How to Judge Videos of Diamonds Online

“First of all, let me say that I really like the new video format that is being used to show the sparkle of Brian Gavin Signature diamonds. The diamonds look really bright and sparkly in the videos, however they looked pretty good before. Which leads me to wonder, how to judge videos of diamonds online for comparison purposes? Should I be primarily looking at the videos to help me pick the best looking diamond? Or should I be focusing on the ASET, Ideal Scope, and Hearts and Arrows images? And while we’re on the subject, I’ve noticed that there seems to be a little dust or something on the lower section of facets for this 1.02 carat, H-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature diamond, but those don’t coincide with the plotting diagram. Can you explain that?”

The True Purpose of Diamond Videos Online:

Before I explain how to judge videos of diamonds online, I want to explain that the intended purpose of those videos is to provide you with a reasonable idea of what the inclusions within the diamond are going to look like.

If you look at the plotting diagram on the diamond grading report for this 1.02 carat, H-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature hearts and arrows round diamond, you’ll see that the primary inclusions are indicated as being crystals in the center region of the table facet.

Scroll up to the top of the page, and you’ll be able to see the largest of the diamond crystals in the screen capture of the video of the diamond. You will also be able to see some of the smaller diamond crystals if you look a little harder.

It can seem a bit alarming how easy it is to find inclusions in the online diamond videos, but keep in mind that the diamonds are being magnified substantially in the videos.

Using Video to Determine Whether a Diamond is Eye Clean:

The larger size diamond videos are intended to help you identify the inclusions. Those images show the diamond at an extreme level of magnification. Which is why we provide images of the diamonds at a smaller degree of magnification to help you more accurately judge the degree to which a diamond is eye clean.

This format of diamond video still does not provide you with an actual size representation of the diamond, but it does enable you to see how difficult it can be to find the inclusions at a smaller degree of magnification. As you can see, the inclusions are not readily visible from this vantage point.

That said, the reality is that online videos of diamonds are not intended to help you determine whether a diamond is eye clean. The fact of the matter is that assessment can only be made by looking at the actual diamond, which is something that our customer service representatives are happy to do for you. The fastest and easiest way to get in touch with us during normal business hours, is simply to initiate a live chat.

Using Online Diamond Video to Judge Sparkle Factor:

Another thing that people try to use online diamond videos for, is to judge the sparkle factor of the diamonds which they are considering. The fact of the matter is that this is not realistic, because practically every online diamond dealer is using a different imaging system.

This means that there is not a standardized method of capturing and producing online diamond videos.

Thus, the sparkle factor of every diamond that you look at online, could very well look completely different when viewed on the imaging system of another dealer.

Let There Be Light!

To add to this confusion, some dealers are probably using special lights and photographic filters to enhance the sparkle factor of the diamonds in their videos. This is nothing new, practically every jewelry store uses special lights and filters to make diamonds look better in their store.

This is one of the reasons why Brian Gavin diamond details pages feature videos that show each diamond under several different lighting environments. But remember, those videos are really only intended to help you identify the primary inclusions within your diamond.

Unfortunately, one of the side effects of some of these lighting platforms, is that they create such dramatic reflections within the diamond, that you’ll be able to see reflections of the platform in the lower half of the diamond in some of the images.

But these are not inclusions, nor are they dust, or anything like that. It’s simply a reflection of the light bouncing off of the platform, and then reflecting around within the facet structure of the diamond. You’ll notice that the degree to which this sort of thing is visible, varies by each version that we make available.