Dangerously thin

[diamond geezer]

Just ran the numbers of my chosen stone on the HCA and a ''dangerously thin girdle'' message came up - what does this mean? The numbers on the GIA report are:
Meas: 6.29-6.35x3.72
W: 0.89 carat
D: 58.9%
T: 57%
Girdle: v. thin to thin, faceted
Cul: none
Pol: Good
Sym: good
Color
and
Crown: 14.27% (this was calculated by the chap who''s selling me the stone)

Would appreciate any comments or pearls of wisdom on this before I plonk down my money.

 

[Iceman]

It means your girdle (the part that separates the top from the bottom of the diamond) is so thin that your odds are high to chip the diamond if it is struck in that area.

 

[Rank Amateur]

I'm not sure what exactly triggers the girdle warning, but I'm sure Garry can clear that up.

What did you enter for the pavillion percentage? If you just subtracted the crown % from the total % you would then have a knife-edge girdle (even worse than the Iceman's pic) and not a correct number for the pavillion. You really need a bit more info to properly run it through the HCA. Use angles rather than % if you have them! Unfortunately the GIA doesn't give much to go on.

With a very thin girdle, you need to have an experienced set of eyes take a look at it and decide if it is at risk of chipping. The GIA cert just gives a range of "v.thin to thin", but a pro can tell you how much of the girdle is "very thin" and if it's a no go.

Good luck!

 

[Mara]

Many people advise that you should shy away from a 'v.thin to thin' girdle rating...as your chances of chipping the stone along an exposed girdle area are higher. If you are setting this stone into a bezel setting though, where the metal protects the girdle of the stone, this will not be a problem. However, in a 4 or 6 prong setting, you will want to get insurance on this stone, should you choose to purchase. Be sure your insurance covers chipping.

 

[Giangi]

Is the pavilion about 42%??

 

[diamond geezer]

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On 3/29/2003 2:32:11 PM Giangi wrote:

Is the pavilion about 42%??
----------------

Close, it's 43%. Is that a good thing or a bad thing?

 

[Giangi]

43% is fine... BUT, if the pav is 43, the girdle sounds really thin... Can you get a full sarin/OGI report?? They have a girdle graph which is very helpful...