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Help!! How much to laser drill out black spot from table of diamond?

Seeputt

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2021
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9
I recently found a 2.50ct+, SI1 ,color G super ideally cut, hearts an arrows stone for a bit over $4k.From looking at the 360 views,it really blings beautifully and an HCA score of 1.5 further backs that up,but there are 2 inclusions.One is some scattered pepper around the 7'o'clock edge of the stone which can be covered by a prong,the other is a black crystal in the lower mid table that reflects on nearly all the facets on the right side of the stone at a certain angle..My questions are ,can the dark table inclusion be removed?. if so ,who does this kind of work and around how much would it cost?..Is this a cost effective option,or would it be cheaper to spend considerably more on a better stone out the door?
 

vintageinjune

Brilliant_Rock
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Jan 4, 2012
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1,089
My initial reaction is that you will be better off purchasing a stone with the clarity you desire as is.

I don't know in depth how clarity enhancement works, just a basic idea, but I do not think it is possible to remove such a (relatively) small inclusion without damaging the stone, or possibly making it worse. If this was easy and cheap to do, my thoughts are that this would be commonly done to improve the clarity (and thus the value) of most mined diamonds.

Somone with more knowledge on this may weigh in, but most likely it will come down to either living with the diamond as is, or trying again with a new one.
 

denverappraiser

Ideal_Rock
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9,150
Drilling doesn’t remove the inclusion, it just changes the color. Usually.it doesn’t even always do that. Most jewelers don’t offer this service but if you want to pursue it expect a few hundred dollars per carat plus some shipping. I’m with the above, I wouldn’t recommend doing it. Buy a different stone if you don’t like the clarity.
 

DejaWiz

Ideal_Rock
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Apr 23, 2021
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5,988
Plenty of other diamonds currently for sale all over the planet.
 

Seeputt

Rough_Rock
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Dec 15, 2021
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Looks like the majority here,(everybody) advises not to do this..How about purchasing the stone as is,considering other LCD's of comparable size,color ,and cut are thousands more expensive?..I reiterate,the small inclusion on the table is not bad itself,but it reflects off the right side facets at a certain angle..How much,if any,would this play on the fire and scintillation of the stone itself ?,there's no HCA score for that..Is there no such thing as "a diamond in the rough"?..(no pun intended)
 

lovedogs

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Can you post a pic/video?
 

DejaWiz

Ideal_Rock
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Looks like the majority here,(everybody) advises not to do this..How about purchasing the stone as is,considering other LCD's of comparable size,color ,and cut are thousands more expensive?..I reiterate,the small inclusion on the table is not bad itself,but it reflects off the right side facets at a certain angle..How much,if any,would this play on the fire and scintillation of the stone itself ?,there's no HCA score for that..Is there no such thing as "a diamond in the rough"?..(no pun intended)

This is squarely in the territory of personal preference: only YOU can answer the question whether this diamond appeals to you or not and is worth the price of admission. If you see the value and like what you see, then the question is answered in full. :)
 

ringo865

Ideal_Rock
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Feb 14, 2014
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2,897
If you love it as is, then buy it, but if you want to further modify it, seems wasteful. Laser drilled diamonds are worth less than non drilled ones, and lab diamonds are worth less than mined diamonds (of like quality). So taking a lab diamond and getting it drilled seems like… why? There are thousands of diamonds that you could get that don’t need modification.
 

Seeputt

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2021
Messages
9
If you love it as is, then buy it, but if you want to further modify it, seems wasteful. Laser drilled diamonds are worth less than non drilled ones, and lab diamonds are worth less than mined diamonds (of like quality). So taking a lab diamond and getting it drilled seems like… why? There are thousands of diamonds that you could get that don’t need modification.

I'm not worried about how much the diamond is worth after purchase,lab or mined,They all loose 30-50% of retail after a couple yrs of ownership,lab or mined.My only concern is maximum beauty and getting as much of that as I can for the money I have to spend.
 

Seeputt

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2021
Messages
9
I'm not worried about how much the diamond is worth after purchase,lab or mined,They all loose 30-50% of retail after a couple yrs of ownership,lab or mined.My only concern is maximum beauty and getting as much of that as I can for the money I have to spend.
 

Seeputt

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2021
Messages
9
I only entertain lab grown diamonds because they are real diamonds and retain the same beauty for only a fraction of the cost of earth mined diamonds..Over the last 25yrs I could always afford $4k for a diamond,but that diamond would probably be sub 1ct and look like hammered dog crap!.Fast fwd 25yrs,no I can buy a +2ct, beautiful,well cut,nice color,lab grown diamond for the same $4k..Why not save $15-$30k?,and look good doing it!
 

DejaWiz

Ideal_Rock
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Apr 23, 2021
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5,988
Are you open to alternative suggestions?
Not knowing where you are located at in the world, hopefully these are viable potential choices.

Here is a GIA graded 2.23 I SI1 with some light peppering, but still less obvious than the bigger carbon crystal in the one that you originally inquired about. GIA can be stricter on color than IGI, so I'd expect this one to come in at a G, H, or I if IGI did the grading, depending on which of their labs performed it.
This one is a CVD with PGT that appears to lean a bit grayish.

Here is a 2.24 I VS1 graded by IGI (so probably in the I, J, or K span if GIA were to grade it).
Also a CVD and this one is specifically categorized as a Type IIa, so it does lean yellow as almost any earth grown IIa would.
 

YadaYadaYada

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Feb 2, 2016
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YadaYadaYada

Super_Ideal_Rock
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Listen, I can’t tell you what laser drilling costs but I would definitely consider that 2.24 up there. Even if you can find someone to drill this diamond you’re considering, it could make things worse, then what?
 

Bron357

Ideal_Rock
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Jan 22, 2014
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6,564
Clarity enhancement is done with lasers drilling through the diamond. My understanding is that it works best with very small inclusions. I can’t see that inclusion being successfully laser drilled as it is a big carbon fleck.
You could spend the extra money attempting it and end up with a wrecked diamond AND a bill for the service.
I would suggest either living with the inclusion or keep looking for a diamond with less visibly apparent inclusions. A carbon fleck is a hard one, once noticed it just stays prominent in your field of view.
 

Seeputt

Rough_Rock
Joined
Dec 15, 2021
Messages
9
The comments here have been great,even the sarcastic ones!. Considering I'm a novice in the field of diamond selecting,I'll pass like the pros here suggest..I can only make a mistake if I purchase,no mistake if I don't,thanks gang .
 

DejaWiz

Ideal_Rock
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Apr 23, 2021
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5,988
The comments here have been great,even the sarcastic ones!. Considering I'm a novice in the field of diamond selecting,I'll pass like the pros here suggest..I can only make a mistake if I purchase,no mistake if I don't,thanks gang .

Kudos for coming to that decision.
Patience equals a quality outcome versus a rapid regret.
 

Ibrakeforpossums

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Mar 21, 2019
Messages
2,542
That is a fairly substantial bit of carbon. If you can view it as Cindy Crawford's mole and the unique identifier of your diamond, go ahead. If it'll bug you, don't even try. They're making more every day.
 
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