The only problem with ovals...

[Nomsdeplume]

Is the strange bow tie and extinction effect that appears in certain light. Will this improve if the stone is set? I snapped some pics with my blackberry.

 

[Nomsdeplume]

...

 

[chrono]

No stone is going to appear “evenly” lit all the time. Also, in the first picture, you have the case cover on which affects how the light strikes the facets of the stone. In your second picture, all I see is a window tilt and that bit of contrast appears normal. This issue is usually not resolved by setting it.

 

[Michael_E]

"Bow tie" is almost always a reflection of your head and upper body. The setting will not affect it. Getting back away from the stone should make it smaller and wearing a light on your nose will make it disappear, (this is why Rudolf has a shiny nose, 'cause he wanted wanted to see his gems without any bow tie).

 

[T L]

That's why I prefer supernova ovals. They don't tend to do this.

 

[LD]

You'll notice this more with ovals and pears and as a lover of both it pains me

Unfortunately there is no cure other than to recut.

 

[minousbijoux]

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the expert information I receive at PS. Can you recommend sources for "nose lighting?" On top of that, you've solved the mystery of Rudolph. Grateful doesn't begin to cover it...

 

[Michael_E]

Can you recommend sources for "nose lighting?"

Since you asked, how about this? It's an led mask which provides lighting in close proximity to your head AND can combat SAD, (Seasonal Affective Disorder). It could keep you happy in the winter and make your gems look their best at all times as well! I can just see the legions of holiday shoppers wandering through the malls of America now, smiling and peaking at their gems. There's no way a jewelry store can compete with this kind of lighting.



On a more serious note, it is all about cut.... sometimes. If a gem has facets in the pavilion which are directly opposite each other and at angles which reflect whatever is directly in front of them, then you will get a bow-tie. If the pavilion is designed so that it's facets are at angles which reflect light from around the sides of your head, or are not directly opposing each other, then you won't get a bow tie, since you won't be seeing a dark reflection of yourself. Of course if the room you're in has dark and light areas, then the stone will reflect those as well. Light In = Light Out and no cutting can "fix" poor lighting.

 

[minousbijoux]

Michael:

I think you've created a whole new industry -- who needs lighted Christmas trees? With the special SAD/gemstone lighting, you yourself become a walking Christmas decoration all lit up in so many ways. Actually, you made me LMAO

Thanks for the explanation on facet angles and effect on light reflection; it would be great to see an example of a stone where the angles were such that they did not create a bowtie - would that be a flatter pavilioned stone?

 

[Fly Girl]

A lot of pilots in my flying club wear these head lamps for hands' free lighting at night. Perhaps wearers of oval cut gemstones can popularize these for daytime use as well.

 

[T L]

Do they have one that can switch to a UV light so you can see your fluorescent stones glow??

 

[Porridge]

That is some rockin headgear.

I didn't know that about supernova ovals. I love the oval shape, but the bow tie always put me off too.

Gorgeous stone Kribbie!

 

[packrat]

Supernovas rock. I've 3 of them and I love them to pieces. No bow tie, no half and half.

 

[Fly Girl]

Do they have one that can switch to a UV light so you can see your fluorescent stones glow??

As a matter of fact, they do!

Let us know when you start wearing one, TL!

 

[chrono]

That looks like the perfect tool for gemstone photography – hands free device, no head shadowing, enough light to not require a flash or additional light sources, and as a plus, it comes with UV for stones that fluorescence.

 

[VapidLapid]

A lot of pilots in my flying club wear these head lamps for hands' free lighting at night. Perhaps wearers of oval cut gemstones can popularize these for daytime use as well.

I am very worried now thinking that pilots have to use flashlights to see at night. I wonder just what it is they need to illuminate, their controls, the clouds, the ground? Regardless, I have a new fear now not only of flying, but of fliers.

 

[Fly Girl]

A lot of pilots in my flying club wear these head lamps for hands' free lighting at night. Perhaps wearers of oval cut gemstones can popularize these for daytime use as well.

I am very worried now thinking that pilots have to use flashlights to see at night. I wonder just what it is they need to illuminate, their controls, the clouds, the ground? Regardless, I have a new fear now not only of flying, but of fliers.

Vapid - During flight at night you need a flashlight to see stuff inside the cockpit. Handwritten notes you make of clearances from air traffic control, paper charts, printouts of your flight plan, the pen you dropped on the floor, etc. The instrument panel should be self-lit, and sometimes there are handy maplights but you always are thinking about backup in case one of the little light bulbs in the panel takes a hike and you can't see your altitude indicator, for example. For the most part you try to keep the light levels in the cockpit low so you have better night vision for looking outside of the cockpit. Night has no effect on how the aircraft flies at all, but pilots are trained to think about the effect the dark has on them, and to compensate. Pilots will carry multiple flashlights and extra batteries when flying at night. BTW, the aircraft can be landed without a landing light, but you do need to be able to see the runway. Runways are lit by lights on the ground at night.

 

[Arkteia]

Fly Girl - your description resembles me "Southern Mail" by Saint-Exupery.

I hate bowtie, irregardless of it being my nose, head or whatever. Extinction is a nasty thing, and I am a proud owner of several very nice and very extinct stones. The only way to deal with it, short of recut, is to mount them in Peter Lee's "aura". Not that it will eliminate the bowtie, but the construction of the dish will allow the color to "spill around" the stone and distract attention away from the cut. I do not know what Peter thinks of it, but plan to send him one of my poorer cut (otherwise beautiful) stones. I am pasting the link to his website, just to illustrate my idea. I think aura setting can mask extinction.

http://www.peterlees.com/productSelect.php

 

[marcy]

Sadly bowties and extinction are characteristics of ovals but they are still one of my favorite shapes. Your stones are lovely.