Show your gems that look good in all lighting

[T L]

Since so many gems have a color shift or change that some people deem less desirable, this thread is devoted to your less moody gems, the ones that look great in cloudy weather, sunlight, fluorescent light, other incandescent/artificial light. I’ll start with one of my moonstones. When fine quality, these very underrated gems have so much to offer. I love them!!!!
Photos are from left to right.

Top row: Overcast dark cloudy rainy day, Sunlight
Bottom row: Incandescent yellowish light, Fluorescent light

 

[Lilith112]

My wedding/engagement ring:

Bright sunlight:


Sunrise:


Office:


Indoors (daytime, no lights turned on)


Shaded light:


Rainy day:

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Holy amazing moonstone @T L! That is moonstone goals all day right there.

@Lilith112 absolutely love that blue glow, what a knockout.

So here are mine, I know posting this spinel again is like wearing the same dress to every party but I'm just that smitten. She will be getting a new setting soon (just ordered today!)

Also that pink sapphire is pretty fantastic even in the darkest room of the house with no light on.

Car:


Dark room with no light except from the window:


In the window:


Dark room no light:


Window:

 

[MakingTheGrade]

I’ve really never seen my black opal look bad.

Office


Daylight


Shopping


Indirect daylight

 

[distracts]

My gems that look good in all lighting - including dim lighting - are mostly the ones that are more pastel. However if we exclude dim lighting, the field opens up.

 

[T L]

My gems that look good in all lighting - including dim lighting - are mostly the ones that are more pastel. However if we exclude dim lighting, the field opens up.

Pictures???

 

[distracts]

Pictures???

I’m on vacation so pics when I get home! Since the PS update I don’t have access to attach my old pics so I’ll probably have to take new ones.

 

[Bron357]

My opal ring which I will be rehoming. DH I promise
The fascinating thing about this opal is that it looks so different in varied lighting conditions.

 

[icy_jade]

Thanks @T L for creating this thread - really got me thinking about my collection. And your moonstone is so gorgeous!

I have a few (already set stones) that I think never really looks bad as opposed to most of my tourmalines and Mexican water opal that really needs daylight or spot lighting to bring out their best:
- purple sapphire ring
- pink sapphire ring
- tsavorite ring
- ruby ring
- icy jadeite earrings & imperial green jadeite bracelet
- grape garnet earrings
- paraiba pendant

Here is the tsav as it’s a more recent acquisition and easier to find pics:


The others are similar in the sense that they never go black even in orangey lighting or even glow in orangey lighting (silky ruby and icy jadeite) and/or looks ok in office lighting which are the conditions that tends to trip up the rest of the stones (except the Mexican which looks great in office and meh in daylight)...

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

My new spinel!!!

Sunlight on sunny day



Shade on sunny day



Nasty restaurant lighting (those long stick lights)



Department store light



Natural light on cloudy day



Aside from the lovely glow it gets in the presence of sunlight I think it's rather nice in most lights.

@icy_jade I've always thought your tourmaline was one of the nicer tourmalines despite my dislike for Tourmaline in general so it's interesting to hear you say it needs decent lighting.

I think my tourmaline is a pill because it needs nice sunlight otherwise it looks sooooo meh. Put me off tourmaline after I had it for a while.

 

[voce]

Ok, I gotta be biased, but imo most of the stuff in this jewelry box looks good in all lighting, apart from the gem boxes and a couple cheapie rings near gem boxes in the last pic.

Direct sunlight:

Cloudy day:

Indoors in diffused natural light office:

Under LED light, nighttime:

 

[missy]

This is an easy question for me. My Cartier Black Opal looks amazing (IMO) under all lighting conditions. I don't have it with me unfortunately but let me look for old photos to illustrate this point.

Inside on a dark stormy day with no indoor lights





In the car with some sun coming through




In the house under artificial light




In my bedroom very early AM with nightstand (incandescent) lamp is on.



In the library with no lights on at all during the daytime hours.

 

[missy]

For some reason I cannot quote posts now. Sigh. OK just have to say wow to all the beautiful gemstones shared here.

@voce WOWZA to everything you have

@Lilith112 gorgeous blue glow. LOVE.

@mellowyellowgirl what can I say. Your entire collection is ooh la la

@icy_jade stunning

@T L gorgeous moonstonelicious

@StephanieLynn so lovely

@MakingTheGrade beautiful

@distracts cannot wait to see your gemstones when you get back and hope you are enjoying vacation.

@Bron357 that is so true. Opals look different in all different environments but the gorgeous ones are always opalicious.

 

[voce]

Thanks @missy. I agree with you there's a lot of gorgeous in this thread. I do want to tell you your opal is the one I like best out of all the ones I have ever seen. A true heirloom!

 

[icy_jade]

@icy_jade I've always thought your tourmaline was one of the nicer tourmalines despite my dislike for Tourmaline in general so it's interesting to hear you say it needs decent lighting.

I think my tourmaline is a pill because it needs nice sunlight otherwise it looks sooooo meh. Put me off tourmaline after I had it for a while.

Ok honestly it’s not bad in most lighting but then in some it’s just a bit meh? Or you think I’m being too critical? If you see the last row of pics what do you think?



It does hold its color pretty well and I really like this ring but then in some lighting I think meh. Perhaps due to the RI? Cos the tsav/garnets are more sparkly so they still look interesting and maybe they all look flat in the pics (esp when I do the crap lighting) but irl there is definitely a difference...

 

[icy_jade]

Anyway I’m missing meh office lighting but took some quick snaps in different lighting:

 

[missy]

Thanks @missy. I agree with you there's a lot of gorgeous in this thread. I do want to tell you your opal is the one I like best out of all the ones I have ever seen. A true heirloom!

Thank you @voce. As you might know one of the reasons I cherish it is because it represents the true love my parents share for each other and for us too. It makes it even more meaningful for me.

Anyway I’m missing meh office lighting but took some quick snaps in different lighting:

Pretty IMO in all lighting. A wonderful colorlicious collection under any condition.

 

[T L]

Thank you all for your contributions to this thread thus far, and your gorgeous gems.

My paraiba in sunlight, incandescent, and fluorescent light. I cannot find a cloudy weather shot right now, but it always looks glowy.

 

[mellowyellowgirl]

@icy_jade well done girl! Your gems certainly hold up well in different lights!!!

In your tourmaline picture, the last row is precisely why I have an issue with tourmaline. Your tourmaline is one of the nicer ones imo but I find tourmaline looks so dead when it goes dead.

Haha it's my pet peeve when I see normal Tourmaline hocked for a lot of money cuz I'm always thinking to myself: wait until that stone hits poor light

 

[elle_71125]

My new spinel!!!

Sunlight on sunny day



Shade on sunny day



Nasty restaurant lighting (those long stick lights)



Department store light



Natural light on cloudy day



Aside from the lovely glow it gets in the presence of sunlight I think it's rather nice in most lights.

@icy_jade I've always thought your tourmaline was one of the nicer tourmalines despite my dislike for Tourmaline in general so it's interesting to hear you say it needs decent lighting.

I think my tourmaline is a pill because it needs nice sunlight otherwise it looks sooooo meh. Put me off tourmaline after I had it for a while.

Your new spinel is gorgeous! I love that pink!

 

[Arkteia]

Double post

 

[Arkteia]

My grossular garnet; top - next to “shaded sun”

Bottom - office light

 

[Arkteia]

That pink topaz

Top - incandescent, various shades of, two lower ones - shaded sun

 

[T L]

This is an easy question for me. My Cartier Black Opal looks amazing (IMO) under all lighting conditions. I don't have it with me unfortunately but let me look for old photos to illustrate this point.

Inside on a dark stormy day with no indoor lights





In the car with some sun coming through




In the house under artificial light




In my bedroom very early AM with nightstand (incandescent) lamp is on.



In the library with no lights on at all during the daytime hours.

There are absolutely gorgeous stones in this thread!! I would be typing my fingers off if I had to comment on all of them, but I just wanted to say that this opal (because I have a special affinity for opals) belongs in a museum!!! I can’t even imagine the appraisal value on this ring with the Cartier provenance and that world class stone!!!

 

[MollyMalone]

I'm wondering if all of you who have posted still have the "old-timey" incandescent light bulbs at home? If you've made the transition to compact fluorescent light bulbs, LED light bulbs, and/or any other alternative bulb for lamps-lighting fixtures, would love to hear which you think are most colored gem-friendly!

(I switched to CFLBs & generally dislike them, so am about to start auditioning LED bulbs like the HUE ones).

 

[voce]

LED bulbs like the HUE ones replicate daylight better than the other options. There are some gems that are day stones (most colored gems) and some that are night stones, looking better by fire/incandescent. It just depends on which stones you would prefer to look at/wear indoors. The color change garnet I'm going to return looks good in incandescent and fluorescent, but not under LED or daylight!

 

[T L]

We have some incandescent but mostly LED. My kitchen has the ultra cool LED’s (they come in varying degrees of warmth) and I love how gems look in them.

 

[SparkleC]

My new spinel!!!

Sunlight on sunny day

Your ring is gorgeous! I adore that setting. May I ask who designed it?

 

[missy]

There are absolutely gorgeous stones in this thread!! I would be typing my fingers off if I had to comment on all of them, but I just wanted to say that this opal (because I have a special affinity for opals) belongs in a museum!!! I can’t even imagine the appraisal value on this ring with the Cartier provenance and that world class stone!!!

Thank you so much @T L , sort of makes me nervous to wear it now lol. I know it's a special stone but when you put it that way...I haven't been home since May and I just hope the Opal is OK. I hope it's not too dry in the safe. I usually keep it in a moister environment but since I haven't been home I haven't been able to do that. Fingers crossed it is safe and OK.

(FYI I do not have it insured as it was just too expensive and that is one of the reasons my parents gave it to me...they wanted me to wear and enjoy it as my mom was no longer wearing it since it was not insured but for some reason they were OK with me wearing it despite it not being insured-no one ever said my family makes sense lol).

 

[missy]

I'm wondering if all of you who have posted still have the "old-timey" incandescent light bulbs at home? If you've made the transition to compact fluorescent light bulbs, LED light bulbs, and/or any other alternative bulb for lamps-lighting fixtures, would love to hear which you think are most colored gem-friendly!

(I switched to CFLBs & generally dislike them, so am about to start auditioning LED bulbs like the HUE ones).

We have incandescent lights in NYC but both LEDs and incandescent lights here. When I go back to NYC I will get my opal and take photos of it under the LEDs (kitchen) we have at the beach house and compare it for you.

We do not like CFLBs. They never got the frequency right. Too harsh a light IOO.