Diamond Fluorescence Article: [ Ссылка ]

Our Top Recommended Vendors:
James Allen: [ Ссылка ]
Blue Nile: [ Ссылка ]

Transcript:
Hey there, it’s Mike and Ira, the Diamond Pros. Today we’re going to talk about one of the most confusing issues involved in diamond buying - Fluorescence.

Lets first get the basics out of the way. Remember black-light posters from the 70s? You know how white shirts and socks glow a blue color in the indoor Disney rides? That glow is called fluorescence. It’s caused by the reaction between the Ultraviolet light emitted from black lights and the special pigments in the blacklight posters or the added whiteners in white fabric.

This phenomenon also happens to certain naturally occuring minerals - diamonds included. While diamonds will most commonly fluoresce a blue-ish color, they can also glow many other colors such as yellow, white, orange, green and pink.

Diamond fluorescence is graded on a scale from None, meaning absolutely no fluorescence, to Very Strong, meaning that under a UV light, the diamond glows with a strong intensity. The grades in the middle are Faint, Medium, and Strong.

As a consumer, with the majority of stones, you can pretty much ignore fluorescence. Generally speaking, it will have no effect on the value or appearance of a diamond under normal lighting.

There are 2 important exceptions to this rule, though. The first rule is, you should try to avoid buying diamonds with Strong or Very Strong fluorescence. The reason is simply that most diamonds with these fluorescence grades will look slightly milky or hazy in direct sunlight. It’s true there are strong fluorescence diamonds that look fine - but this is one case where even having a high quality image won’t help. So we advise people to err on the side of caution and simply avoid them.

The other important exception to remember is in fact, a benefit - fluorescence can actually help to improve the color of a diamond. The lower you go in color, the less likely the fluorescence is to make a diamond look milky, and the more likely it is to improve the color of the stone. This advantage though is very slight and not worth focusing on when searching for a diamond.

Here’s our bottom line suggestion - If the color of the diamond you’re seeking is H color or lower, then there’s nothing wrong with getting a diamond with faint or medium fluorescence. If you’re buying a diamond that is G or better in color, then best to stick with Faint or No fluorescence at all. If you’ll be buying a diamond in person, make sure to take the diamond outside to see how it looks in direct sunlight.

Once again, this has been Ira Weissman and Mike Fried, the Diamond Pros.

свернуть