Do You Know About Diamonds?

I've shopped for lab diamonds quite a few times. But, I know nothing about them. So, I start with a site beyond4cs guide to buying the best proportioned diamond. He has one for every shape. So, on paper my diamonds would be top of the line. However, that's not the case. Supposedly diamonds even great cut ones can still have issues. All the diamonds I've bought have 360 videos, so I can see them spin. To be honest, I don't notice much wrong with any of them. However, from still photos, most I just pass by.

I had this ring made for my wife a few years ago. It's based on a ring we used to see in Macy's Estate Jewelry window. When my wife opened this she said "the band of onyx should have been narrower". It's a 2.4 carat diamond in platinum.

This is my version of a flashlight test on the diamond. If you know about diamonds, how would you rate this? If you notice something, please let me know.

I just want to learn to pick the best. Not just by the numbers. By actually noticing what I'm supposed to.

 

I'm no diamond expert.............
for my 1st engagement ring , I bought a 1.1 carat with a wide table to make it look much bigger. It did not sparkle , and neither did she !
for my 2nd , I bought a .75 carat , internally flawless , an F colourless ..... and in any light it threw off intense sparkle !!
It was so special that my ex wife's new husband , used it in the ring he gave her !!!
( so my ex still wears the stone , I bought for her..! )
I bought a Burmese Sapphire for my current wife....that fixed the diamond debate !

Your 1st 3 pics show a stone with no life....... but I'm sure that's just the photography..
The flashlight test ...I don't know how that works , or if it's a good test at all. The stone seems to sparkle , mostly from the left side . I'd rather see it in the sunshine.

It could be the cut.... or the flashlight ....or the angle.......but I'm not seeing the dazzling brilliance of an ideal cut stone.

 

Afaik, a flashlight test is used on an unmounted stone if you want to know if it is a diamond. It isn't conclusive, but some people find it helpful.
You stone is mounted, and you already know it is a diamond.

I'm not sure what you want us to see, but what I see is a ring at some distance with what looks like a brilliant cut diamond, some of its facets occasionally catching the light of the flashlight.
Not to put your diamond down, but the video and photos don't give us any information other than this.

I have a smaller, flawless natural diamond that sparkles like mad and flashes every colour of the rainbow when I move it about in the sunlight. Not saying mine is better, diamonds do that. I'm sure the fact that yours doesn't has to do with the way you showed your diamond, not the stone itself.

Not the reaction you were expecting, but I do agree, the thick black onyx band distracts from the diamond. The jeweller should have warned you about the proportions, the diamond should be the star of the ring.

 

It's a beautiful ring! But I agree that the onyx does that diamond no favors. The setting is quite bold, so maybe it's the proportions that are bothering you.

Do you have a GIA report for this stone?
Is your diamond a low color? If so, maybe it's just not being complimented by the black frame.
That could could be why you think it doesn't have enough punch.

It would be much more exciting with a calibrated halo of sapphires, rubies or emeralds.

Example of sapphire halo:

 

Why not take to to a jeweler who is a geologist? I think it's beautiful.

 

Gemologist. I am totally un-fond of brilliant cut diamonds, so wouldn't have thought to take a flashlight to it. If you're really concerned, send it out for a GIA evaluation via a real jeweler for a proper evaluation. Those mall store people..fuggedit.

I actually like the onyx setting, because takes the ring closer to a Deco style.

 

I'm not sure what you're asking. Is the stone in question lab created?

Obviously the cut can do nothing for clarity or color issues, can cut away inclusions but not make them go away. Again, are we talking lab or natural diamonds here? What is the flashlight test supposed to reveal? Some diamonds glow blue under UV light, a quality that is not considered an enhancement, not a fatal flaw either.

Looks to me like the setting of the ring shown prevents much light from reaching the diamond, which is going to limit how much sparkle & fire you will get out of it.

 

You know what they say, third times a charm.
I'm not seeing that dazzle either.
This is the video that has the flashlight test. It's on a loose diamond.

My issue with this has always been the original sparkled like a star. You could see it from a block away. This diamond has the highest of the 4C's, it's an E or an F. It's larger than the original, and to me it doesn't have that sparkle. But, that's me. I never got to see this in a jeweler's case where the lighting would be perfect. The jeweler that set the stone, said it was beautiful. I've just never seen it in the perfect setting. Because it's platinum, it's heavy, so my wife rarely wears it. I thought someone on here who really knows diamonds, can watch the video and say one way or another "yeah, that's a good diamond, or no, it's supposed to be doing this", and then possibly give a reason why. I'm always open to fixing my errors.

The original which we both remembered had black enamel around the diamond, and it was stunning. The difference is the rest of the setting. Neither of us remember what the rest of the original setting looked like. But, this is a beautiful art-deco setting. In the original of this, the onyx on the sides were baguettes. I do have a GIA report for it. It's 100% perfect on paper. If you can't see a diamond in person before buying it, you should at least (IMO) start with all the correct proportions. At least I would think that would be where you start.

I was looking for a pear shaped colored diamond, and found one. I asked for a tweezer video. The day the video was made, the owner of the diamond raised the price by $500. The diamond market feels like the wild west.

Thank you. The person who set it, told me it was a beautiful diamond. When it wasn't in the setting, I thought it was a great diamond. On paper it's a perfect diamond. In the ring (for me) it just loses something. What I'm seeing might be absolutely normal. But, that original in Macy's was really something. Of course, I only saw it in the window with the sun shining on it, and probably lighting from the sides.

I have the GIA report. It's a top of the line diamond. Which is why I'm wondering why I don't like it in the ring.

I didn't know about the cell phone flashlight test till yesterday. I posted it in the first response. Honestly, the first two tests he does, the diamond looks terrible (IMO). It's the flashlight test where the diamond has some shine, and he's using an excellent diamond in the example. I can't imagine what a terrible stone is like, if this is what the best is.

I love the setting. I do think the onyx is a bit thick around it. But, if the diamond shined the way it should, it wouldn't matter.

Yes, it's a lab. But, there is no difference between lab or natural except the way they're made. In the earth over millions of years, or in a lab in six months (I think). But, as far as a diamond goes, there's only two ways to tell a lab from natural. First is the serial number. Labs start with LG. The second is a new machine jewelers have that can look into the stone. But, if you took a lab and natural placed them next to each other, they are exactly the same. Which is why there's no real reason to buy a natural stone anymore. We're both in our sixties, it's not going anywhere. We're not selling them to recoup some money.

On paper this is a perfect diamond. You might have hit it on the head with setting not letting enough light get to the stone.

The flashlight test shows the fire of a stone. I posted the video I saw it in yesterday in my first response.

The new piece I'm working on is with a pear shaped diamond. If I could even find what I'm looking for in a natural diamond, it'd be the cost of 2 - 3 cars. In lab, it's not even the cost of an electric bicycle. Yet you'd get the same exact thing. I just hope this new piece turns out nicer than this ring. Though in reality, I might be putting too much fantasy in how this diamond should be. That comes from not really knowing anything about diamonds.

 

My issue with this has always been the original sparkled like a star. You could see it from a block away.........

even someone who doesn't know from the 4 C's............can see what you saw !!!!

 

That's my issue also. But, the answer might be, it was in a window with the sun and possibly special store lighting, it was Macy's jewelry window. The sun goes down long before the store closes. It could very well be that on someone's hand walking down the block, it looks just like the one I had made. It sold. It was $10,000 in 1985. I think I was making about $200 a week before taxes.

 

Yes, stupid auto correct on my part.

 

I worked in a casino as a dealer and supervisor for 19 years, saw a lot of amazing jewelry. I know exactly what you mean...the "fire" or brilliance. I only saw one diamond like that on an Asian woman's hand. The flash, the sparkle, the rainbow of colors when she slightly moved her hand. I have one small antique diamond like that set in a ring.

 

I have a man's Deco ring with a really nice color sapphire, set in a bezel mount. At least, I think it's a good sapphire. The setting mutes it a lot. (bought it at a yard sale for not even melt, well before gold went nuts. ) Settings change the way stones look, or bezels do anyway.

 

I know the halogen lights ("halogen" for halo-generating?) in my display cabinet make diamonds twinkle like nothing else. I don't know if they have now been supplanted by LEDs, but they used to be common in jewellers' showcases.

 

The design itself is heavy too, with a lot of platinum. That makes it more valuable, but unfortunately also less wearable. The metalwork on Art Deco rings is generally much more lightweight than on this ring. Onyx is also heavy.

Sounds like the original was also Art Deco-inspired, black enamel around a clear stone is very Art Deco.
Art Deco style enamel bands are very lightweight because the layer of enamel is very thin. Also, the enamel is usually slightly deeper than the mounted stone, like it was poured into a thin canal or moat around the stone. That makes the stone stand out more.

 

I would have liked to have seen that. I must not look at jewelry much. I can't think of any ring that turned my head on someone's hand. I've seen some diamonds that were so big they stood out. But, they weren't that nice. They were tacky.

You can't ask for anything better than a yard sale bargain.

I never look at CDs at garage sales, I just have too many. But, without looking directly at it I saw Taylor Swift's first CD signed on the cover. It was 50 cents. I sold it for $800 on ebay.

The jeweler that does my settings, her platinum is just a few dollars more than 14k and cheaper than 18k. In a store platinum is top of the line. Since I don't wear jewelry, I never thought about weight. If it's on your finger, how heavy could it possibly be? It doesn't quite fit on my pinky. I can feel the weight, but, it's not exceptionally heavy.

My brother has many rings and he has lighting in his cabinets for them.

I took the ring outside in the sun, and it does shine beautifully. I think you hit it on the nose (gemini agrees) that the setting mutes the brilliance. Theoretically, I could take it to a jeweler and have them widen the slats on the sides to open the bottom some more. Seeing it in the sun today, it reminds me of the loose diamond when I first received it.

 

Very large colorless stones with a lot of fire can be cubic zirconia.

 

widen the slats on the sides to open the bottom '''

don't bother..... for a nice sparkle...light must enter the table... light that enters the side or bottom...have no effect on brilliance ..


.
Uncut or poorly cut diamonds will look dull. The sparkle relies entirely on the quality of the diamond's cut, which dictates the exact angles and proportions of its 57 or 58 tiny, flat polished surfaces, known as facets. These facets must be mathematically angled so that....*** light enters the top of the stone***, .......bounces around internally like a boomerang, and shoots right back up to your eyes.
GIA 4Cs +4

If a diamond is cut too shallow, the light ......***leaks out the bottom;***'''''''' if it is cut too deep, ......***.it leaks out the sides.***'''''''''' Because cut is the single most important factor for sparkle, checking the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) cut grade—which ranges from Poor to Excellent—is the best way to evaluate a stone's light performance.

 

Gemini told me I might want to have the slats open to let more light into the bottom. They gave the reason why, but, I didn't note it.

This diamond has the certificate. This guy knows his stuff, and I followed his recommendation when I bought this stone. So all the proportions that you can check, this diamond is within those perimeters.

The Cut grade/Polish/Symmetry were all EXCELLENT.
The color is either E or F (D-E-F) are colorless, the best.
The clarity is VVS2. Which is very very slight inclusions. These are not visible to the naked eye. It's the 3rd best in clarity, with the exception of flawless (extremely rare) and VVS1. Most jewelers feel anything to a VS2 is fine. It's when you get into SI1 or SI2 where the inclusions could actually be visible to the naked eye. I've always stayed within VVS1 and 2.

Since I buy online, and all of these things can be checked, I do. It narrows the field of diamonds dramatically. My issue is, I watch the 360 videos, and some I like, some I don't. But, what do I know? I could be liking a diamond for it's faults, and I'm thinking it's a plus.

This was a project I did perfectly.

This is $1200 from Disney




Created especially for Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort

• Fine gold rope chain with lobster claw clasp
• Diamonds* (.21ctw)
• 14 kt. gold (see pull-down menu for choice of available tones)
• Part of the Disney Parks Jewelry Collection

*Please note: Every diamond set in a Disney Dream Collection jewelry item is guaranteed to be no less than G-H in color and SI-1 in quality.

For $3025 you can get it upgraded in diamond size and 18K
Created especially for Walt Disney World Resort and Disneyland Resort

• Fine gold rope chain with lobster claw clasp
• Diamonds* (.45 carat)
• 18 karat gold (see pull-down menu for choice of available tones)
• Part of the Disney Parks Jewelry Collection
  *Every diamond set in a Disney Dream Collection jewelry item is guaranteed to be no less than G-H in color and SI-1 in quality.

I paid a fraction of this and the center stone is 1 carat, with 2 .34 carat diamonds for the ears, in 14k. I didn't even pay as much as the first one, that has .21 carat total that shows color and has visible inclusions.

Mine is Excellent for the cut/polish/symmetry.
VVS2 - Clarity
D - Color

This thing shines from a mile away. But, there isn't much of a setting. It just like you see in Disney's.

Unfortunately, the loose diamond market is like the wild west with people that don't care about anything except making a buck. On one site a certified diamond is $1000, the same certified diamond on another site is $3000. Could you imagine paying $3000 and finding out you could have gotten the same exact thing from somewhere else for a grand?

I was looking at a diamond that on one site is $1,039. I went to another site and it was $980. I went to another site it was $3500. I asked for a tweezer video and that day it jumped from $1039 to $1270. From $980 to $1210, and from $3500 to $4040. I loved the video, and refused to pay more because they decided to raise the price. My brother sent me a list of diamonds he bought and never received. But, was given lies by the sellers to explain why he didn't get them. One person told him the diamonds were sold. The following week they were back on the site with higher prices.

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That is what I thought when I read Marko's post. Cubic zirconias often show more rainbow colours than genuine diamonds do. They are beautiful, but not the real deal.