Just How Beautiful is the Diamond
You're Going to Purchase?
Overview:
The BrillianceScope is perhaps one of the
most important technologies to be introduced into the industry and while still a
young technology and still gaining popularity, it is a vital tool in assessing
light return within diamonds and the intensity of it. All of our clients
who come to our store and compare diamonds of various BrillianceScope results
with the human eye confirm time after time it's correlation with real world
observance of brilliance, fire and scintillation in direct light conditions.
I was first made aware of the instrument in
2000 when it came under harsh criticism from various cutters. This
initially cast a dark cloud of skepticism over the machine in my eyes but
curiosity got the best of me and I wound up sending 5 diamonds from my inventory
(all whose brilliance and fire varied) to Gemex to either confirm or deny the
veracity of it's results. To my surprise each diamond came back EXACTLY as
I thought it would as I had already been familiar with FireScope(tm) technology.
Since then I have also published a
web page demonstrating how our proprietary LightScope technology correlates
to BrillianceScope data and how the 2 different technologies actual confirm the
results of each other.
What is the BrillianceScope?
The BrillianceScope itself is a device which
assesses the quality and quantity of light return within any given diamond. This
analysis is performed under direct light conditions and gives the observer an
idea of how this diamond will look or "perform" in direct light conditions (ie.
sunlight, halogen, or high intensity lighting).
How does the BrillianceScope work?
The BrillianceScope in it's simplest form is
a photo-spectrometer. The procedure for testing a diamond involves placing
a diamond face down & centered on a thin transparent glass plate.
When the lid is closed the diamond is encased in a flat white dome with an
opening on one end where the light is transmitted into the diamond. The
light itself is a concentric ring of direct light which is placed over the 5
most critical areas over the crown of the diamond.
As the light source moves from position to position the machine scans in the
image of the diamond and sends those images to a program which separates the
white light pixels from the colored light pixels and reports back to the tester
a quantative and digital analysis regarding the amount/intensity of "white
light" and "colored light" being returned out of the diamond under those light
conditions. The BrillianceScope also examines the movement of that light
between the light positions and provides a reading on "scintillation".
Scintillation, plainly defined, is the movement of both white and colored light
within the diamond as the diamond is moving, the observer is moving, the light
source is moving or all of the above. Here are the results as observed
after an analysis on a 2.03ct round brilliant cut diamond. Although it
says "SAMPLE" across the center, the images and results shown are of the actual
diamond tested.
The BrillianceScope examines every single diamond it tests under
the same exact light conditions and could care less where the diamond is from or
who cut it. It is an excellent 3rd party analysis which is completely
unbiased which makes this an important tool for the gemologist/appraiser in this
field. There is more science than meets the eye with the BrillianceScope
which I'd like to share as well.
Within the software we are able to examine what facets are
giving off the most intense reflections of light. We can examine which
facets are giving off the strongest bursts of white light return and/or colored
light return. In these next graphics we are taking a look at light views 1-5
and strictly looking at white light return. You'll notice on the
BrillianceScope menu at the bottom of the screen buttons for "Fire",
"Scintillation", "White Light" & "Color Light". By clicking on the
"White Light" button we can view strictly the white light return within the
diamond.
What this graphic is showing is that this particular diamond has
INTENSE white light return being emitted out of the "star facets" and also
around the center under the table. Under our proprietary LightScope these
are areas that appear as "black" which translates to intense light return being
transmitted out of the crown of the diamond at a high angle (ie. the observers
eyes). We can observe "white light return" within the diamond from each of
the 5 primary positions which helps TREMENDOUSLY with our study of light return
within diamonds.
When we click on the "Color Light" button the computer strips
away the white light return and shows only those portions within the diamond
emmiting colored light return. Here is the same diamond in Light View 1
(as above) but showing only "colored light return".
If I want to delve even deeper, the BrillianceScope will also
break down how much of the primary colors (Yellow, Blue, Red & Green) are being
transmitted out of the diamond. I can click on the appropriate button
seeing ONLY THAT COLOR and where it is being transmitted within the diamond.
The BrillianceScope shows us plainly that YELLOW and BLUE are the strongest
colors that are dispersed in a diamond in direct light conditions. In the below
graphics I clicked on the "Yellow" button which of all the colors is the 2nd most
prominent color after blue. So this following graphic is stripped of all
white, blue, green and red light return showing only the yellow(ish) light
return within the diamond.
When we click on the "Scintillation" button the on menu we see
the combo of both white and colored light within the diamond at light view 1
minus the diamond. Pretty neat. :)
Now what I am about to say is very very important.
THE HUMAN EYES CAN NOT DIFFERENTIATE the complexity and
breakdown of this analysis. For example when we as humans observe a
diamond like the above IT WILL look incredibly awesome in direct light
conditions. As a matter of fact I would go so far as saying that it will
be ONE OF THE MOST beautiful diamonds you'll ever observe in direct light
conditions but you must understand that the human eyes cannot break apart the
differences between white and colored light as the BrillianceScope does in it's
controlled analysis. Were we to hold the above diamond under direct light
conditions the PRIMARY OBSERVANCE will be of FIRE or COLORED LIGHT return and
SCINTILLATION. If we were to take the same exact stone under diffuse
light, office light conditions, the PRIMARY OBSERVANCE will be that of
BRILLIANCE or WHITE LIGHT return.
MOST DIAMONDS DO NOT SCORE ANYTHING IN THE VERY HIGH RANGE when
observing the bar graphs. Here are the typical results of what many of the
diamonds on the market are cut too.
If I am going to use this data in my purchasing decision what
results should I be looking for?
Proportions within a diamond directly affect light return and
the intensity of it. What we look for is at least the "colored light"
return to be very high. This tells us that the diamond is functioning properly
in it's role as a "prism" in direct light conditions. The stronger the
dispersion of light within the diamond the more beautiful it will be in direct
light conditions. A diamond with the following results will truly be a
very beautiful stone in direct light conditions and one we would heartily
recommend. When we make our own purchasing decisions this is the standard
we look for and ensure optical excellence within each and every one of our
stones.
An
assessment of the images on a BrillianceScope Report.
| |
Light View 1 |
Light View 2 |
Light View 3 |
Light View 4 |
Light View 5 |
| Commentary |
Primary bursts of white light
occuring off
lower girdles (under table) which are then
amplified through the stars. |
Primary bursts of light off of
arrow
heads (pavilion mains).
Extremely intense. |
Primary bursts of light off arrow
shafts (pavilion mains). |
Again, primary bursts off arrow
shafts. |
Same plus secondary
reflections throughout. |
| White light return |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Colored Light Return |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Both |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Is the BrillianceScope the PERFECT machine for looking at cut
quality? If not, what are it's deficiencies?
While I am a strong advocate of the technology it would be
unjust if I did not give my opinions on what I would consider are the
shortcomings of the technology.
1. With some diamonds it can give an inaccurate reading for
scintillation.
The accuracy can be quickly ascertained by a review of the 5
primary images.
Take for example this diamond with 3 Very Highs and look at how
much activity there is in the 5 primary light positions.
Now here is a diamond with light return and scintillation that
is no less equal than the stone above yet look at the scintillation reading.
This diamond is NOT lacking in scintillation yet if one were fixated on the bar
graphs they would be mistakenly led to believe so.
The reason for this is because the BrillianceScope, when
ascertaining scintillation is reading the many points of light within the
diamond as the light source is moving from position to position. When
diamonds (such as the one above) emanates large splotches of light the
BrillianceScope is reading fewer larger points of light instead of many tiny
smaller ones thus giving the diamond it's unduly hit in scintillation.
Here is a diamond with similar BrillianceScope results that deserved it's hit in
scintillation. You can see *why* when you look at the 5 primary images.
There is a lack of activity in positions 4 & 5 due to other factors in the
cutting of the minor facets that affect this.
2. The BrillianceScope does not assess another vital aspect of
cut quality which is the component of optical symmetry.
Assessment of cut quality that focuses only on light return and
not the components of contrast brilliance/scintillation and optical symmetry is
not giving the entire story of cut quality. While direct light is one of
the primary light sources people observe diamonds under there is a plethora more
of light conditions that diamonds are observed under and there are aspects of
diamond beauty that are not fully covered in the BrillianceScope analysis.
Take for example the BrillianceScope results of this stone...
