question about diamond sparkle and lighting

[abcdefg]

Under what lighting conditions are diamonds supposed to sparkle (fire and scintillation)?

There are three lighting conditions I''ve discovered so far under which my diamond is a little fireball:

- pot lights (recessed lighting)
- an LED pointer light I have
- direct sunlight

Under all other artificial (fluorescent / compact fluorescent / non-recessed incandescent) and natural lighting (cloudy days, indirect sunlight), it looks like an inert white stone. Not ugly at all, but not sparkly, either.

Is this normal, or is the cut on my diamond somehow insufficient? If it''s normal, then it''s perfectly fine with me, but reading PS, I sort of get the impression that it''s supposed to sparkle a lot in general, especially under indirect lighting (which mine doesn''t). I have no basis for comparison, as I have never owned any other diamonds.

Here are the stats on my ring to help assess:

Shape: Round
Carat Weight: 0.76
Colour: J
Clarity: VS1

Depth: 61.9%
Table: 56%
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Excellent
Cutlet: None
Fluorescence: Strong Blue
Measurements: 5.86*5.84*3.62

Crown Angle: 34.5
Pavilion Angle: 40.8
HCA Score: 1.3 (ex/ex/ex/vg)

 

[Lorelei]

Fabulous cut! Your diamond has really good proportions so that shouldn't be an issue, it is rare that strong blue fluorescence can make a diamond look cloudy, but if you have an appraiser close by it wouldn't hurt to ask.

Basically diamonds don't sparkle all the time....To hear the vet PSers rave about diamonds so much this could lead the newbie to think maybe when they finally get their diamond and open the box for the first time they will see fireworks shoot out - this isn't always the case!

Diamonds are dependant on the available lighting they have to work with in order to sparkle, and being physically clean, a mucky greasy diamond won't sparkle. On cloudy days it isn't uncommon to see a diamond go into ' rest mode.' It won't do much in the way of sparkle but it will still look attractive even while sleeping. This is normal and my diamonds do this. What I would say is if you can compare some diamonds in person away from jewellery store lights, check some out and see how they behave in normal lighting. But if you are unsure then I would get an appraiser to check it out just to put your mind at rest, I doubt you have anything to worry about.

And keep your diamond clean in order to enjoy it to the fullest!

 

[stone-cold11]

That''s normal.

 

[abcdefg]

Thanks for the assurances! I think it's a very pretty stone; reading PS just makes it seem like diamonds are supposed to glow 24/7. I was also concerned because people so frequently cite standing underneath a tree in sunny weather as being great lighting for diamonds, meanwhile it doesn't appear to do anything for mine. But then someone mentioned that it should be a tree with leaves - d'oh.

I guess I'll have to wait until the trees here GET leaves to try that.

None of the lighting in my apartment is good for my diamond, so whenever I feel disappointed by that, I take out my little LED light and shine it on my ring. Dorky, but I like to see it sparkle.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/1/2009 11:09:42 AM
Author: abcdefg
Thanks for the assurances! I think it's a very pretty stone; reading PS just makes it seem like diamonds are supposed to glow 24/7. I was also concerned because people so frequently cite standing underneath a tree in sunny weather as being great lighting for diamonds, meanwhile it doesn't appear to do anything for mine. But then someone mentioned that it should be a tree with leaves - d'oh.

I guess I'll have to wait until the trees here GET leaves to try that.

None of the lighting in my apartment is good for my diamond, so whenever I feel disappointed by that, I take out my little LED light and shine it on my ring. Dorky, but I like to see it sparkle.

LOL! I know what you mean, to hear some of us diehards going on about these little rocks it is easy to expect non stop rainbows! In reality diamonds don't sparkle all the time, with the tree tip ( or even a bush for that matter as I use one of my hawthorns for this purpose) view the diamond with the sun glinting through the leaves on it, you should see some really pretty fire and scintillation if you move the stone. Direct sunlight doesn't always make a diamond look its best and I can't stress this enough, make sure the diamond is squeaky clean. If you don't have a white gold setting, you could try a bath using Sudsy Ammonia, I use one third to 2 thirds hot water. Soak for half an hour, scrub and rinse. This really gets any residual grease off the diamond and will bring out the sparkle.

 

[abcdefg]

Date: 5/1/2009 12:44:04 PM
Author: Lorelei

Direct sunlight doesn''t always make a diamond look its best and I can''t stress this enough, make sure the diamond is squeaky clean. If you don''t have a white gold setting, you could try a bath using Sudsy Ammonia, I use one third to 2 thirds hot water. Soak for half an hour, scrub and rinse. This really gets any residual grease off the diamond and will bring out the sparkle.

Yep, it hasn''t taken me long to notice this! I can notice a difference in my diamond''s performance between being freshly cleaned vs. even just the end of that day. I''ve been cleaning it every day - I wonder how long I''ll keep that up! I also buff it after every time I''ve washed my hands or put my ring back on after taking it off - I feel kind of nuts, but I like it to be at its best!

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/1/2009 12:51:57 PM
Author: abcdefg

Date: 5/1/2009 12:44:04 PM
Author: Lorelei

Direct sunlight doesn''t always make a diamond look its best and I can''t stress this enough, make sure the diamond is squeaky clean. If you don''t have a white gold setting, you could try a bath using Sudsy Ammonia, I use one third to 2 thirds hot water. Soak for half an hour, scrub and rinse. This really gets any residual grease off the diamond and will bring out the sparkle.

Yep, it hasn''t taken me long to notice this! I can notice a difference in my diamond''s performance between being freshly cleaned vs. even just the end of that day. I''ve been cleaning it every day - I wonder how long I''ll keep that up! I also buff it after every time I''ve washed my hands or put my ring back on after taking it off - I feel kind of nuts, but I like it to be at its best!

LOL! Trust me, you are part of a very large club of diamond scrubbers!