Why don''t some diamonds sparkle?

[winternight]

Ok perhaps this is a dumb question but doesn''t clarity have anything to do with wheather or not a diamond sparkles? I''ve been looking at rings lately since I''m trying to pick out my own ring and frankly alot of rings look flat to me - I''ve also seen alot of larger ring that just don''t seem to have much shine or sparkle to them. Is that mainly because of cut?

 

[belle]

yep, it''s the cut.
once you have seen a really well cut diamond, you will understand why focusing on the cut is so important. the crisp, clean, rainbow sparkles that are alive in a well cut stone are just amazing.

 

[asscherisme]

Cut, cut, oh yeah, and CUT!

 

[KristyDarling]

Cut. And also whether a ring has been properly cleaned. Even the tiniest film of muck can dull a well-cut stone''s shine.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/5/2006 11:21:49 AM
Author: KristyDarling
Cut. And also whether a ring has been properly cleaned. Even the tiniest film of muck can dull a well-cut stone's shine.

Yep CUT. Good and regular cleaning keeps the muck away and your diamond twinkling, so the cut can do it's thing

But no amount of cleaning will make a woofer of a cut sparkle

 

[jenniegirlm]

Date: 12/5/2006 10:45:44 AM
Author:winternight
Ok perhaps this is a dumb question but doesn''t clarity have anything to do with wheather or not a diamond sparkles? I''ve been looking at rings lately since I''m trying to pick out my own ring and frankly alot of rings look flat to me - I''ve also seen alot of larger ring that just don''t seem to have much shine or sparkle to them. Is that mainly because of cut?

I was wondering how much and when can clarity interfere with a diamond''s sparkle... is it only when its an I2-I3 where there''s visible inclusions or black carbon or do feathers, clouds and needles in an SI1 or S12 get in the way of a well-cut diamond? I hope the experts could chime in on this too.

 

[winternight]

^^^
This is my question too, although better phrased!

 

[belle]

i know this has been discussed before, did you try a search?
basically, until you get to at least I1 graded by reputable labs, clarity is not going to effect the sparkle. it just does not have that much impact. you would have to have a visibly, heavily included stone to really to have a noticeable impact on a well cut stone because the facets are all working together (more facets than inclusions) to produce sparkle. the effect of the sparkle from well cut diamonds will outweigh the effect of inclusions.

 

[oldminer]

In terms of noticeability with the naked eye, I sort of doubt any person can tell the loss of light return between flawless to SI2 and even I1 many times. If one observes diamonds for directly measured light return with digital equipment that is highly sensitive, one will find changes in light return with very slight clarity degradation. It stands to reason that clarity has en effect on light return when clarity does effect transparency. Our eyes simply are not digital tools nor as sensitive as modern sensors that capture light electronically.

One can give simple answers that satisfy people, but the truth is that clarity does generally have an effect on light return. It just is something beyond what our eyes see much of the time.

 

[diamondhunter10]

I would say cut, but I guess it was already established and make sure that it is throughly cleaned?