Girdle question (urgent)

[rouvex]

Hi, I have really enjoyed this site and have finally found a diamond which I just purchased. I opted for a smaller but very well cut H&A round with VS2 clarity. The only clarity characteristic on the cert was feather. I have just received my diamond (very nice!) and I have looked at it under a 30x scope there are only two small feathers. One is completely internal and is not a worry to me. It is the other feather that I''d like some advice on. It is small but it breaks the surface at the girdle. I do not have an actual picture but I have found a generic girdle picture and used adobe to draw on the approximate size and position of the feather. I still have a few days to have the stone inspected and potentially return it. Do I need to worry about this particular feather during setting?

thanks in advance for the advice.

 

[kcoursolle]

Only an appraiser would know for sure. I would take the stone to an independent appraiser and ask him/her whether the feather is a durability issue. It''s probably fine, but it''s a good idea to get the stone appraised so you know for sure. You can find one in your area by going to the resources tab, then appraisers, then your area.

 

[rouvex]

I was actually able to take a picture using digital camera and microscope. Here is a picture of the actual feather that has me worried. i will try to get to an appraiser ASAP but any thoughts from the knowledgeable folks out there would be very helpful.

 

[John P]

Hard to tell anything from a photo. Kcoursolle's right; if you have a concern a professional should inspect it in-person. Make sure it's someone independent, not a competing jeweler or appraiser who works out of a jewelry store.

Just to ease your mind, if this is a GIA or AGS report, the grader assigning the VS-level of clarity is a good sign. Diamonds are subjected to immense pressure and white-hot friction during the girdling and polishing process. They will never see those extremes again during normal wear. Nevertheless, all diamonds have natural cleavage planes and can chip if they take an impact "just so" (feather or not). A good insurance policy is always wise.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

That is tiny, so tiny that if you looked at Flawless diamonds with that 30X you would find something in most of them too.

If you are really a worrying type then finda craftsperson who will pop a prong over it.

 

[Indira-London]

Good advice from John re. insurance for ANY diamond regradless of clarity and from Gary re. covering the inclusion.
Diamonds are graded for clarity at X10 magnification whilst you have been looking at x30 so you are bound to see more flaws.

 

[rouvex]

Huge thanks to all of you who replied. I will let my mind ease up on this. Fortunately (or maybe not since I worried more than maybe necessary) I have access to good microscopes at my work. This and one small internal feather was all I could find in the stone. It will be getting insured and then set soon. A VERY big thanks to Gary for making the cut adviser freely available. I used it during my selection and I ended up with a really beautiful diamond !

 

[diagem]

Date: 7/13/2008 11:13:39 PM
Author: rouvex
I was actually able to take a picture using digital camera and microscope. Here is a picture of the actual feather that has me worried. i will try to get to an appraiser ASAP but any thoughts from the knowledgeable folks out there would be very helpful.

Great pic. can you advice how you shot this one?

Oh..., and in regards to the feather..., you got great advice..., not to worry...

 

[rouvex]

Erm... with some difficulty

I am scientist and was lucky enough to pick up an old Bausch and Lomb scope that was being thrown out. It is a 30x scope. I used a bit of blue-tac (british product like putty) to hold the diamond in place and then literally put my digital camera to the viewing lens and moved it around until I had the light pointing onto the sensor, I then focused the scope (using camera screen this time) and took the shot.

It took me a while to work it out but I could do it a second time much more easily. Access to a reasonable microscope is probably not something that everybody has though. If you are serous about this you could probably pick up a similar used scope on ebay for (i''m guessing) $50. I''d be happy to take a picture of the one I have if you''d like to see what I mean?