I think I got a great stone, Should I have it clarity enhanced?

[Doonester]

Hi, I''m new, but have been following pricescope for several years, trying to get a feel for what to look for in a diamond. I think I just got a great deal on a diamond. I purchased a 1.0ct, G I1 diamond from Kantor (West coast diamond store, WA,OR, CA), set in a 14k white gold setting. I''ve bought from them before, and have been happy with my purchases from them. I''ve been looking for a nicely cut stone for a while, but the prices in other retail stores was outrageous, even for I1 clarity, and the color was always quite yellow.

This one they sold me for $797. If it hadnt been so nicely cut, with great color, I wouldn''t have bought it because of the clarity. In most lighting it sparkles very nicely, and the feathers are not visible. But it depends on the lighting. Since there are no black carbon spots, I think it was a good value, for a value priced stone. They told me that they get these promotional 1.0ct rings in all the time, but that they are usually nothing to look at, and that this was the nicest one they''ve ever seen. I agree, because I had looked at them before, and thought I would have to pay $2000 to get a diamond that looked THIS good.

Eventually I plan to set it in an antique style mounting, something edwardian or art deco. I think that will make the inclusions not that big of a deal. But I do wonder about clarity enhacement, and whether it is something I should consider. I think the stone is a good candidate for it. I''m not worried about resale, as this is MY diamond. I guess I look at it the same way I see myself as a work in progress. It''s all ready nice, but has the potential to be even greater. But I don''t know if there are even reputable companies out there that offer this service, or if I should wait until I get it into the setting I really want...

What do you think? I think I will post pictures eventually because I still think I got a great deal, feathers and all.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/5/2010 11:45:46 AM
Author:Doonester
Hi, I'm new, but have been following pricescope for several years, trying to get a feel for what to look for in a diamond. I think I just got a great deal on a diamond. I purchased a 1.0ct, G I1 diamond from Kantor (West coast diamond store, WA,OR, CA), set in a 14k white gold setting. I've bought from them before, and have been happy with my purchases from them. I've been looking for a nicely cut stone for a while, but the prices in other retail stores was outrageous, even for I1 clarity, and the color was always quite yellow.

This one they sold me for $797. If it hadnt been so nicely cut, with great color, I wouldn't have bought it because of the clarity. In most lighting it sparkles very nicely, and the feathers are not visible. But it depends on the lighting. Since there are no black carbon spots, I think it was a good value, for a value priced stone. They told me that they get these promotional 1.0ct rings in all the time, but that they are usually nothing to look at, and that this was the nicest one they've ever seen. I agree, because I had looked at them before, and thought I would have to pay $2000 to get a diamond that looked THIS good.

Eventually I plan to set it in an antique style mounting, something edwardian or art deco. I think that will make the inclusions not that big of a deal. But I do wonder about clarity enhacement, and whether it is something I should consider. I think the stone is a good candidate for it. I'm not worried about resale, as this is MY diamond. I guess I look at it the same way I see myself as a work in progress. It's all ready nice, but has the potential to be even greater. But I don't know if there are even reputable companies out there that offer this service, or if I should wait until I get it into the setting I really want...

What do you think? I think I will post pictures eventually because I still think I got a great deal, feathers and all.

Hi Doonester and welcome!

There is no way to tell you if your stone is suitable for clarity enhancement here unfortunately, I assume from your description you mean fracture filling rather than lasering dark inclusions is what you are interested in?

What I would do if you want to find out more is contact www.yehuda.com they do fracture filling type enhancements, they might be able to give you more information. I take it from the price the stone doesn't have a GIA or AGS lab report?

 

[Doonester]

Yes, I think fracture filling would greatly improve the appearance of the stone. And no, I''m so super frugal, I was not going to pay extra for diamond certification. It comes only with paperwork that estimates it''s replacement value, and that''s more for insurance purposes on our homeowner''s policy.

I operate on the "most for the least" principle. I wanted a larger white diamond that was well cut. I knew clarity was going to be the compromise. But I thought closer to SI2. I was going for eyeclean. I got it for such a cheap price, that I thought I would consider fracture filling as an option. But I''m not even certain that''s going to be necessary. It just seems like there are so many enhancement schemes, that I didn''t know a reputable name. So thank you, I will check them out and see if I can get more information from them. Durability is the only thing I would worry about. I''m cleaning all my diamond jewelry it seems all the time. Any other suggestions greatly appreciated

 

[denverappraiser]

Clarity enhancement is a bit of a crapshoot. Some stones are really conducive to it and others it doesn’t help a bit. The best are starting in the I2 range but it requires a rather specific sort of surface reaching inclusions to work well. Talk to your jeweler about it but, in general, it’s not something you want to get into as a consumer and with stones one at a time. If you’re happy with your stone, and it sounds like you are, stick with what you’ve got.

I"m curious about your statement that you think fracture filling would greatly improve the appearance? Why? Is this something the selling jeweler told you or do you have some other source for believing this is a likely candidate?


Neil Beaty
GG(GIA) ICGA(AGS) NAJA
Professional Appraisals in Denver

 

[Doonester]

No, actually they didn''t mention it at all. Clarity enhancement was something I looked up myself. But I was dubious about the websites I was coming across. They mostly seemed like scams, as though clarity enhancement wasn''t a real service.

I''m going to post pictures so I can explain better. Most of the time when I am wearing the ring, it just sparkles all over and I can''t see the feathers. But under certain lighting, they do seem all of a sudden to jump out at me. I thought maybe clarity enhancement might improve it''s look under these lighting conditions. I like retro rings, and often see that diamonds in old rings do have a few quirky spots in them, so I''m thinking it''s best to see how it looks in this type of setting first. It may just "fit".

I still don''t think I could beat the price. I''ve definitely been looking for about two years now. I was convinced if I waited long enough I could find something I liked in the sub $1000 price range. So I''m not unhappy with it at all. Just want to have all the necessary information before I made an impulsive decision like send it off to a lab...

 

[Rockdiamond]

As Neil mentioned, fracture filling can only be performed on certain stones.
Although it''s possible your stone could be filled, it''s actually more likely that it''s not a candidate ( statistically speaking)

It will take an expert on fracture filling to be able to ascertain if it is indeed a suitable candidate.


There are other methods of "enhancing" the clarity of a diamond- but your does not sound like a candidate.
I''m referring to laser drilling, which can bleach a black carbon spot, or boiling in acid, which sometimes bleaches surface inclusions.

 

[MustangGal]

I sent a stone to be fracture filled a couple years ago. I think it was Leshem (sp?) that I used. They charged about $50 to evaulate the diamond, which would go towards the cost of filling it if it was a candidate. Mine was, and I think it cost about $1 per carat for the filling process. The one thing you have to take into consideration is that if the stone is damaged during the process, you''re out the diamond and the cost of the filling, they make you sign a waiver.

 

[tyty333]

Date: 4/5/2010 4:14:56 PM
Author: MustangGal
I sent a stone to be fracture filled a couple years ago. I think it was Leshem (sp?) that I used. They charged about $50 to evaulate the diamond, which would go towards the cost of filling it if it was a candidate. Mine was, and I think it cost about $1 per carat for the filling process. The one thing you have to take into consideration is that if the stone is damaged during the process, you''re out the diamond and the cost of the filling, they make you sign a waiver.

So how did you stone turn out? Were you happy with the results? Do you mean a $1 per point?

 

[missydebby]

I want to see the picture!!!

 

[Miss Sparkly]

Date: 4/5/2010 7:34:58 PM
Author: missydebby
I want to see the picture!!!

Me too

 

[Doonester]

HA, HA! I"m trying to get decent pictures but my camera''s are not cooperating with me. Got out my big SLR and tried to manually focus the darn camera on the ring. Gotta download the images and see if any came out ok! Wore the ring out last night, and it seemed very sparkly in indoor light. But I don''t think the 6 prong setting does it any justice at all. Yehuda wrote me back. Said my jeweler could look at the stone under a microscope and talk to their technician to determine suitability. These things would be easier if I lived in New York near the diamond district!!

 

[Doonester]

I too am curious. Were you happy with the work that Leshem did? Their prices do seem reasonable.