Black Crystal in VS2--big deal?

[reena]

I looked at a diamond the other day that was VS2 clarity. I obviously couldnt see any inclusions with my eye, but under the loupe there was a small black speck--apparently a crystal?--on the edge of the table. Is this a big deal? Ie, would the presence of the crystal make the stone undesirable in your eyes? (Even though the speck is not visible to the naked eye--although, once I knew it was there, I could "kinda" see it, or so I thought, it if I turned the stone just the right way and the light caught it in just the right spot)?

Advice is appreciated--it''s an expensive stone!

 

[DiamondExpert]

Face up you probably couldn't see it, but sometimes from the side or pavilion up you can see inclusions - no big deal...however, if just the knowledge of the black inclusion being there bothers you, consider another stone...no need to beat yourself up or second guess yourself mentally/emotionally.

 

[Jennifer5973]

The answer to this question lies within YOU.

I once saw a stone and it had an inclusion marked in the table on the cert... I didn't even want to look at it (It was a SI1)...But I could barely see it with the loop...and only if I tilted it, etc., as you have to do to see this spot in the stone you're considering. I am not nearly as clarity sensitive as I am color sensitive--hence, I did not buy this stone becasue it was a J and I felt I could see a tint from the side.

Personally, if an inclusion is there and I can't see it with my eye, I don't care. It wouldn't bother me...But will "knowing" about it bother you???? I can tell you "Nah, don't worry about it" but that's won't help YOU decide what YOU want in your stone.

Think hard about the stone and how it looks in normal lights to your eye...trust your gut.

 

[moremoremore]

UGH. I wrote a reply and it got deleted. So I'll make this brief.

Who says it's not eye visible? A GIA grade of Vs2 does not mean it won't be eye visible without magnification. This is a common misconception that is furthered by what's on a lot of web sites. I returned a STUNNING princess GIA VS2 b/c there was a black crystal in the center of the stone that I could see face it up. Through the pavillion I could see it easily (but who cares...Grading is also only done face up). Yesterday, I viewed a nice FVs2 with a very black dot on the edge by the girdle. I wasn't paying for a vs2 with that plainly obvious black dot. There are lots of different types of inclsions and lots of different places for them. There are a lot of totally totally eye clean (by my definition- you can't see anything anywhere at any time) and also totally totally eye clean sis. I'm not paying for a vs2 where I can see anything. I'd rather go with a good si1 and save the money. Is this the nice cushion?

 

[Rhino]

Hey now... I thought MMM was the only one who could see those inclusions in a VS2!

MMM is correct though. If you have eyes like a hawk and *know* where to look it may be possible in some stones. As much as experts like myself and others who participate on the forum attempt to define what "eye clean" is, ultimately it is the *consumers eyes* that must be satisfied in the end which is why it is good to deal with vendors who have a liberal return/exchange/upgrade/buyback policy.

 

[moremoremore]

Hubby thought that both stones were eye clean BTW! I believe his exact words were "normal people" don't look at a stone like I do

 

[reena]

Hi,

Yes, MMM, this was THE cushion.

The fact that the crystal is there doesn't itself bother me; I am also of the "if I can't see it I don't care" mentality. I just sort of wanted to make sure that the presence of such a crystal in a VS2 is not something that is abnormal and should send off alarm bells. (And then there's the separate issue of, like somone else said, if it's going to have that kind of inclusion, I'd rather not pay the $$$ for a VS2!)

However, I love this diamond so I'm not inclined to just write it off for that reason alone. I just wanted to check to see whether anyone thought it was a "red flag" suggesting that I maybe shouldn't purchase the stone. (But, the consensus seems to be, if it doesn't bother me, it's a non-issue. So that is good news.)

 

[elmo]

----------------
On 8/15/2004 5:28:39 PM reena wrote:

I just wanted to check to see whether anyone thought it was a 'red flag' suggesting that I maybe shouldn't purchase the stone.
----------------

You're asking if a stone can have "a small black speck" that is "not visible to the naked eye" and that is "apparently a crystal" "on the edge of the table" and still be VS-2 and not a borderline SI-1. It really depends on how big the inclusion is and what kind of other inclusions are visible at 10x. But if for instance it's small and there isn't anything else, it could be a very very nice VS-2! If that's the case and it bothers you, I think the future holds a VVS stone for you

.

 

[lmurden]

Moremoremore, I totally agree with you! Why pay for a
VS-2 when you can get a SI-1 for a lower price. I had the same experience with a round cut diamond.

 

[reena]

i agree in principle as well, but if a stone "speaks" to you then it "speaks" to you even if the specs aren't exactly what you would have hoped!