"Eye-clean" -- looking from top or bottom?

[theinquisitor]

I have a question about what "eye clean" means! We just picked up our diamond, an SI1. I can''t see any inclusions looking at the diamond from the top, even with the loupe. But when looking from the bottom, the clouds, etc. are obvious. Is this considered "eye-clean?" Thanks!

 

[valeria101]

The diamond is not mounted, right ?

Yes, what you describe is what "eye clean" stands for...

 

[Nicrez]

You are lucky to have a good eye clean stone.

Grading labs always inspect the stone, face up (looking at the table INTO the stone) to determine it's clarity. It's somewhat lenient, because the sparkle of the stone can hide some flaws. Looking at a loose stone from the bottom or the side is a more obvious way to see the imperfections.

As such, just consider your stone's imperfections a characterisitc, and a unique fingerprint, so you'll always know your stone! COngrats on a lovely SI1!!!

 

[theinquisitor]

Thanks, Nicrez! Valeria, it's mounted, but in a mounting where you can view the stone from top or bottom.

I really love the stone. It's an oval, F color, and all of the measurements fall into the AGA 1A grading category, except for the depth, which is in the 3A category. I think the shallowness cuts down on the fire, but it also gives the stone a large spread, so it looks about .3 carats bigger than it is. It's a trade-off, I know -- but that seems to be the story of diamond-buying!!

While it doesn't have the flash/fire of some stones, it does have what my BF calls the "eye of God" effect when you look into it -- very kaleidescopic and sparkly! The bow-tie is also barely noticable. For a while I thought that it was "bad" not to opt for the tiny sparkles rather than the flash/fire, but after reading here, I found out it's just a matter of taste. It took a long time to find a stone with the combination of qualities we were looking for, but it was worth it!

I just wanted to be sure we were getting "eye-clean," since that is how it was presented to us. Thanks so much for your feedback!

 

[Nicrez]

well, sounds like a spectacular stone! My stones also is like yours, with a greater spread, and a shallower depth. I personally LOVE the personality of my stone, and do think it's a matter of taste.

So where are the pictures?! Please post some!!! It sounds like an absolutely wonderful find!!!

 

[Todd07]

my 2 cents


eye clean is not a grading term so when you ask a jeweler for comment, you should be clear on whether it is face up, etc. It's an opinion that varies with eye sight and lighting conditions.




You need to decide if you want it eye clean from all angles or just the top.




Inclusion Plots on cert.


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- My understanding is inclusion plots are done both face up and face down. On the face down plot, they ignore the inclusions that were recorded on the face up plot.


- I also understand it is done with a light shining from underneath the stone instead of from above. To me this indicates the brilliance is not a factor since light from underneath is not reflected back to your eyes.

 

[moremoremore]

Actually, I just posted a thread about this Todd b/c I wasn't sure. The face down plot posts those not shown on the face up plot and break the surface. It doesn't mean that there are none face down- it means they don't break the surface. Pretty crazy! If it makes you feel better inquisitor, there a re quite a few vs2s out there where the inclusions can be seen through the pavillion! That is the case in a stone I just bought...but who cares! I still love it!

 

[theinquisitor]

Nicrez, thank you for your enthusiasm!! I'm very excited about our find. My BF and I really wanted to find a special stone that would beautifully represent our intentions, and I think we finally did, after much looking.

I wish I could post pictures, but I don't have a scanner or a digital camera!! I'm sorry, I know that's kind of lame, to sit here and talk about it without providing visuals.

But we're having it reset, as well, so after it gets reset, I promise to get some pictures up!

Todd, thanks for your input. The GIA cert does have views from the top and the bottom. According to those pictures, most of the inclusions are visible from the top, but I couldn't see them even under the loupe. I guess the GIA's magnification is much more than 10x, and I'm sure they have better eyes, as well!

And thank you, moremoremore; I'm so glad you love your stone!