Girdle Question

[lewood]

I was inspecting my diamond today (with just my naked eye), and I noticed something odd about the girdle: there's a matte effect all around the diamond's girdle, except for one tiny spot; that spot is shiny/glassy, and not matte like the rest of the girdle. Could that be where the GIA laser inscription is? I'm kind of panicky. There are no divots, and it's smooth when I touch it, so I'm inclined to think that it's not a chip...

Thoughts?

 

[lewood]

Any insight? I'm nervous. I don't have a local, credible jeweler. could that one shiny spot on the girdle be the laser GIA inscription?

 

[lewood]

Should a girdle have the exact same texture and appearance all the way around?

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I don't think it necessarily means anything especially if you cannot feel a chip. But do you have a cheap 10x loupe? If not, it is really good to have one and you can buy them for a few dollars on ebay. The cheap ones work fine to check your diamond and prongs, etc.

 

[lewood]

Thanks for the reply diamondseeker. You are right, I should order a cheap loupe. In the meantime, do you think I should take my ring to Kay's (cringe....it's the nearest jewelry store) and have them look at my diamond's girdle? Would they be knowledgeable?

 

[DiamondBrokersofFlorida]

Does it have a lab report? There are a couple of things it could be. It could be a natural, an extra facet or a chip.

 

[lewood]

It does have a Gia lab report, but not a plot, as it is laser inscribed instead. So a shiny spot could mean chip even though it looks smooth?

 

[John P]

Some manufacturers' girdling machines leave a finely-finished texture on diamond girdles; not faceted and not polished to a shine. This could very well be the "matte" look you describe. GIA can inscribe on any girdle without disrupting the finish. It's possible that whoever submitted the diamond had some small blemish, characteristic or possibly a prior inscription polished off locally before having it graded. That would account for the different finished look in the one spot. But without having the diamond in-hand it's hard to say.

ETA: If you have not seen the GIA inscription already it would be prudent to verify that it's present somewhere on the girdle.

 

[lewood]

Update: I went to Kay's (I live in a small town, and my jeweler is an hour away) to get my ring checked. There appears to be no chips along the girdle. For whatever reason, among the frosty girdle I have, there is a glassy/shiny spot. The gal said it looks like a scratch. Hmm...I didn't know diamonds could scratch, unless another diamond has come in contact with it, which my diamond certainly has not. Furthermore, I had her try to locate the Gia inscription, which she could not find. I'm nervous about that. My husband bought my ring from an independent jeweler with a good rep. He doesn't remember if he looked at an inscription on the stone when he was checking out stones under the microscope. Argh. I had my ring shipped to James Allen once. I don't think they would've swapped the stone. What's the deal? Could the inscription be under a prong? I do have fairly meaty prongs....