Help Please - Damage to diamond (potentially by jeweler)

[Jjab]

Hi all - I would appreciate some advice. I purchased a pair of lab diamonds from Loose Grown Diamonds. They are each IGI certified as D, VVS2, with a pointed culet. I had them set into stud earrings by a jeweler who is often recommended on this site. I received the set diamonds back yesterday, and unfortunately one of the diamonds now has what appears to be a large black dot in the center. I took it to a local jeweler, and they said it appears to have potentially been damaged during the setting process (they weren't clear as to how, something about potentially too much heat). I did not take a picture of the diamond before I sent it out to have it set into the earring. I don't recall the black mark being there when I received it from LGD (my husband is convinced it was not), but I suppose I can't be 100% sure without a picture (although I did purchase a D VVS2). What should I do? Pictures are attached.

 

[Rfisher]

I’m sorry for the frustration!

Can’t see much from your pictures, as they are a bit blurry. Can you try and take more focused ones?

Can you see the culet of the diamond in the setting from a side view? Can you see the black spot from the side?

Do you have a loupe or magnifying glass, that you can see if it is a surface spot or within the diamond or even a chipped culet?

 

[Jjab]

I can't see the culet or get a good side view given how the setting is and I don't have a loupe unfortunately. Attaching another picture that is zoomed in - it is the dark circular spot right in the middle.

 

[lulu_ma]

Does it feel chipped? Have you tried wiping the surface with isopropyl alcohol?

 

[Jjab]

The jeweler I took it to steamed it and cleaned it to make sure it wasn't something on the surface. I don't feel chips on the face of the diamond.

 

[lovedogs]

The jeweler I took it to steamed it and cleaned it to make sure it wasn't something on the surface. I don't feel chips on the face of the diamond.

It might be polishing compound or something behind the stone. Csn you post a side view?

 

[Jjab]

Attached are more pictures. The setting makes it really hard to see the sides and bottom of the stone.

 

[lovedogs]

Attached are more pictures. The setting makes it really hard to see the sides and bottom of the stone.

I'd try cleaning under the diamond w a tiny brush. My strong guess is that it's polishing compound of some kind

 

[Jjab]

Thanks, @lovedogs. I will try. Wouldn't the jeweler who looked at it have seen that though? They said it appeared to have been damaged internally.

 

[lovedogs]

Thanks, @lovedogs. I will try. Wouldn't the jeweler who looked at it have seen that though? They said it appeared to have been damaged internally.

Sometimes jewelers just assume that other jewelers suck haha. I feel like internal damage wouldn't look like that, although obviously I'm not a jeweler and am not looking at it IRL

 

[lovedogs]

I'd also reach out to the person who set the stone and shpw them pics

 

[Jjab]

Thanks. I scrubbed with a tooth brush on the bottom and sides and also ran it through my magnasonic cleaner twice. The black spot is still there.

 

[Rfisher]

Since you cannot see the culet itself from any angle, you’ve tried to clean it with a toothbrush/magnasonic
You have pictures of the unset stones from the vendor, showing (I assume) no dark spot.

At this point, I would contact the vendor who set your stones. Don’t accuse. Don’t mention the local jewelers opinion.
Just say to the vendor who set the stones, what you see, what cleaning you’ve done, show unset vendor pictures, show your pictures - ask their opinion of what it might be.
And see what they say/suggest.

I agree with @lovedogs
Sometimes 3rd party jewelers have opinions that are from a place that is just because they had no hand in the sale themselves.

And hard to tell much /give much opinion on what it really is, from here.

Fingers crossed it’s ‘just’ trapped/stuck polishing compound that’s not easily removed due to the setting not being that open/culet not being easily accessible.

 

[Dreamer_D]

I don’t think it’s a chip, as an “open culet ” isn’t black like that, it would look white. I think it’s polishing compound. A toothbrush or even an ultrasonic won’t clean it. Needs stronger stuff. You could try finding a more skilled local jewler. The one you spoke to doesn’t sound very helpful. “Internal damage” to a VVS stone is basically impossible unless you hit it with a hammer and it would not look like that. Sounds like they just didn’t want to spend much time on the issue and found it easier to just deflect to the competitor.

 

[0-0-0]

Try multiple rounds of hot water soak with dish detergent plus ultrasonic. If that doesn’t help get it back to the original jeweler who set it.

 

[Natylad]

It must be polishing compound. I had a similar thing happen to me with a diamond that i had bought for my sister. My jeweler made a setting for it and when the diamond was set, it appeared to have multiple black spots, even though the stone's clarity was in the VVS range and the diamond was not clarity inhanced. We had to make at least five thorough cleanings of the diamond for the black spots to get off. It was very frustrating but eventually we got rid of them.