DIRECT ASSESSMENT LIGHT PERFORMANCE

Diamond Profile®… Letting light speak for itself.

In 1996, the Diamond Profile Laboratory was the first lab to illustrate and grade light performance. Diamond Profile Laboratory and its direct assessment technology was purchased in 2003 by GCAL laboratory. GCAL continues to use this proven and copyrighted technology to grade and evaluate light performance.

Direct Assessment Light Performance analysis is the most true-to-life technology available to judge the quality of Cut. This method analyzes the actual diamond and not a theoretical model, which means every nuance, such as inclusions and transparency, are considered.

Using Diamond Profile® technology, GCAL measures, captures and records each diamond’s individual light performance through direct assessment analysis. How much a diamond reflects, refracts and releases its inner beauty is determined by how well it plays with light – its brilliance and symmetry.

Optical Symmetry Analysis

Symmetry is the beauty and organization of everything in nature, science and art. Aesthetically pleasing proportions and balance represent perfection. Patterns repeated in radial or reflective symmetry have harmony. The symmetry of a diamond’s facets is, in fact, artwork created by the master craftsman who cut the diamond.

Optical Symmetry is analyzed by photographing your diamond in a special lighting environment that reveals the patterns of light return. All light returned at the same angles is represented by the same color. Optical Symmetry assesses the consistency of angles and alignment of facets by looking at the equality of light return.

Like the beauty and ever changing color patterns in a kaleidoscope, each diamond reveals its unique reflective pattern of symmetry. You can simply see the quality of the cut by looking at the symmetry image–the more even the pattern, the better the symmetry.

Optical Brilliance Analysis

GCAL grades light performance by directly assessing the overall return of light to the viewer, called ‘brilliance’.

Optical Brilliance is analyzed by photographing your diamond in a special lighting environment that creates a strong contrast between the bright and dark areas. The image is then processed in a proprietary computer program that calculates the percentage of brilliance and the amount of light loss. This is a scientifically accurate and repeatable way to measure brilliance.

In the Optical Brilliance Analysis image on your GCAL certificate, the white represents the light return and the blue represents areas of light loss. The light gray areas of the image are facet outlines resulting from image processing to provide a realistic representation of the diamond’s unique faceting. The light return is quantified based on measurable light return (aka – performance) and then graded as: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair or Poor.

Brilliance is what gives a diamond its life, and what makes a diamond shine from across a room. Diamonds with a low percentage of brilliance look dull and dark. You can see how your diamond compares to other grades by reviewing the scale on the cover panel of the GCAL certificate.