Worried about fluorescence

[lindentree]

I ordered stud earrings from Blue Nile with a minimum H color VS2 clarity. I looked at my order info and found they were trying to sell me I color earrings with SI1 clarity. I called them about the situation and they upgraded my earrings to H VVS with an excellent cut, polish, and symmetry. They are platinum, and I had a 10% discount. I was pretty happy until I saw the GIA reports on my studs. The earrings have a medium blue fluorescence. They are going to ship tomorrow so it may be too late to do anything. If I say anything I may not be able to get this cut and clarity as they are not build-your-own studs. Should I be worried the medium blue will affect the appearance or quality of the earrings? What would you do?

 

[Gypsy]

No. It is HIGHLY unlikely that medium fluorescence is going to have a negative effect on an H VVS stone. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-flourescence

Typically only strong and very strong have negative effects. And then usually with twining wisps in Si1 stones.

I wouldn't have ordered studs from BN. And I would have checked the lab reports to make sure the stones were good performers. But hey, at least they are just earrings.

 

[lindentree]

Thanks for your reply. I was sent the GIA reports after the stones were changed. I don't really have a problem with Blue Nile; I know some do. The stones sound great, I just have never bought diamonds that had any fluorescence. I'm not crazy about the idea, and I worry. To me they aren't just earrings. Diamonds are diamonds in my eyes. I already have an engagement ring, and I wanted my stones to have a certain look. They are 1.5 carat total weight, and for the price I paid I want to feel comfortable with my choice.

 

[Gypsy]

Round Diamonds 101:

The entire purpose of faceting a diamond is to reflect light.
How well or how poorly a diamond does this determines how beautiful it is.
How well a diamond performs is determined by the angles and cutting. This is why we say cut is king.
No other factor: not color, not clarity has as much of an impact on the appearance of a diamond as its cut. An ideal H will out white a poorly cut F. With round diamonds even a GIA triple Excellent is not enough. And you must stick to GIA and AGS only (HPD in Europe is good as well). EGL is a bad option: [URL='https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/']https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/egl-certification-are-any-of-them-ok.142863/[/URL]
So how to we ensure that we have the right angles and cutting to get the light performance we want?
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/diamond-cut
Well one method is to start with a GIA Ex, and then apply the HCA to it. YOU DO NOT USE HCA for AGS0 stones generally, though you can. In general, AGS0 trumps HCA though as one examines the actual stone and the other does not.
https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/holloway-cut-advisor
The HCA is a rejection tool. Not a selection tool. It uses 4 data points to make a rudimentary call on how the diamond may perform.
If the diamond passes then you know that you are in the right zone in terms of angles for light performance. Under 2 is a pass. Under 2.5-2.1 is a maybe. 2.6 and over is a no. No score 2 and under is better than any other.
Is that enough? Not really.

So what you need is a way to check actual light performance of your actual stone.
That's what an idealscope image does. https://www.pricescope.com/wiki/diamonds/firescope-idealscope
It shows you how and wear your diamond is reflecting light, how well it is going at it, and where you are losing light return. That is why you won't see us recommending Blue Nile, as they do not provide idealscope images for their diamonds. BGD,BE, James Allen, GOG, HPD, ERD and WF do.

The Idealscope is the 'selection tool'. Not the HCA.
So yes, with a GIA stone you need the idealscope images. Or you can buy an idealscope yourself and take it in to the jeweler you are working with to check the stones yourself. Or if you have a good return policy (full refund minimum 7 days) then you can buy the idealscope, buy the stone, and do it at home.

Now if you want to skip all that... stick to AGS0 stones and then all you have to do is pick color and clarity and you know you have a great performing diamond. Because AGS has already done the checking for you. That's why they trade at a premium. Some AGS0's are better than others though, so pay attention to any ASET or IS provided.

In general with rounds, you will want a table 60% or less. A depth between 59 and 62.4. Crown angle 33.5-35. Pavilion Angle: 40.6-40.9 (there is a little give on this). And the crown and pavilion angles must be complimentary which is what the HCA checks for you.

 

[lindentree]

What a great post. Thank you. I can see your point about how you can't recommend Blue Nile. Perhaps I'll just return them and check out your recommendations. I want to wear these the rest of my life, and I really want to be happy with them.

 

[Gypsy]

 

[Gypsy]

ON COLOR:

It is important to remember is that color is graded FACE DOWN. Where there is NO light return. Not face up where there is light return and refraction. You wear diamonds set. FACE UP. Especially with earrings, where no one will see the profile of the stones when worn, color tolerances and be much more liberal than you would think .

Within one color grade, even the labs can't agree on the color grades of stones and something could be a "high" H or a "low" E. . Within 2 color grades it is hard. Not impossible. But very hard. And it gets harder once set. If you are talking ideal rounds, or any stone with ideal light return and no sharp corners it gets harder still because the ideal light return masks body color.

Generally we say to be conservative stay above H in a round for a ring. But MANY people have happily bought white I or even J diamonds when trying to eek out a little more size for rings. And for studs in general we recommend I color or even J's and K's.

This is how I think of it.

Ever gotten one of those HUGE paint fan decks? Where there are literally 100s of colors of whites? And when they are RIGHT next to each other you can TOTALLY tell that one is bluer/colder and one is a bit warmer and which one is one is TOTALLY warmer. One there's one that's slightly greener. One that's slightly pinker? But really. They are all white?

Then you pick one after agonizing over this white or that white and when it's on the walls and people are like: Oh. You painted again. And it's STILL white. Great.

And you're all... BUT it's BLUE white. Or it's a WARM white now. It used to be ____ white. It's TOTALLY different.

It's like that. You are talking about shades of white. D is colder... J is warmer. But it's all white.

YES. If you have an accurately graded F and an H THAT HAVE THE SAME PERFORMANCE you are going to be able to tell them apart when you compare them. Just like you would be able to tell if you painted your walls a warm white, but painted the crown molding a cold/straight white. But both are STILL white.


I want you notice all the qualifiers thought. I'm talking about stones with the SAME performance. An ideal H will out white an F that has compromised light performance from a poor cut.

NOTHING impacts the appearance of a diamond as much as cut. CUT is king.

You want the shinest whitest and brightest diamond out there: Cut is King. No other factor, not color or clarity or anything else impacts how white bright an shiny a stone is.

ON CLARITY:
http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Clarity/SI/ and http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Clarity/VS/ Generally we say that eyeclean SI1 and VS2 are as high as you need to go with round brilliants, have your vendor check the diamond for this. VS1 will always be eyeclean, but they do cost more and an eyeclean SI1 and a FL will look the same to the unaided eye. Again with earrings, you really don't need anything more than eyeclean from 6 inches. I wouldn't pay for more than VS in earrings.

 

[Gypsy]

http://www.whiteflash.com/loose-diamonds/diamond-pairs-details.aspx?Diamond1=3660693&Diamond2=3660694
http://www.whiteflash.com/diamond-earrings/8-prong-martini-diamond-earrings-1548.htm

 

[lindentree]

Those earrings are gorgeous! I am seriously tempted. They are about $740 more than what I paid, but I love the specs and the whole look. To me it's worth it if I wear them for life and they make me happy.

ETA: Plus, they are extremely well-cut and are H&A, besides! It looks like a good deal to me.

 

[Gypsy]

They are.