bad idea?

[ambrose2124]

this is the ring I want to get off of ebay. I think it has bad isea written all over it. It isn''t a real black diamond is it? Tell me what you guys think. thanks alot.

-mike

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=5075263972&rd=1&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT&rd=1

<------ sorry, couldn''t resist.

 

[Lorelei]

Welcome

Sorry I can''t be of much help here really, but to say for the price if you are looking for an unusual ring and are prepared to take the chance it might not be of the best quality etc then why not? I know nothing about these rocks to further advise you, maybe Valeria will be able to help more.

 

[ambrose2124]

yeah, dont mind taking the chance. It''s for my girlfriend and she hates how garish diamonds are. So a black diamond would be perfect. But if it''s not real then there is not much of a point. plus i know most of you may think it would be blasphemy to use a ring like this bought off ebay to convince her to marry me, but im thinking about it. Dont have thousands of dollars. I''ll check out the ring and if it of nice quality I''m going to go for it. If it''s chez I will just give it as a prezzie. Prehaps when I get it I can preform my own hardness test. would anyone recommend me trying to scratch a piece of glass to test if it''s a diamond? or is that an absurd thought.

 

[ambrose2124]

Lorelei, do you like the look of this ring? Just for a girl point of view? or is it not your style.

 

[valeria101]

Thanks for the hint, Lorelei, but I don''t think I can help that much. The one thing that is missing from the Ebay post is a mention of treatment,... what else is new

. As much as I can tell.

The price is low all right, but not unbelievably so.

Don''t get me wrong - I like the idea of an exotic black diamond, but can''t stand the pitting and don''t like the look enough to put up with invasive treatment. The fact that the merchandise is available at any turn of the road in bulk has done away with the aura of mystery for me.

 

[Lorelei]

No worries Ana

No I wouldn't recommend you testing it on glass to see if it is real, not a good idea for any diamond as they are not indestructable and this can cause chipping and cracking if very unlucky! I like the style of ring, personally I think it would be more suitable as a dinner type ring or " funky" ring, not as an e-ring. I would possibly wear it yes depending on the occasion. If you want to get a diamond for an engagement, what is your budget? Even if you think it is very small we might be able to help you find an incredible smaller diamond, especially with a vendor who does trade in, then you could always go bigger later. You know your girl best but I don't IMHO think that ring is suitable for an e-ring...... let us know if you would prefer to buy a traditional diamond and I am sure we can help you if you give us a rough budget. Hope this is of some help

YIKES ETA the prongs in the picture look uneven too, I think you would pay your money and take your chance really..... might be alright, might not....

 

[ambrose2124]

thats a good point. the seller does have alot of black diamond jewlery for sale. And if they are supposedly quite rare then odds are they are not real. So can you explain what this rock is. Black spinel or black sapphire? what are your gueses.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/9/2006 5:48:27 AM
Author: ambrose2124

I''ll check out the ring and if it of nice quality I''m going to go for it.

IMO, you are paying for the setting. The stones are quite inexpensive - it would have hardly been worth it for the seller to fake them - unless it is black Swarowsky or something (same look, if not better).

 

[Lorelei]

It says these are natural black diamonds, I don''t know how far from the truth if any a vendor can stray from when describing his merchandise, so we have to assume they are real for the moment, however I don''t know a thing about black diamonds to compare.

Beware the restocking fee too if you buy this ring and want a refund, check the ordering details

I know they have to make a living but restocking fees worry me.... I wouldn''t want to lose money for nothing if I ordered a ring and hated it and wanted a refund.

 

[ambrose2124]

oh, thank you very much. you''ve been a great help girls.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/9/2006 6:11:23 AM
Author: ambrose2124
thats a good point. the seller does have alot of black diamond jewlery for sale. And if they are supposedly quite rare then odds are they are not real. So can you explain what this rock is. Black spinel or black sapphire? what are your gueses.

No. treated black diamonds are not rare at all. Only those good enough to be used without enhancement are.

Sure enough, it could be some syntetic (glass) and if anything, that looks better.

 

[Lorelei]

You are very welcome Ambrose, we try to help!

Good luck whatever you decide to do!

 

[ambrose2124]

Q ! ! !

 

[ambrose2124]

a few more questions if it''s alright. it says on the auction

Color Saturation & Hue: FANCY VIVID BLACK (enhanced)

so what is a treated black diamond? and what does enhancement mean....well I know what it means, but in diamond talk, what does it mean?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

irradiated

 

[ambrose2124]

uh oh. the rock god just spoke.

 

[perry]

It means that it started as a fairly worthless diamond that the only way they could figure out how to sell it was to treat it to look like it was something it was not.

So they treated it to make it black, and possibly filled major flaws, so they could sell it.

Personnally, I''d pass.

There are only a few enhancements that could interest me under some situations. Turning a diamond green for example - if I wanted a green diamond for some color matched jewery. I would still insist on a good light return and no flaw enhancement.

Perry

 

[ambrose2124]

crazy. its all coming together. So to change the color of a diamond they zap it with radiation? is this what a irradiated diamond is?

flaw enhancement sounds right rotten.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/9/2006 6:28:51 AM
Author: ambrose2124


Color Saturation & Hue: FANCY VIVID BLACK (enhanced)

I doubt 'vivid' applies... black is black. And they are not counted as 'fancy' either.



so what is a treated black diamond? and what does enhancement mean....well I know what it means, but in diamond talk, what does it mean?

Irradiation or high temperature heating... But that's not the most interesting part - that is how much difference that makes, IMO. In this case, the vast majority of stones would be completely useless without the enhancement - too pitted and cracked to have any lustre to speak of, and certainly not attractive. The treatment turns tons of splotchy grayish, opaque industrial diamonds into black, facetable material. The end result is attractive though and priced as you see. If you still feel good about these stones after knowing what they are... why not.

My 2c

 

[ambrose2124]

wicked. thank you for your time. I really appreciate it. I think it''s all very fascinating.

 

[Lorelei]

Ambrose as you say wicked you aren''t by any chance a Brit are you?

 

[valeria101]

Aha! Couldn''t remember for the life of me where on the web I had found a nice article showing what enhancement does. GIA has one (one GG, 2001...) but it isn''t online... GAAj does have a nice page:


HERE


''Goota like the ''before and after'' picture!

 

[ambrose2124]

born in surrey, but I''ve been americanized. Still visit often. I have grandparents and an older brother over there.

So I''ve decided I dont want a irradiated diamond. I want a real black diamond. So I think I''m going to hold off for a bit.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 1/9/2006 7:04:17 AM
Author: ambrose2124
born in surrey, but I''ve been americanized. Still visit often. I have grandparents and an older brother over there.

So I''ve decided I dont want a irradiated diamond. I want a real black diamond. So I think I''m going to hold off for a bit.

I knew it!

 

[valeria101]

Date: 1/9/2006 7:04:17 AM
Author: ambrose2124

I want a real black diamond.

Since you mention...

Garry, what do untreated black come from? Anything like THIS ?