Is a very light haze normal for SI1?

[kat08]

I had to send my ring back to my vendor to get my halo fixed and substitute the center diamond. The halo looks good now, and they resized the ring, so that's better, too. The replacement diamond is completely eye clean. It also falls under all the guideline specs here on PS and scored less than 1 on the HCA tool. It's an SI1, and the GIA report lists it as having a twinning wisp. The diamond before this one was also an SI1, but it had a tiny black inclusion near the center of the diamond.

The diamond with the black inclusion was extremely clear. That made it easier for me to spot the inclusion, but I really liked how amazingly clear it was. It was a 60/60 diamond, but to be honest, I can't really tell much difference with the new diamond. Maybe at this size (.8 range) it's harder to tell differences with table size.

The new diamond isn't as clear as the other one. If I hadn't seen the other extremely clear diamond, though, I don't know if I would have noticed it with this new one. Also, I'm going based on memory of the first diamond, but I really don't think I'm misremembering. The other diamond was clear in all lights. When the light is very soft/diffused, the new diamond has a very slight haze. It's subtle, but I'm pretty sure it's there.

I don't even know if the haze would be noticeable to other people. It's not a strong haze. I work in the visual arts, so my eyes are probably more tuned into subtleties. But part of me wonders if I'd prefer the first clearer diamond with the tiny eye visible inclusion...

Am I over thinking all of this? Should I just try to be happy with my new diamond? Is it normal for there to be a slight haze in SI1 diamonds in soft lighting?

 

[Circe]

It sounds like you're seeing the twinning wisps. It is "normal" insofar as an SI1 grade is based on either one big inclusion, or a lot of little ones - it sounds like you've gone from one extreme to the other.

If it were me, I'd be okay with it if there was fluorescence, because I personally love how a stone with wisps and fluor gets not just hazy, but almost glow-y. But since you're the one wearing it - it's all about your preferences! Do you like the effect at all, or is it something you think will continue to bug you?

 

[rainydaze]

Does it have fluorescence by any chance? Sometimes fluoro can give a diamond a milky haze.... however, it's usually apparent in direct sunlight, not low lighting, from what I understand.

 

[kat08]

Yes, I think you're right that I must be seeing the twinning wisps! The diamond doesn't have any fluorescence, so that couldn't be it. I did love how clear the other diamond was... but I know my vendor is not going to be happy to do another diamond substitution. I'd probably just go back to the first diamond rather than trying yet another one because at least I know what I'm getting with the first one (the inclusion was visible, but I might be able to just think of it as a subtle beauty mark).

I guess I'll wait a few days, get to know this new diamond better, and see how I feel. If only I weren't so picky!! My husband's going to be shaking his head.

 

[Circe]

At the end of the day, your husband wants you to be happy. And so does the jeweler - a happy customer is a repeat customer! There are literally billions of diamonds out there, and one of them aside from the two you've seen might fit the bill very nicely - an eye-clean .80 SI1 is not impossible to find. I say give it a chance - the third try might be the charm!

 

[makemepretty]

I don't think that's normal. I've seen and I1 and Si2 and neither had any haze. The only time I've ever seen a hazy diamond has been at the lower end jewelry sellers(Wal-mart, Kmart, Kohls....stuff like that). There's a bunch of threads of people with Si2's, Si1's, etc. and no haze is seen.