Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishing??

[Natylad]

So something strange has happened and i'd like the opinion of other pricescopers, which are much more knowledgeable than me!
Many years ago i bought a diamond, which was sold to me as a .40 ct, VVS2 clarity, excellent cut and fancy light "peachy brown" color. I never had it appraised but i showed it to a jeweler who was a friend of mine and he confirmed that it is a natural diamond and that its weight is actually .41 ct . So i had looped the stone repeatedly and i couldn't see ANYTHING AT ALL, even with my hawk eyes...
Fast forward to the present...Three months ago i gave the stone to my sister in law, as a gift for her second wedding anniversary. My brother had a beautiful setting custom made for her and yesterday they took the stone and went to the jeweler in order to have it set. After the setting of the stone, the jeweler had the ring polished again.
Later in the evening they came to my place to show me the finished ring. It was GORGEOUS (i need to post pictures soon, if my SIL allows me!!!). I thought that the melee work on the setting was so exquisite that i took my loope to observe it better...and then...BOOM I saw black terrible spots all over the diamond...I tried to wash it with hot water and soap but no improvement...
What do you guys think these black spots are? I'm going crazy over this

 

[CharmedOne]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Do you think it could be residue from the repolishing? Can you take it to a jeweler to get a better cleaning?

 

[Natylad]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Do you think it could be residue from the repolishing? Can you take it to a jeweler to get a better cleaning?

Yes CharmedOne, she will have it professionally cleaned as soon as possible. I just wanted to get informed about what could those spots be before she does that, coz i think that she will go sometime next week and i can't wait until then The stone was my gift and i feel very frustrated

 

[Natylad]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Somebody???

 

[junebug17]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Naty, I'm afraid I'm the furthest thing from an expert, but just going by posts I've read here on PS I'm wondering if it could be polishing compound? I wish your sil was taking the ring in sooner so you wouldn't be worrying about it! Please try not to feel badly about this - it sounds like something that occurred at the jeweler's since you've never detected anything prior to this.

I'm sure some experts will weigh in - sorry you're upset by this, you are such a generous and nice person that you don't deserve to feel badly!

 

[Natylad]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Naty, I'm afraid I'm the furthest thing from an expert, but just going by posts I've read here on PS I'm wondering if it could be polishing compound? I wish your sil was taking the ring in sooner so you wouldn't be worrying about it! Please try not to feel badly about this - it sounds like something that occurred at the jeweler's since you've never detected anything prior to this.

I'm sure some experts will weigh in - sorry you're upset by this, you are such a generous and nice person that you don't deserve to feel badly!

Junebug, thank you for the reply and the kind words! Indeed, i'm sitting here thinking of the whole situation and i'm wondering how come i try to do something nice and i end up being upset and worried! I really hope that you are right on this one. It makes sense to me that it could be polishing compound. I hope some experts will see the thread and illuminate me!

 

[Enerchi]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Hi Natylady! I had a whole whack of crap on the centre diamond in my previous 3 stone, and it was eventually all cleaned up PUUUUURDY by BGD, so I would think it must have been something residual in the setting process. Remember my glue situation??? It needed to be fired up and melted off, so if its anything like that, regular cleaning won't remove it. When she gets it cleaned, ask that they inspect it as well... yanno... "glue", just sayin'!!

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Hi Natylady,
Do not fret. It is highly likely that it is in fact merely polishing compound from the the final polish of the metal. Quite often bits of compound will get lodged up under prongs or other hard to reach areas. Even though the final step is normally ultrasonic bath and steam, compound can sometimes be stubborn.

It will most probably be spic and span after your jeweler gives it a thorough cleaning and inspection.

Bryan

 

[Natylad]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Oh, guys, thank you so much for the answers! Hopefully, the only thing that the diamond needs is a...good bath!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Just wanted to say hello, Naty! Haven't seen you much lately! That was a very sweet gift!

 

[Natylad]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Just wanted to say hello, Naty! Haven't seen you much lately! That was a very sweet gift!

Hi Diamondseeker
It's been totally crazy here for me during the last three months. I have been transferred to a new office, where i can handle much more interesting, challenging and exciting cases, but ...due to that i have been working all day long, even on weekends...Plus, i have to take care of my two daughters and especially the little one is giving us a very hard time lately. We're not sleeping well at night and during the afternoon, when she comes back from the nursery and we come back from the office, she makes sure to scream, kick and cry as much as she can, while she is destroying things around the house, etc, etc...
Finally, two weeks ago i got very sick and i was hospitalized. I'm out and fine now, but i admit that life is...very challenging and difficult these days...
So, yes, with all that happening, i didn't have much time to post on PS and i noticed that i've lost some very interesting threads while i was absent
About the gift to my dear SIL: She is a wonderful girl and i love her as a true sister. She's very good to my dear brother and i can tell that he's very happy. I really wanted to show her my appreciation and love, especially at this time that her anniversary is coming up, because i was also her maid of honour at the wedding. I know that due to the recession here in Greece everybody avoids spending a lot and investing on luxury items, so last year, at her first wedding anniversary, she didn't receive a gift and she didn't mind that at all. Well, i wanted that to change this year and since i had the loose stone sitting in a box, i decided to make good use of it
One last thing...this recession issue has taught us many things...The most important is that what matters the most in life is to love and be loved, especially by your family and stick together with your people through difficult times...In this spirit, i say: "People, share your diamonds with your family"

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Oh, Naty, I am so sorry your baby is having such trouble! Poor little thing and poor Mommy!

I am also very sorry to hear about your illness! My goodness, you have been through a lot lately! I hope you are feeling much better now.

You are so right that our loved ones are far more important than anything else.

Take care, Naty, and do drop in as you have spare time!

 

[Natylad]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Update on the bizarre story with dark spots on the diamond:
The ring with the diamond has been boiled and washed three times so far but hasn't been cleaned in an ultrasonic machine. After the third cleaning procedure i looped the stone and half of the dark spots were gone, so, indeed the stone looked much better. Nevertheless, i could still see many "inclusions" ,which, i repeat, i couldn't see when i looped the stone before it was set on the ring, even though i had checked it very carefully so many times. Needless to say that the dark spots i'm talking about are so obvious through the loope, that THERE IS NO WAY that i wouldn't have noticed them previously.
So, today we took the ring to the appraiser, who checked the stone (without cleaning it before the evaluation) and said that the clarity is I1 and that all the dark spots that we can see through the loope are actually inside the stone.
At this point, i feel like jumping out of the window....seriously, i'm very frustrated with the whole situation.I even asked the appraiser whether there is any chance that the diamond had been clarity enhanced before i bought it and after going through the procedure of setting on the ring and polishing, it has been affected from the heat etc. and the inclusions that previously had been "fixed" through the enhancement now reappeared. His answer was no,no,no, not a chance.
My SIL loves the stone and the ring and she's extremely happy with it and doesn't care at all about the diamond's specs (surprisingly it's totally eye clean and sparkly), so i'm not worried about how she feels. I just need a reasonable explanation, so that i can put all this behind me...Because, as stupid as this might sound, i don't believe the appraiser and i still believe that those spots weren't there before.
By the way...there is no way that the stone was switched, because my SIL had it in her possession all the time and the day that it needed to be set she took it herself to the jeweler and was present during the entire procedure.

Moral support would be greatly appreciated...i'm so sad and upset...

 

[CharmedOne]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

NatyLad, I'm sorry your still having issues with the stone. It just seems weird to me that half the spots were gone after you cleaned it. However, you did answer my next question about the stone being switched out. I two have had a similar thing happen twice. I took my two diamond rings to the jeweler to be cleaned and looped them both before going. After cleaning them and I returned home both diamonds had a scratch that I know wasn't there before. It's so aggravating but I told myself that atleast if I had to take my rings in for repair, I can tell if my diamond has been switched out. I also tell myself that diamonds aren't perfect, just as we aren't so I can deal with little blemishes. The good part natyLad, is that your SIL loves it and that's all that matters. It's a special gift that came from you and given with love. I know we as PSer's obsess about these things, trust me I do, but her happiness is truly all that matters. I hope that helps a little

 

[Natylad]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

CharmedOne, thank you so much for your post. Indeed, my SIL's feelings are what matters the most to me and i thank God for the fact that she's truly happy and excited about the ring. Nevertheless, it is a matter of character that i just can't swallow this incident as if nothing happened. I mean, i'm going totally crazy here...

 

[CharmedOne]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

I know what you mean. It's like how did I not see that? I know that wasn't there before!?? I feel like that with my rings. And honestly it's driving me crazy but unfortunately it is what it is. For now at least. Once she gets a professional cleaning done, then maybe the rest will disappear. Although, I know it will bug you but maybe you shouldn't look at the diamond after it gets cleaned. Just a thought

 

[Enerchi]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

hmmm... that is odd. I hope an expert chimes in, but I had the same thought, Natylad, that could it have been enhanced before and something was altered during setting - but wouldn't that have to be really super high heat, to alter the stone that much? I don't know that answer....

And you are definitely sure it wasn't switched? Well, yes, I understand your SIL was there the whole time during this cleaning process, so I guess that's the case... but could it have been switched when it was initially set, which could explain why your memory of the initial stone was of a higher clarity and now when you saw it post setting, it has these dark marks??? I don't imagine it is likely a switching of a stone would really take place, since it would be a pretty risky venture on the setting jewellers part... but... why the dark spots now? What a mystery! How *do* you go about investigating this?

I hope something further turns up that will give you some peace of mind. It would eat at me too, so I know how you feel!

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Natylad,
Sorry to hear that the problem was aparently not a simple cleaning issue. It is rare for stones to be switched, especially unusual ones like fancy colors. But given your certaintly about the clarity when you bought it, confirmed by a jeweler friend, I would now say, based on the facts presented, that it is a possibility.

I am unclear on why you say you do not believe the new appraiser who told you the black spots are actually inclusions in the stone. (?) Did you carefully inspect the stone yourself just before it went to the jeweler? Could it have been mixed up in the years since you originally bought it?

On the question of clarity enhancement, I don't think that is a plausible scenario. Yes, the material used to fill the surface braking feathers could come out or be damaged by heat thereby making the inclusions more visible. However, it would not normally take the form of black spots. In any case, you said you had it looked at by an expert initially- he would have been able to see if the stone was clarity enhanced (or at least that the stone had surface breaking features).

Regards to the best approach at this point, it's really hard. It may be best to just let it go if your SIL loves it the way it is. You may do more harm than good by pushing for an actual resolution.

Having said that, if you did inspect it carefully right before it went to the jeweler for setting, and you know it was completely clean, then the jeweler may have mixed the stone up. Was there any paperwork done on take-in that might have described the stone when they recieved it for setting?

If there is no paper trail to rely on, you may find yourself in a negative and unfulfilling "he said ,she said" situation, and then the option of letting it go may be the best one.

 

[Natylad]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

CharmedOne, Enerchi and Texas Leaguer, thank you all so much for your replies.
Unfortunately, too many people have been involved in this process. The jeweler who made the setting, the guy who set the stone and finally the last guy who polished the ring after the fiamond was set. I was working during the time that all this took place but my brother and sister in law who were present during the setting/polishing process claim that the stone couldn't have been switched. Of course, i'm sitting here thinking of all this mess over and over again and for example i'm wondering: Why did the jeweler who made the setting took DB and SIL to a different guy for the ring polishing after the stone setting was done??? Wasn't he supposed to do it himself? I wish that i had taken the stone to the appraiser from the beggining and not after all this...I feel like such an idiot now.
And Texas Leaguer is right...There wasn't any paperwork regarding the stone before it was taken to all those people. It's very difficult to prove anything now... Maybe at this point me insisting on solving the mystery might take away all the happiness that my SIL feels about the ring. My brother called and said that she doesn't want me to worry any more about the diamond, because she loves it and she just wants to enjoy her new ring...Translation: "Drop it and just let me be happy". Maybe i should do that... Thank you all again...

 

[Enerchi]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

I think your brother gave you their answer - they are loving it as is and to them, whatever happened is not enough to mar their enjoyment. It sounds to me, like he's content to drop the issue.

Hopefully, you'll be able to get some comfort from that - as irritating as it is to not know the truth about your diamond! I feel for you - I'd have a hard time thinking something untoward took place and I can't get to the bottom of it. I guess its just one of those things to let go of... good wishes sent your way, Natylad!

 

[junebug17]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Yep, I think your brother has settled this for you Naty! I don't blame you for feeling puzzled and upset, but it's probably best to just let it go and not pursue the issue any further, since it sounds like your brother feels bad that you feel so bad lol - sorry this has caused you so much grief, I hope the fact that your SIL loves it so much brings you some comfort and peace!

 

[Natylad]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

I'd like to thank everybody who has posted and provided me with advice and moral support!
This afternoon i visited my SIL at her home to wish her for her anniversary, which is actually today, so i got to take a quick pic of the ring with my phone. Definitely a bad quality photo but i just felt that i owed you guys a pic of the ring! It looks very pretty on her finger and she loves it!
Thanks again

 

[CharmedOne]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Oh so pretty! I love the setting. No wonder she loves it. What a great heartfelt gift. Thank you so much for sharing. It's great to finally see what we were all chatting about. But hey, if you need another SIL, let me know

 

[Enerchi]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Oh it is BEAUTIFUL!!! Natylad, what a fantastic gift for your brother and SIL!! Its gorgeous!!! Enjoy - you've done something so sweet and wonderful for them, and now they can enjoy your generosity and some FABULOUS bling!

 

[Natylad]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Oh so pretty! I love the setting. No wonder she loves it. What a great heartfelt gift. Thank you so much for sharing. It's great to finally see what we were all chatting about. But hey, if you need another SIL, let me know

Hehehe CharmedOne! I wish that my budget could afford another SIL Thank you so much for the kind words

 

[Natylad]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Oh it is BEAUTIFUL!!! Natylad, what a fantastic gift for your brother and SIL!! Its gorgeous!!! Enjoy - you've done something so sweet and wonderful for them, and now they can enjoy your generosity and some FABULOUS bling!

Enerchi, i'm so happy that they're both excited about the ring! And thank you for all the kind words...you are one of the sweetest people around here...full of kindness and positive energy We're very lucky to have you around!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Naty, the ring looks beautiful and thankfully your SIL is thrilled with it! I totally understand how you feel, but since there is nothing that can be done at this point, it is probably best to let it go as others have said. Thankfully not everyone is as picky as we are on PS!

 

[junebug17]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

Oh wow Naty, it's gorgeous!!! I hope you're feeling a bit better about the situation, it really was a very generous and nice thing for you to do! Your sil has a ring she adores, and that's really the most important thing!

 

[pregcurious]

Re: Black spots on diamond after setting on ring and polishi

That ring is beautiful! The .41 looks huge!