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Fix it or Forget it - Volume 2

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kenny

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If you recall my assher had a tiny chip that GOG was polishing out.
(GIA 2.26 CT., F VVS2 Ex Ex)

link

Jonathan at GOG has been wonderful.
He got it polished very quickly and I got it back yesterday.

Now there is a new issue that I need your advice on.
It has what I believe are polish lines or drag lines on that girdle facet that got polished.
They were not there before (I recognize them because a gemologist at GIA in Carlsbad showed me somewhat similar polish lines on the pavilion of my Solasfera when I visited them. He said that was the reason it did not get EX for polish.)
No other facet on the stone has this on it; they all look perfect as you rotate them through any light angle.
GIA gave this Ex Ex and I'm worried that if it were sent to GIA today it would only get VG or Good.

I scrubbed and scrubbed hard till it was squeeky-clean repeatedly with Q-tips and isopropyl alcohol and it is not debris or residue.

There are 4 pics.
Sure they are high-magnification, but the lines are easily visible with a 10x loupe, and are all perfectly parallel.

Jonathan said if they are polish lines and it had to be sent back to the original cutter to fix them they may have to polish down the whole stone to restore the proportions.
He has offered to find me a new stone or refund - which I appreciate.

What should I do?

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kenny

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simplysplendid

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I''m sorry to hear about this Kenny.. Have you grown very attached to this diamond already? Sending it back to the original cutter sounds like a feasible solution.. or the other option I will choose if I am in your shoe will be to continue the hunt. I don''t think I will leave it as it is given the amount of $ you have spent on the stone..

Best of luck in getting this resolved..
 

grapegravity

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I would send it back to the cutter and get it fix, and I wouldn''t want to find another diamond if I was you since you are attach to this diamond already... good luck...
 

ladykemma

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kenny, get it set and quit fussin'' with it....
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kcoursolle

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Date: 12/15/2006 6:54:32 PM
Author: ladykemma
kenny, get it set and quit fussin' with it....
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This is how I feel about it.


It's a beautiful diamond and it would be hard to find another one as nice. It's also possible that other mistakes might get made if you send it out to the cutter again. I really doubt these tiny lines will be able to be seen set without a loupe and I don't think they present a structural problem.
 

decodelighted

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What should you do? Well ...

* How often will you be looking at the stone under the microscope?

* Are you still considering bezel setting to show off the shape of the stone? Because if so - the girdle of the stone will be entirely hidden anyhoo

Honestly, it''s not something that would worry me in a zillion years ... stuff gets flawed. Perfection, if it ever exists, is transient ... You could "fix" this or any stone until it''s a teensy nub & then get started fixing the setting.

Sorry if it bums you out though!
 

kenny

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It's just that the price was calculated for a GIA Ex Ex, which it was when it was graded but isn't what I got.
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Frankly, I think that is what bothers me the most.
I feel for the price I paid it should have been per the GIA report.

So you guys could just put that out of your mind?
 

starryeyed

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What a quandary, Kenny! From a chip to polish lines - aargh!

I''m just wondering Kenny, what percentage of the pavilion on your Solasfera had polish lines? Is it a comparable amount?

I can understand if you pay for an EX/EX and now don''t have it, that''s tough to swallow. Also, if it goes back for a significant polish, will you lose carat weight?

Personally, I don''t think I''d send it back for a big re-polish job. I''d be afraid of changing the stone somehow. If it''s not carat weight, it could be something else - maybe the stone gets scratched accidentally. Then you''d be REALLY upset.

You have to know yourself if you can live with the polish lines....Oh, Kenny I feel for you - it''s not easy being a perfectionist!!
 

kenny

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It really is a quandary.

I think things happen for a reason.
Perhaps I was sent this challenge to help me work on my perfectionism, and to learn to just go with the flow, and transcend petty issues of money, hair-splitting, and fairness.
 

decodelighted

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Date: 12/15/2006 7:32:41 PM
Author: kenny
It''s just that the price was calculated for a GIA Ex Ex, which it was when it was graded but isn''t what I got.
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It''s all relative, Kenny. The cost of re-grading might equal or top the "cost" of the difference. If it had been a VG/VG .. you might not have fallen in love with it, or even given it a chance. Even if it was G/G or VG/VG the vendor MIGHT have been able to command the price you paid based on the stone''s many other charms. There are a ca-jillion other factors our meager brain-cells can''t even begin to calculate.

I fear you''re missing the forest through the trees. Would you miss it if it was gone? How much is THAT worth?
 

jaz464

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Are the lines visible at all with the naked eye?
 

momof3

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aren''t you paying a load to just ship the thing back and forth? you put a lot of time and emotion into the purchase, perhaps it is a good lesson in going with the flow...it can be your mantra diamond. and given fixing one problem led to another, perhaps it''s time to see the big picture.=d
 

decodelighted

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I want to mention this possibility: say the AGS standards for asschers come out soon ... and this one fits into the "Ideal" category ... & is now worth "more" based just on that critera?

Depends on who owns the stone at the time that happens, who experiences THAT potential benefit ...
 

indecisive

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Honestly, if it were me I would send it back and get a refund. I
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the flashes of color/light I get off of the girdle of my asscher so I don''t think you should limit your setting options based on these marks. It also kind of makes the diamond look dirty in the pic and while you might not see the actual scratches on the stone if you looked really close it wouldn''t have the crispness that it should, which is one of the nicest things about a step cut. You should ultimately go with how it looks to you and what you can live with. This stone is certainly high maintenance but then again so are relationships!
 

strmrdr

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put that side against the setting and you will never see it even with a scope.
 

kenny

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Decodelighted wrote, "I want to mention this possibility: say the AGS standards for asschers come out soon ... and this one fits into the "Ideal" category ... & is now worth "more" based just on that critera?"

But this is not a development was not announced within the last 2 weeks, since I bought it.
That means it was already priced with that in mind.

Just like the stock market, the instant the information is public the price can adjust.
 

kenny

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jazmine wrote, "Are the lines visible at all with the naked eye?"

No, but neither is the difference between VS1 and IF.

And how would you feel if you paid for an IF and later found out something happened since it was graded and you really got a VS1, then someone suggested you just forget it by asking, "Is the difference visible at all with the naked eye?"?
 

Ellen

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Date: 12/15/2006 9:02:45 PM
Author: kenny
jazmine wrote, ''Are the lines visible at all with the naked eye?''

No, but neither is the difference between VS1 and IF.
And how would you feel if you paid for an IF and later found out it is really a VS1, and someone comforted you by asking, ''Can you see the difference?''?
Has there been any talk of compensation? You clearly didn''t get what you paid for, and regardless of where it happened or by whom, it wasn''t you....

Is this a possiblity? Is this an unreasonable question?





Do you just want me to take it off your hands and you can start all over?
 

Kaleigh

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I dunno, it''s such a personal thing. Good luck in deciding Kenny.
 

decodelighted

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Date: 12/15/2006 9:00:01 PM
Author: kenny
Decodelighted wrote, ''I want to mention this possibility: say the AGS standards for asschers come out soon ... and this one fits into the ''Ideal'' category ... & is now worth ''more'' based just on that critera?''
But this is not a development was not announced within the last 2 weeks, since I bought it. That means it was already priced with that in mind. Just like the stock market, the instant the information is public the price can adjust.

I meant *if* it fits into the "ideal" criteral ... I have no idea if it does ... IS the info now public?
 

kenny

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Ellen, since you asked, I got the stone on a Wed and noticed the chip at work under my microscope the next morning, took the pics in the link and emailed them to Jonathan right away.
I asked if he minded that I ask for advice here.
He said, No problem.

The chip looks exactly like the zillion particles of dust or debris that all diamonds get.
I didn't bother getting it clean enough Wed when I looked through my loupe since I knew I was going to put it under the good microscope at work the next morning.

Nothing I did could have caused the chip.
This is why I am having so much anxiety about this purchase.
Johathan has been wonderful and I am not being critical, but it seems for the price I paid it should have matched the report.
If I knew I dropped it or caused this I'd fess up and take the hit myself.

The report was done Oct 2004, over two years ago.
A lot can happen in two years.
I believe GOG didn't even get it till May 2006.
And I am very very very observant.
 

Kaleigh

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Would a price adjustment help??
 

Ellen

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Date: 12/15/2006 9:24:15 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Would a price adjustment help??
That''s what I was wondering as well.
 

starryeyed

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If a price adjustment would help, then call it VG Polish rather than EX and see where you wind up.

I''m still wondering about the polishing lines on your Solasfera vs this stone - do the PL''s on the Solasfera cover the same area as those on your asscher, less area, or more area?
 

kenny

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The polish lines on my Solasfera are on some of the long pavilions facets if I remember correctly.
They don't look exactly like these.
The ones on the asscher are much more coarse and jagged than the ones on my Solasfera.
I'm not sure if I can get a pic since it is set.
Maybe I'll try Monday.

Jonathan recommended I take the asscher to a local qualified appraiser to find if she/he thinks the polish is still GIA Ex.
Today I called Jennifer Thornton-Davis, GG, MGA ASA, NAJA.
She's in the PS appraiser list.

She said the price was set by the GIA specs, and the only way to be sure is to send it back to GIA.
If it comes back Ex you can consider the issue is resolved.
If not then determine what price adjustment is fair. (I have no idea how to do this.)
She said she could look at it but GIA is the only one who can make the official call.

I respect her for saying this.
She could have had me come in and earned a fee.
She seems very ethical and honest.
 

pyramid

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I don''t know if you would get compensation for the polish and it should be what you are paying for. However, it has been said before that all diamonds get minute chips on the girdle edges through normal wear, so when this happens would that not look worse under the microscope than what you are seeing now. I have also heard the phrase that nothing in this world is perfect. If this is true then a J SI2 is as good as a D VVS1 is it not?
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DiamondExpert

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In a word - fagettaboudit!...a professional street opinion.
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pyramid

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So did your appraiser mean that you would need to re-submit the stone to GIA for a new grading report? That would cost a bit would it not?
 

Kaleigh

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The independant appraiser gave you sound advice. But feel that it's something you and Jonathon need to work out. I don't see where we can be of further help???
 
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