White Diamonds turning yellow?

[sjz]

Has anyone ever heard of this phenomenon? I admit, I never had. An aquaintance was asking asking around about that the other day. She said her diamond ring had been nice and white when her husband bought it for her a couple of years ago. Now she says it''s cloudy and greenish yellow. We asked her if she''d tried to clean it, or taken it to a jeweler to be cleaned. She said that she had, but it didn''t help. She claims that her jeweler told her that the discoloration was because they lived out in the country, and that well water or hard water could discolor a diamond. Is this true? Has anyone else ever heard of that? I''ve seen this woman''s diamonds, and to be honest, they do look kind of dingy and cloudy looking to me. I was wondering if there is anything to this hard water/well water thing.

 

[oldminer]

She may have a coating of dirt or contaminants from hard water on her diamond, but it would be unusual to have it on there so tightly bonded that it could not readily be removed by a steamer or ultrasonic cleaner. Living out "in the country" never really made a diamond change color..... That''s a good one.

A diamond can be "painted" by a cheat who wants you to think the diamond he is selling to you is a better color than it actually is. Only a small amount of a dying agent, properly placed will temporarily alter the color your eyes see, but it does wear off or wash off, depending on the type of coloration used. This was more common in the 1960s and 1970s, but it still probably happens from time to time. I sure hope this has not happened to your friend.

 

[AChiOAlumna]

I''ve never heard of such a thing either...I''m wondering if the prongs are white gold and maybe the prongs have "turned" which is quite possible...and the yellow cast of the prongs are being reflected through the stone...

It''s just a guess...

 

[Rhino]

I''ve heard of some dealers doing this in the district and with large rocks too (4ct+). A touch of blue ink on the culet can do it.

 

[Diamondsbybree]

I live out in the sticks and we have the worst water..... I have the orange hair to prove it. It has never done that to any of my diamonds. . . . . .

 

[oldminer]

An L/N color yellow diamond can look like an H/I color with a little lens dye strategically placed near the girdle. It lasts a few weeks or months and slowly fades away leaving the victim with an off color diamond. Many people never notice and if they do, they are just not toally sure what happened. These stones look a little greenish to a trained eye when they are dyed, but the untrained eye cannot see the treatment at all. I have seen small diamond lots that were all painted and with several washings or rubbing with table salt the dye would come off leaving off white stones in the parcel.

People used to use the antibiotic liquid, gentian violet that is a rich purplish blue to do a similar trick that rinsed off the first time the stone got wet. A few guys on 47th St used to be known as infamous "Painters". Several made a lot of money cheating people. Their children and grandchildren now run these stores and may now be more honest in their approach. A few got caught, some more than once, but such a profitable fraud does not end overnight.

 

[MissAva]

Thats terrible!

I hope that is not what is wrong with your friends ring!

 

[perry]

I would not be so quick to discount the local water theory. Different parts of the US have different water issues, and sometimes it is not just the hard water but also the bacteria in the water.

However, this is simple to clean up if it is the case.

Soak your ring in Vinagar overnight, perferably in a clear glass (although some people have to soak their glasses and cups in vinagar to clean them up). Before soaking your ring in Vinagar please carefully clean it with a soft toothbrush (or other brush) and a drop of dishsoap or shampoo to remove any bulk dirt - rinse well: Do this initial cleaning in such a way that you cannot loose the diamond if it falls out - such as in a pot or pan.

Vinagar is a light acid that will remove any hard water or bacteria created deposits that may exist on the diamond and the ring.

It will not harm gold or platinum or the diamond itself.

If it cleans up the dimond then it was the water. If not, then the diamond was likely tampered with as described above.

I hope it cleans up.

Perry