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Concerned with many small clouds

Luce

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My jeweler called in a couple of diamonds to look at a this weekend. The one that I might be interested in (HCA score of 1) looks to be a very busy SI1. I am concerned that the clouds may have an affect on the clarity even though they aren't the grade setter. I can't see any feathers on the plot, even though they are listed second. I would love feedback.
thanks !!!

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diamondseeker2006

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List the clarity characteristics. I see several straight lines that could be feathers but would need to know the whole list of inclusions.
 

John P

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diamondseeker2006|1466687853|4047070 said:
List the clarity characteristics. I see several straight lines that could be feathers but would need to know the whole list of inclusions.
Ditto. The plot shows clouds, crystals and feathers/needles. I'd also want to know if "Additional clouds are not shown." That means there are more cloud clusters seen at 10X which are not being plotted. In the strictest sense, things "not shown" are supposed to be non-factors but we're regularly seeing diamonds with clouds, pinpoints or dense graining not shown where transparency is indeed affected. There is another possible comment; "Clarity grade based on clouds not shown." This comment is more rare, and more dire in the SI grades.

Either way, I always suggest to have someone with experience examine the diamond in-person. There are many considerations beyond what the grading report lists.
 

Texas Leaguer

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John Pollard|1466689410|4047078 said:
diamondseeker2006|1466687853|4047070 said:
List the clarity characteristics. I see several straight lines that could be feathers but would need to know the whole list of inclusions.
Ditto. The plot shows clouds, crystals and feathers/needles. I'd also want to know if "Additional clouds are not shown." That means there are more cloud clusters seen at 10X which are not being plotted. In the strictest sense, things "not shown" are supposed to be non-factors but we're regularly seeing diamonds with clouds, pinpoints or dense graining not shown where transparency is indeed affected. There is another possible comment; "Clarity grade based on clouds not shown." This comment is more rare, and more dire in the SI grades.

Either way, I always suggest to have someone with experience examine the diamond in-person. There are many considerations beyond what the grading report lists.
the order of characteristics on this stone goes: crystal, feather, cloud, needle
Comments: Additional clouds and pinpoints not shown.

It's the kind of stone that might look a lot better in person than the plot would indicate. This is one of the reasons for the additional features being mentioned under comments.

The plot serves two purposes; to positively identify the stone, and to support the clarity grade. Therefore, not everything in the stone is necessarily plotted.

It's a larger stone so the crystals, which are grade setters, might very well be visible to the naked eye. It will likely look very 'peppery' under the loupe. But it could also have very nice face up appearance, whether or not it is technically eye-clean.

While technically there is enough "stuff" in it to diminish transparency to a degree, that is likely not a major problem in this case. As John mentioned, had the clarity grade been based on clouds, that would be more of a red flag for transparency.

Having said that, I totally agree that stones of this nature need to be fully evaluated by someone with a trained eye as things like transparency deficits can be subtle yet important.
 

Rockdiamond

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I like Bryan's explanation of the plot
The plot serves two purposes; to positively identify the stone, and to support the clarity grade. Therefore, not everything in the stone is necessarily plotted.

To expand on this- the plot is completely useless in trying to ascertain the actual appearance of a diamond.
There's plotted imperfections that look horrendous on paper, yet are totally innocuous in person- and vice versa.
A plot looking so nice, yet what looks insignificant on that plot is easy to spot naked eye.

Another way to look at this: If GIA graded the diamond SI1, and there's so may marks on the plot, it's quite possible that each of the imperfections are quite negligible.
Again- you can't tell till you see the actual stone- but I'd advise against letting a scary plot put you off the stone till you see it personally.
I agree that having a professional inspect the stone is a sound idea- but if there is a clarity issue, it's YOUR eyes that are the most important.
 

Luce

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Thank you all for your inputs. The jeweler just recieved the stone and the photo looks promising but I will visit it on Saturday. I have attached the photo.

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Luce

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I viewed the stone today and was pleasantly surprised, the clouds were not even visible under 10k loop. I spent an hour inspecting it as well as a few other stones in inventory. I ended up falling for another stone, 2.2c,I, SI1,J that Jerry had also called in for me to look at. I am so excited. Can't wait to pick it up on Wednesday. I would recommend Joe Escobar any day, love their service and upgrade policy!!! I will be posting photos soon!
 
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