Microscope Update

Well, finally got the chance to view the Perfect Ring under the microscope today.

Tiffany Toronto was awfully quiet today, which I actually liked. I was only 1 of 2 customers when I got there. I went to find the gemologist who had briefly helped me last time. I actually like her a lot since she's very knowledgeable about diamonds and did not hesistate to get into "technical" talks with me about it. She's also the type that cuts the BS doesn't try to be a fancy sales. That doesn't mean she doesn't have good customer service, it's just her style is more passive which is similar to mine.

Anyway, enough about the nice sales, on to the microscope experience. I had emailed my sales lady the night before and she replied saying that they would be expecting me. So when I went to find the gemologist, she asked another sales to "bring it out" (the microscope) and "get it ready". It sounded so cool lol. However, I was a little surprised since I expected it to be in a nice little private viewing room. I believe even the Tiffany Yorkdale store has this semi-private room with a microscope inside. That's actually where I got the idea thinking if the Yorkdale store has a microscope, then the prestigious Tiffany Toronto store must have it. Well, I was pretty disappointed when the guy the gemologist instructed came out carrying this rather pre-2000s looking microscope out in his nice fancy suit.

They plug it in, turned it on and the gemologist got to work. She said she would need to set it up and calibrate it correctly for me. She played around with this clip that could not hold the ring. Then she explained that it was for loose diamonds only. That struck me odd since, aren't all Tiffany diamonds set and they don't sell/have loose diamonds? If so, then why would they have a microscope that can only hold loose diamonds?

Anyway, I had to hold the diamond with my fingers and that was inconvenient for several reasons. Under such magnifications, moving the diamond a little would cause it to be blurry and out of focus. Therefore, you had to keep your hand and fingers really steady to keep it in focus.

There are basically 2 knobs on their microscope. One was for focusing. So it what you're seeing in the lens is blurry, just turn it. If it gets worse... well turn it the other way =P There's a small knob that you would turn to zoom in or out. Fully zoomed out, the diamond would take up about 1/3 of what you see through the lens. Fully zoomed in, I believe you can only see like 1/2 of the diamond.

Finally, I had to say I'm a tad disappointed with the diamond, despite it's good specs. I think I saw about 2-3 black pinpoint conclusion, as well as, a cloud of clear inclusions. These clouds are kinda like teeny-weeny air bubbles trapped in the diamond during the growth process. They're called clouds because they come in clusters. So there we go, 2 black pinpoints and a cloud that I could not see even under the loupe. That's pretty disappointing. I did get the opportunity to verify the serial number that I cleverly spotted the other day under the loop. I thought it was a big inclusion, which was odd because it was so nicely parallel to the table. The gemologist looked and laughed and said that's the serial number that is etched near the table. She complimented saying that I have a very good eye and majority of their customers would not even see it if she told them where it was.

After the microscope, I insisted that we look again using the loupe and I realized that what I thought were dust particles before were actually the cloud themselves. And by tilting the diamond at the right angle where the entire table has light reflecting off it directly, you can see all the inclusions actually. I found a great way to view inclusions using this method that I learned today. Hands-on experience!

After this whole ordeal, the gemologist kept emphasizing that this is a really, really good ring and that I picked a really good one. As I mentioned before, it seems she cuts the BS and since I'm technically not her client, there is really no point for her to sugarcoat everything. She said that I'm getting the best bang for the buck by getting a G, VS2 and the triple excellent, no fluorescence, faceted medium girdle. She said the numbers (proportions) are really nice too! I said that's exactly why I picked this diamond and asked if she knew about the HCA tool. She said she's not particularly aware of that tool, but she knows such tools exist. But to her, with her background and knowledge as a gemologist, she knows right off the bat which numbers and ranges are good and which aren't. That was pretty impressive since I always have to resort to the HCA tool. To her, it's like picking some nice, sweet oranges or picking fresh fish at the supermarket.

In conclusion, I was rather disappointed after finally seeing the inclusions. I guess I can't expect too much since it's a VS2 after all, not IF or F. However, having a decent eye and being really picky, I couldn't see much with the loupe. And now that I learned how a cloud really looks like (not dust particles!), I realized I have that too on the diamond. But I'm not going to turn around. I think this is still a really good diamond and I'm getting a great deal on it (well subjective I know lol)... I hope it's worth it and I'll have no regrets....

Microscope...

Going to see the ring under a microscope tomorrow.... hopefully...

First time looking at a diamond under the microscope. I wonder how it's going to be. I'll definitely update after the experience =P

I wonder if it's going to be shocking or pleasant or both. It'll probably be pretty cool seeing it under such great magnification, but at the same time all the inclusions that I missed even with a loupe will show up. I hope it doesn't turn me off lol.

...

Going to rant a little here...

I'm a pretty understanding and sensitive guy, but I can never truly understand why girls get so anxious about knowing when they're going to get married and have everything planned out. If this is coming from a single girl, going into her 30s, okay, I think I see where they're coming from and definitely have sympathy in that scenario. But what about those girls who's been dating someone for years, or even longer? I know, I know, "Since it's been so long, how come he hasn't popped the question yet?!?!" What if the girl knew the answer to that question? Would she want to know? Then what is the whole point of a so called surprise proposal? Isn't that what girls want at the end of the day? The perfect proposal? How is that going to be possible if they keep inquiring and complaining about when it's going to happen?

If the guy's a good guy, shouldn't the girl have faith in him? Especially if he says to trust him and leave it up to him? Why is it so hard to think from the other perspective that maybe... just maybe, he might be planning something and didn't want to give you any hints so it would be a big surprise? Instead why does it have to be, oh he's not telling me, he must be a loser. Next girls night out, every girl-friend bashes on him. "Why is he such a coward?" "Why doesn't he want to propose and get engaged with you?" "Doesn't he treasure you?" "Does he not respect you?"

I'm not a coward. I do want to get engaged. I absolutely treasure you. I respect you the most out of anyone in the world. Can't you understand that I need to plan things on my own and find the perfect moment and opportunity to propose?

To Buy or Not to Buy...

Big day tomorrow... Can't make up my mind!