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Fix it or forget it?

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kenny

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My asscher has a booboo.
It is a super tiny tiny chip on the girdle.

GOG has been very gracious offering to polish it out.
They even offered to reimburse for shipping.

I am posting pics to give you an idea of how small it is, fortunately I have acess to nice microscope cameras.
I am wondering if leaving it alone puts the stone more at risk during the stress of setting, or later if the stone is knocked against someting right at the chip.
To give you an idea how tiny the chip is, the stone is 2.26 ct. F VVS2 with a 3.51% girdle per GIA.

KenAsscher2.jpg
 

diamondseeker2006

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Is that one of the sides that will be covered by the setting? if so, I''d leave it alone. Can''t be a big deal in a VVS2.
 

starryeyed

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Hi Kenny. This is TRAGIC - I think you need to return it right away!
27.gif
Kidding!!

Can you feel it with your fingernail? Are you sure it''s not dust?
 

Mara

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that sucks kenny. do they have any idea of how it might have happened??

if it will be covered i''d just leave it.
 

kenny

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KenAsscher3.jpg
 

kenny

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KenAsscher4.jpg
 

kenny

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KenAsscher5.jpg
 

kenny

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KenAsscher6.jpg
 

kenny

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I am absolutely positive it is a chip out.

Nobody knows where it happened and it is nice we are just focusing on a fix.
 

decodelighted

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If you''re going with a tension setting or any setting that will "encompass" the girdle ... I''d just make sure that''s one of the two sides gripped.

Once it''s set you''ll have no idea what''s going on at the junction sides anyhoo!

But ... if you''re going with a different kind of setting where the prongs will only be on the edges & this chip area will be exposed .. I''d polish it out for good measure.

Think of it as the first teensy ding on a brand new Porche!
 

starryeyed

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Wow, that microscope is awesome! Definitely not dust!

You had said that you wanted to put the stone in a tension setting - I wonder, HONESTLY
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, if that's going to be a problem....? Does the chip create a weakness that could fracture with that type of setting? I have no clue, just wondering.
 

DiamondExpert

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Before you ship it, take a pin or needle and run it over the spot while looking at it under magnification. That should answer the question of schmutz or gletz.
 

mrssalvo

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Date: 12/1/2006 4:40:29 PM
Author: decodelighted
If you''re going with a tension setting or any setting that will ''encompass'' the girdle ... I''d just make sure that''s one of the two sides gripped.


Once it''s set you''ll have no idea what''s going on at the junction sides anyhoo!


But ... if you''re going with a different kind of setting where the prongs will only be on the edges & this chip area will be exposed .. I''d polish it out for good measure.


Think of it as the first teensy ding on a brand new Porche!

ditto deco here...
 

kenny

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The last 4 pics were with a higher power microscope.
The lens at the bottom of the microscope is used for the bottom pic is 50x, but I think there are other optics in the path so I'm not sure what the final power is for the last 4 pics.
Plus there is the selection of the size of the electronic image and monitor size so. . . Who knows the actual magnification that each of you are seeing?

I'd love to hear from the appraisers and pros about this.
My biggest concern is if the mechanical integrity is compromised by leaving it unpolished and put it in a tension setting with that side of the girdle against the metal (and the pressure).

If I put it into a regular setting I'd polish it for sure as it would bug me.
I doubt I could see it with the nake eye but I work under microscopes a lot, and just knowing it is there would bother me.

But if it is safe under the metal of a tension setting I may not bother shipping it back.
Please advise.
 

kenny

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Gary, Thanks.
I''m 100% positive it is a chip.
 

strmrdr

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Is it visible at 10x?
Is it shown on the cert?

You will find lots of things on and in a diamond at 50x that the labs dont care about because they make no difference.
 

Cehrabehra

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I think you should just return it
7.gif


pssst hey rhino - can I get that for a discount now? hehehehe
11.gif


seriously - I think since it is TRULY tiny I''d just leave it... it''s just a matter of time once you''re wearing it for it to be joined by other litle tiny chips - hard as diamonds are, most of those old stones are darn near ragged around the girdle.... I''d have someone eval it for strength and get a pro opinion.
 

starryeyed

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Didn''t you have another thread Kenny about Kretchmer and that they wouldn''t insure a stone while it was being set? Did you ever get that resolved? Did you find someone who would take responsibility for the stone during the setting process? If there is a chip, I wonder what impact that has on this whole insurance thing, especially IF the stone is more likely to cleavage? I''m not saying it is - I have no clue.
 

kenny

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I understand that storm.
10x is the line in the sand.
It is visible with a 10x loupe (look at the first pic) and it is not on the report.

I took Wednesday off work to pick up the stones.
First think Thursday morning at work I put it under scope.
I spotted the chip immediately with the microscope zoomed to 10x, while I struggled a long time to find any of the inculsions plotted on the GIA report, even at 66x with the same scope.

But again I am only focusing on the polish vs. don't polish decision now.

So I'd like help understanding the mechanical considerations of just leaving it unpolished, or getting it polished.
I'm the kind of person who likes to get lots of input before making a decision.
 

jaz464

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If it is not on the cert, does that mean it was damaged after it was certified? Is it not a VVS2 anymore then? Becasuse that is what you paid for.
 

kenny

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But Jonathan at GOG has offered to polish it out, and even offered to pay shipping both ways.
After polishing it will be VVS2 again.

It is astonishing clean.
The few flaws indicated on the report plots are VERY elusive!


Oh BTW, I really don't want in IF stone.
I like just a little crud in there to identify my baby.
I can't believe how clean this particular VVS2 is.

I got lucky!
 

kenny

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Mara wrote, "do they have any idea of how it might have happened?? "

Judging from the location of the chip (the *top* edge of the girdle near the center of a long side) I'd guess it was the result of squeezing the tweezers too tightly.
I'm not sure if a ring-clip can exert adequate force.
Plus the metal of a ring clip touches the *bottom* edge of the girdle.

I say this because I am an engineer in a manufacturing facility that makes tiny stuff under microscopes.
Many times I have been involved in the cause/corrective action and disposition of damaged parts.
I have seen several ceramic parts with similar damage caused by tweezers/human error.

Edit - Again I add we don't know who did it.
The GIA report is dated Oct 27, 2004.

I am focusing on the polish vs. polish decision. (While attempting to not ignore questions.)
 

strmrdr

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To be honest Im not sure what I''d do.
I dont like the idea of the chip being there but in 10 years it will have many more so dunno.
An appraiser will have to answer the durability question but I dont see where it would be an issue.
 

Garry H (Cut Nut)

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i can not see anything to say that this is other than a ''natural'' - a portion of the original rough diamond Kenny.

If you had bought a Flawless diamond and used this type of magnification then you would find there is no such thing as a ''Flawless diamond''.

Could you see it before with your high quality loupe? Or only after you found it with the microscope?

Is it marked on the report?
 

kenny

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Garry, there is no natural indicated on the report:
Here's a pic of the plots from the GIA report:

(Pic in next post)

I can see the chip with my good loupe and also with my cheap loupes - granted now that I know where it is.
Wednesday I never got the diamond clean enough to think of the chip as a chip - plus was only looking for the inclusions on the plot which are all under the table.
But a GIA grader of an 2.26 F VVS2 would not miss such a chip.

I got it Wednesday morning and did look with my good loupe for the plotted inclusions, and I couldn't find them.
It wasn't till Thursday morning at work that I got it under a good microscope and started really cleaning it.
That one spot is the only thing that would not clean away.
Then I zoomed in and understood it was a chip.
 

kenny

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edit
still trying to load plot photo
 

kenny

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edit

ARRGGG
 

kenny

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AAARG again.
 
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