Sunlight, candlelight, office light, lab light… there are so many different lights that make our diamonds sparkle, yet the brilliance can appear very different from one type of light to the other. What is it due to and how does light affects your opinion when purchasing a solitairering?

Quick recap on what brilliance is

Brilliance is part of the three factors that describe a diamond’s appearance when considering a diamonds cut grade. Brilliance is the white light that is reflected to the viewer’s eye from the diamond. The other two are fire and scintillation.

How does light affect the way a diamond looks?

The location and type of light with which you look at a diamond can strongly affect its appearance, because the cut of the diamond actually responds differently depending on these factors. Of course if there is no light, you cannot see anything because it doesn’t reflect off objects. But if the type of light is different, even if the diamond has a triple excellent cut grade, its appearance may vary.

Take for instance an old cut diamond, to us today, with all of our strong white office lights, it appears to a certain extent quite dull, but imagine you were looking at this same diamond in the 19th century under a candle light or a gas light, don’t you think you would see that the diamond showed a soft romantic glow?

The external factors such as dark objects close to the diamond and the different types of light affect the appearance of a diamond but not only. If the diamond is not cut within the right proportions, the light leaks out of the bottom and is not reflected, the diamond will appear dull also even if the light used is the brightest.

Which diamond for your solitaire ring?

Taking all of these aspects in consideration, it is important that you choose your diamond according to the appearance that you prefer and depending under which light you will see your solitairering most.

Because at the end of the day, even if a diamond is triple EX, it may not appear as attractive to you or your loved one as another who may have slightly different proportions and may show less fire but more brilliance. It is a question of personal taste after all.

 

At BAUNAT we appreciate your uniqueness and try to satisfy all of your diamond wishes. We offer an elegant selection of classic solitairerings as well as original designs by local Belgian designers. You may also select the diamond that you like most and have it set in the solitairering of your choice or have it handmade in Antwerp altogether.

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