Black smudges on my girdle!

[bling]

hi all,
okay..im trying not to panic..but i am one of the most paranoid diamond wearers around..my friends all think im nuts...
but yesterday, i noticed that my prongs were loose and my diamond was rattling around. that pretty much freaked me out...since i am soo careful with my ring! i clean it everyday with a baby toothbrush, dry it and put it away evernite when i get home. anyway, i rushed to the jewelry store (not where my ring came from..it came from an internet vendor so i had to find a jeweler in my area), Derco..which is pretty reputable around, and they have very nice diamonds and seem to know what they are doing. so i asked them to check my prongs and tighten them.. no problem there. he took my ring back and the jeweler fixed it.. he actualy tried to make my prongs spaced evenlly around my diamond, when they werent supposed to be...so i kindly told him what they are supposed to look and he again, fixed them..no problem.
so i get home and immedietly clean it and loupe it. then what i find are black smudges around the girdle of my diamond! my diamond has a bruted gidle, so it was very noticeable, but im super sure they were not there before. i tried to clean it with soap and water, jewelry cleaner and nail polish remover...but they are still there. can someone please tell me how to remove these black smudges and what it is..and if i need to take it back to the jeweler to have them cleaned off. will this affect the clarity and color of my stone? will they come off!
ahhh..sorry...thanks for any help..

the super paranoid diamond owner..

 

[Brian Knox]

Hi bling,

Take it back to the jeweler, it sounds like it just needs a good cleaning.

This type of girdle is notorious for attracting and collecting tough to remove stuff.

 

[strmrdr]

It sounds like it may be polishing compound that was under the old prong location or left over from the polishing after the prong work.
Either way it is hard to remove but the jeweler should know how to remove it.

 

[bling]

thanks for ther replys...does it just need a good sonicating? or maybe an acid wash? ahhh..

 

[SFDavey]

As an civil engineer with a strong background in materials, I would say those black smudges are the result of the application of heat to the prongs that hold your diamond in place. The black smudges are the carbonized residue of the shtuff you use to clean your ring and whatever else was on the stone when the heat was applied.

It sounds like you clean it very diligently, so I would assume its the cleaning product all burnt up. It would help them to get it off if you can tell the person that you take it to what that product you clean with is.