it doesn''t sparkle as much as yours does sometimes. I''ve not seen an oval sparkle as much as an RB. Enjoy YOUR diamond and stop worrying about everyone elses

 

[leftfinger]

Hey!
I guess many people start out stories regarding themselves with " I have this friend..." but no, that situation really was about a friend of mine. And she ended up sending the ring back for a refund. (Whew!!!) She is getting a brand new one this summer when they fly back CONUS. :>)
I don''t normally go around comparing things all day but I am the friend everyone comes to to clean their jewelry because I love doing it and I hate seeing dirty jewelry! :>) It shocks me how many people do not clean their diamonds. So, I see lots of it! This is a different friend who has a lovely ring (ovals are my absolute fave!) and we always noticed how different the colors are between ours. I just wondered why. It is an obvious difference once they are next to each other and I just wondered why. I figured maybe someone here could tell me.

 

[decodelighted]

Aren''t ovals more shallow generally than rounds? Could that be affecting the "whiteness" perception? Flat white vs. the round w/more depth & complexity?

Dunno ...

 

[strmrdr]

More than likely the oval is drawing more light from low angles(green in ASET) and the low angle light is brighter than the overhead light.
This fits with a room being lit by a window.

 

[leftfinger]

Thanks for the responses so far!

I just spoke to her and we are going to "experiment" in different lighting. :>) The lighting thing makes sense. It is just such a stark difference that I thought there might be another explanation. She asked if there was such a thing as a gray diamond and I told her I believed there was but that mine was not one of them.
Hopefully, tomorrow we will have some sun and we can "play"!

 

[honey22]

What is the cut quality like of your diamond? And who graded it? Maybe your friend''s stone is a better cut and therefore reflecting light better?

 

[Dreamer_D]

What color is the room your compare in? I mean, what color paint? An ideal RB might/probably would reflect more of the ambient color than a less than ideal oval. If the walls are taup or green or grey or brown, there is the culprit!

 

[MissGotRocks]

The major difference is the cut of the stones. RB stones are generally deeper than ovals for one thing. I know two people that have beautiful oval stones and they always look much whiter than mine. However, they are much more of a surface stone and usually generate flashes of light rather than the overall scintillation of my RB.

They are just two different stones with very different properties. I would never say one is better than the other but they really produce different types of looks. In terms of color, you''d really have to compare two round brilliants to have a more ''apples to apples'' comparison.

 

[asforhim]

The "WHITENESS" you are referring to is the appearance of reflected light and not the actual color of the diamond. All diamonds reflect light in different ways. The reflected light can look "white", can have "fire" (where the diamond acts as a prism splitting the light into colors), "scintilliation" etc. Generally, the deeper the cut of a diamond (any shape) the more light shines through the diamond and not reflected back to the eye. This gives the diamond a glassy, silvery, sometimes dark appearance (as if you were looking through the diamond). The more shallow the cut, the "whiter" it will look. If too shallow, it will look cloudy white or opaque.

Also, many fancy shapes tend to have more internal reflections of light which gives the appearance of whiteness or "crushed ice" (especially in radiants).

You would not be able to appreciate any difference in stone color by the naked eye between an H and G.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 6/7/2009 8:23:09 PM
Author: honey22
What is the cut quality like of your diamond? And who graded it? Maybe your friend''s stone is a better cut and therefore reflecting light better?

Ditto - this is important info if we are to get any insight on this.