Do diamonds turn brown?

[2Neezers]

I’m sorry your diamond has turned brown. Your vendor should step up and correct the problem, absolutely. I did a google search on diamonds turning brown and a few discussions came up like this one: https://orchid.ganoksin.com/t/diamond-turned-brown/27841
I think things like this can happen and they can’t be easily explained. Hopefully your vendor will stand behind the product and switch out the diamond or refund you the fees to have your local jeweler do it without issue.
Your sapphire is amazingly gorgeous by the way. Hoping this will be resolved soon and you can go back to enjoying your beautiful ring soon.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Gorgeous sapphire. Wow! And yes, I would classify it as cornflower blue.

Count me among those who think it is probably something that got on the diamond and is very very stubborn. Un-mounting and professionally cleaning will probably do the trick. Worst case the diamond needs to be replaced. But I don't know what could have caused the diamond to turn permanently orange.
Dealers that work in fancy color diamonds would probably love to learn how to do that!

 

[MamaBee]

I feel so bad for you. It would definitely make me very upset. The person that made it for you should step up and replace the diamond. At this point I would be afraid to send it to them since they haven’t replied to your messages. I would replace the diamond myself and move on..Yes..it’s very upsetting considering you paid so much for the ring..but if you’re like me it will eat you up stressing about it.

 

[whitewave]

I feel so bad for you. It would definitely make me very upset. The person that made it for you should step up and replace the diamond. At this point I would be afraid to send it to them since they haven’t replied to your messages. I would replace the diamond myself and move on..Yes..it’s very upsetting considering you paid so much for the ring..but if you’re like me it will eat you up stressing about it.

But if you look at the pictures @Rfisher posted, it is clearly something that spilled on the halo.

 

[whitewave]

At the risk of upsetting you- I have to agree with previous posters that it looks like something has splashed on the ring. It's not a reflection from the one stone on to its neighbors. It sure looks like the liquid ran down the metal and dried there.

It's just something that's not very water soluble that would come off with a cleaning like you've already done.
Tree sap maybe? It flies around in the air here at certain times of the year.
Anyways- if you can't get a professional cleaning done local to you - for sure call the rings designer for advice. I have no personal experience with that designer- but hearing various reports on them, you may not get far /get help if you start off by suggesting the melee turned color on its own. Especially since you already have stated publicly here that you may be not so in love with what was created for you, that you were led to expect a different outcome.
Your ring is lovely though. Don't hesitate to get it sized to a correct size if that indeed hampers wear or your "feel" about the ring. Look into a sizer that is not permanent maybe?
Best wishes. Hope you come back to let us know what it is and how it was resolved.

Did these other spilled over parts come out? It sounds like it from what you describe.

 

[SimoneDi]

OP I am sorry that you are experiencing issues with the setting. From a first hand experience, I can tell you that I understand how difficult is to deal with said vendor should things go south. I know that it is an inconvenience, but I would have your local jeweler unmount the diamond and see what would be causing the issue - if it is dirt stuck underneath or something else. This might be far fetched, but to me it almost seems as if the metal underneath has tarnished. Not sure if possible, but maybe something to check. I would not deal with the given vendor anymore, trust me on that one.

 

[MamaBee]

But if you look at the pictures @Rfisher posted, it is clearly something that spilled on the halo.

I just noticed the brown looks like it also pooled outside the stone. I think the diamond will have to be pulled out to see what’s really going on.

 

[whitewave]

@denverappraiser any ideas here?

 

[the_mother_thing]

i hope you get your mystery solved soon, how frustrating. it might be my eyes playing tricks but the 2nd diamond up from the 9'oclock station looks darker to me in this original photo as well, do you have other pics from when you first got the ring?

I blew up the “original” picture and zoomed in on the diamond in question, and I see nothing that resembles any sort of discoloration in that area of the ring or diamond like what is now appearing in the ring.

Pic of ring new:


Pic of ring now (also note how it looks like the sapphire is splattered - that may just be hard water staining or something, but I’m just noting it as it stands out to my eyes since the ring has been cleaned multiple times per OP):


I’m not a jeweler or metalsmith, but as someone upthread noted, it really does look like something (e.g., a liquid of some sort) spilled/splashed onto the halo that caused a reaction with the ring metal (can’t recall if the halo is white gold or platinum). Otherwise, it wouldn’t have also discolored outside of where that diamond is seated (in other words, it’s NOT just the diamond that is discolored, but likely whatever did splash onto the ring ran under the diamond and all around it, making the diamond look brown/orange).

My guess is perhaps OP’s ring came into contact with some kind of chemical either unknowingly (e.g, a droplet splashed onto her ring or perhaps while doing something routine like housecleaning), and it just sat in that one spot too long to where it reacted with the metal or maybe the rhodium plating, and now won’t come off with a regular cleaning. Removing the diamond is the only way to know for sure. But if that is the case, I don’t see how that is necessarily the ‘fault’ of the vendor who made the ring as has (yet again) been alluded to in this thread.

 

[Rfisher]

I blew up the “original” picture and zoomed in on the diamond in question, and I see nothing that resembles any sort of discoloration in that area of the ring or diamond like what is now appearing in the ring.

Pic of ring new:


Pic of ring now (also note how it looks like the sapphire is splattered - that may just be hard water staining or something, but I’m just noting it as it stands out to my eyes since the ring has been cleaned multiple times per OP):


I’m not a jeweler or metalsmith, but as someone upthread noted, it really does look like something (e.g., a liquid of some sort) spilled/splashed onto the halo that caused a reaction with the ring metal (can’t recall if the halo is white gold or platinum). Otherwise, it wouldn’t have also discolored outside of where that diamond is seated (in other words, it’s NOT just the diamond that is discolored, but likely whatever did splash onto the ring ran under the diamond and all around it, making the diamond look brown/orange).

My guess is perhaps OP’s ring came into contact with some kind of chemical either unknowingly (e.g, a droplet splashed onto her ring or perhaps while doing something routine like housecleaning), and it just sat in that one spot too long to where it reacted with the metal or maybe the rhodium plating, and now won’t come off with a regular cleaning. Removing the diamond is the only way to know for sure. But if that is the case, I don’t see how that is necessarily the ‘fault’ of the vendor who made the ring as has (yet again) been alluded to in this thread.

Wholeheartedly agree. From what we know right now it's looking to not be the vendors fault at all.
But I stand by my statement that said vendor won't most likely be jumping thru hoops to lend OP a hand in any fashion after what the OP has stated here.

Edited:
I shouldn't say vendors fault. I should say vendors obligation to fix.
And great catch with seeing something on the sapphire in the same vicinity!

 

[bludiva]

Removing the diamond is the only way to know for sure. But if that is the case, I don’t see how that is necessarily the ‘fault’ of the vendor who made the ring as has (yet again) been alluded to in this thread.

i'm not blaming the vendor. it's possible it has something to do with the metal contact though. it doesn't look orange to my eye in the original photo but it does look darker. could be a shadow, could be my eyes playing tricks as i mentioned, could be the start of some small issue that grew over time. seems like a freak occurrence and would be interested to know what caused it. i do hope for the OPs sake it's sorted out soon.

 

[ringo865]

OP please make sure that your local jeweler, should you have them unmount and replace the stone, will be able to do a meticulous job on the reset. Many jewelers are subpar at the tiny, tiny, intricate details. Especially bead set inside a channel within a two-tone halo (with millgrain?)

Your ring is lovely anyway. That stone!! Swoon. I'd totally wear it as-is.

 

[bcavitt]

I wonder if your jeweler gave your ring an acid bath? We have a customer who bought a large diamond from our store GIA Certified D color that she kept bringing in because the stone would turn yellow on her. Ultrasonic and steam cleaning never worked on their own and the only thing that worked was put the ring in a container of acid and ultrasonically cleaning the ring. After about a year of this we finally determined that her hairspray was sticking to the diamond. Off goes the ring every morning now while she gets ready and we have never had a problem since.

 

[the_mother_thing]

i'm not blaming the vendor. it's possible it has something to do with the metal contact though. it doesn't look orange to my eye in the original photo but it does look darker. could be a shadow, could be my eyes playing tricks as i mentioned, could be the start of some small issue that grew over time. seems like a freak occurrence and would be interested to know what caused it. i do hope for the OPs sake it's sorted out soon.

Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest you were blaming the vendor; rather that there was vendor-flaming up thread.

 

[bludiva]

Sorry, I didn't mean to suggest you were blaming the vendor; rather that there was vendor-flaming up thread.

gotcha. yeah i've noticed this particular vendor leads to some super heated discussions! passionate customers (and former customers)!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I think this is a gorgeous ring! I think custom is tough because CADs are provided, and we approve the CADs, and sometimes melee sizes or other features aren't what we had expected...yet the vendor can only make what we approve, so they can hardly be at fault. Most of her rings have very delicate halos. As someone else said, many people reset mutiple times as they change their minds about what they want. Some people just aren't cut out for custom unless they have seen a ring in person to specify the exact preferences.

Just FYI, Caysie is clear across the other country for a family reunion and is not back yet, so don't take it personally if you don't get a reply quickly. I am sure she tries to keep up as much as she can, but having contacted her myself (project in progress), I found out she wouldn't be home until later this week.

In any event, diamonds don't turn orange and we can clearly see that it wasn't when the ring was new. So my feeling is that it will likely cost less to have it fixed locally than sending to an out of state vendor.

 

[the_mother_thing]

gotcha. yeah i've noticed this particular vendor leads to some super heated discussions! passionate customers (and former customers)!

Agreed ... but it’s not fair when ‘blame’ is assigned to the vendor followed by a big pile-on before the cause/issue is even known (not by you, but collectively). We have one side of the customer-vendor convo, OP’s own pictures which don’t exactly point to vendor fault when the ‘new’ ring pics appear silent to this issue, yet a few people are lobbing fault AT the vendor anyway. IMO, that hurts the credibility of those who jump on the ‘blame-train’ moreso than it does the vendor.

 

[scarsmum]

No. Diamonds don’t turn brown.

 

[the_mother_thing]

@IndigoBlu can you please post a close-up pic of the underside/back of your ring showing the underside of the halo?

 

[scarsmum]

I am, however, reminded of a recent conversation when I met someone for the first time:
Her: “oh wow I love your ring. That diamond is beautiful.”
Me: “thank you”
Her: “it must be new, it’s so white”
Me: “it is pretty new, yes.”

 

[ringo865]

^^uhm cuz if it were old, it could no longer be white?

 

[scarsmum]

^^uhm cuz if it were old, it could no longer be white?

Yep

 

[HappyNewLife]

OK, I took it to my local jeweler who cleaned it. Twice. Because the first cleaning didn't change anything. Neither did the second, longer cleaning. Now I have a clean amber colored diamond. He can't explain it and says the only way to know is to remove the diamond.

I came home and blasted it with my waterpik using HOT water. Nothing changed. I used an artists' brush with stiff, slender, pointed bristles and tried to clean under and around the stone. It's still amber colored. It's clean, and it sparkles, but the color hasn't changed. The diamonds on each side have no color change at all.

I haven't heard from the vendor who created the setting. Apparently expressing any public displeasure with a custom setting is a big no no. Lesson learned. In the future I will only lavish praise on whatever is created for me and will keep my opinion to myself.

So now I'm planning to take it back to my jeweler and have him remove the stone. If it only needs further cleaning, he can simply reset it. If it indeed has become discolored, he can replace it.

Wow, I'm so sorry this is happening. That's the weirdest thing!

 

[Wewechew]

I am, however, reminded of a recent conversation when I met someone for the first time:
Her: “oh wow I love your ring. That diamond is beautiful.”
Me: “thank you”
Her: “it must be new, it’s so white”
Me: “it is pretty new, yes.”

 

[Ilovecarbon]

Ok so the reason I (and presumably everyone else) asked if it was clean was because diamonds aren’t terribly reactive towards things. In fact, from a chemistry perspective we have to trick carbon in to reacting if it already has all of its bonds and spoiler alert it usually does. You kind of have to trick it in to not having the bonds in the first place. It’s a very special element and the reason we all can exist. [I’m not ilovecarbon because of diamonds, but because of organic chemistry]

There is an idea in science that usually the simplest answer is the correct one, meaning the one that makes the fewest assumptions is usually the correct answer. So in all likelihood there are 3 possibilities: A) your diamond has something persnickety on it B) the metal underneath your diamond has reacted or C) that’s not a diamond. A and B are the most likely. C would be weird considering you purchased it from a very reputable establishment.

I assure you, I wasn’t trying to be obnoxious when I asked if it was clean, it’s just the most likely problem, especially if the substance leaked below the diamond itself.

Edit: grammar and clarity => wine ya’ll

 

[indigoblue]

For your viewing pleasure. Here's one more shot. I'm learning more ways to take pictures of my ring. This one is taken through the loupe with a digital camera set on Macro. I thought it was pretty clever. ha!

To answer a few questions and address some comments:
No, the jeweler didn't test to see if it is a diamond.
I don't believe there is any white gold in the ring. I understood that it is entirely platinum and 18k YG.
I will try to take another picture of the under side, but in the meantime, here's a picture taken a year ago. It's a gorgeous basket, but I don't think there's access to the diamonds from that angle.
I plan to question my jeweler about his experience with teeny-tiny settings. Personally I don't see how there's enough room to maneuver in there. As long as he doesn't lose the ring, I won't be too upset. (A couple of years ago my FORMER jeweler "lost" a 1.5 diamond solitaire ring I left with him to be reset into another setting that he also lost.)
I nixed all of the millgrain that was in the original design. I'm not a fan.
I don't use hairspray.
And no, I don't wear this ring when doing routine housework.

Thanks for all of your replies and suggestions. I'll keep you posted.

 

[Ilovecarbon]

Ok, but where is it when you *aren’t* wearing it?

 

[atp223]

I have a noob-ish question. If you have a pavé setting that is not open on the bottom, and something goopy gets on it, and it gets beneath the diamond (as seems to be the most likely case here, except I don’t know if the setting is open under the diamonds in the halo?) is that a flaw with the setting or “operator error”?

The whole reason I lost my original e-ring (I think) is bc I took it off during a diaper change to avoid getting any butt paste on it bc it seemed like it would be a b*tch to get out of pavé/melee. But it wouldn’t have occurred to me that it could get beneath the diamonds bc I thought they were basically sealed into the metal. But I know far less about the process than most of you here! So I am honestly just curious!

 

[atp223]

A couple of years ago my FORMER jeweler "lost" a 1.5 diamond solitaire ring I left with him to be reset into another setting that he also lost.

WHAT!? What was the outcome of that??

 

[the_mother_thing]

I don't believe there is any white gold in the ring. I understood that it is entirely platinum and 18k YG

I wonder if something (e.g. chemical) could have hit the YG and caused (what I think is) the ‘stain’ in the area of & under that diamond ... think a liquid running down into & under the setting for that diamond. Could be, you washed your hands after it happened and didn't realize it & that one spot just didn't get cleaned as well to remove 'whatever'. I am just hypothesizing ... either way, I believe it will require the diamond being removed & examined to tell for sure.