Diamond clarity question

[Bobdiam]

I am a new member who recently purchased a .48 carat diamond pendant for a Mothers Day Gift.
Being a amateur photographer I could not resist using my Sigma 70mm Macro lens and do a bit of practice.
The images I captured obviously show some inclusions in the larger of the three diamonds. The diamond is rated at a minimum clarity of S12. So my question is are these inclusions within the minimum S12 clarity rating? I researched on this forums Knowledge site which is great by the way but the question still remains and I have 30 days to return the pendant if not satisfied.

Thanks, Bob

 

[AprilBaby]

It could be si2 depending on who graded it. If it's not AGS or GIA it's probably lower. If you got a good price and you can't see it from a distance does it bother you?

 

[Bobdiam]

No from a distance it is not an issue. It was purchased from and I will only give the fist two letters I think you will figure it out BN who from all accounts is a reputable company.Price was OK a Mothers Day special around 1K.Here are some back lit macros showing some of the smaller diamond inclusions that I believe are well within the S12 rating.


Bob

 

[TC1987]

I'm of the opinion that there has been some 'grade creep" in the past 10 years or so, and what might have gotten a solid I1 maybe 9-12 years ago is getting SI2 now. And those "eyeclean SI2" stones that you saw on PS rather often in 2004-2005 would be SI1 now. There are some eyeclean SI2 stones but they are rare (if they can grade it SI1, they will b/c SI1 is worth more money.) And they usually get snatched up immediately. There were some discussions on here within the past 2 years where vendors sort of backed up my suspicions. I have an "old" I1 that I'm tempted to send back to GIA to see if they'll grade it SI2 now.

eta: Most of those inclusions look like transparent crystals and one feather. If you got it for a good price and the inclusions aren't obvious to the eye, I wouldn't worry about it. Only you can decide if it's worth the money to you, or not.

 

[Bobdiam]

BTW: Best I can tell I should have posted this topic on the "Diamond Research" section of the forum I have asked if it can be moved.
Thanks to all for your continued input on this.
Bob

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I am assuming these are not GIA graded stones, and in that case, I would always consider that vendor labelled SI2 stones are likely really I1. I do not like the huge feather (crack) and other inclusions in the middle of the one stone. I would return it if it were mine. I find that vendors that use VS stones in jewelry like this (such as WF) use much better quality diamonds overall (cut, color, and clarity).

 

[30yearsofdiamonds]

I believe you may be looking at a large knot with a feather coming off of it and most likely by its size and location should be an I1. The other factor is durability if in fact it is a knot. Knots are crystal-like in structure and totally touch the surface.

 

[Bobdiam]

It is going back. I asked if the replacement can be visually checked prior to shipping out and I was told it can to hopefully ensure that I get something closer to a SI2 rather than an I1.
Thanks again for all of your input.

Bob

 

[Lorelei]

That's probably for the best Bob, I can't access your link to see the details but it sounds like this diamond isn't ' mind clean' to you, so a replacement is the order of the day. This vendor can have the diamond checked for ' eyecleanliness' for you but make sure you make your expectations clear to them so you aren't disappointed when the next stone arrives. If you don't want to see any visible inclusions close up or from the side, make sure the vendor is aware of that.

Good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

[Bobdiam]

OK here are the pictures of the replacement seems to be better than the previous less of a cloud and more a feather in the large diamond.The inclusions in the two smaller diamonds appear closer to the surface to me. What are your opinions?

Bob

 

[Bobdiam]

Here are a couple more and one of the rough casting of the setting on the large diamond end.I do believe that the original pendants smaller diamonds were less flawed than this replacement IMHO.


Bob

 

[luvdajules]

As a newb myself, this is fascinating topic to me. I can't tell you about the inclusions but I just wanted to thank you for the awesome photo work to learn from. Somebody should hire you to photograph diamonds for on-line sales support!