Opinions of this ASET

[Juansito]

Please share your thoughts on this ASET image.
Thx

 

[Daisi2112]

I''m sure someone who knows more about this than me will chime in here, but what is that blip at the 7 o''clock mark?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Date: 5/9/2009 9:19:09 PM
Author: Daisi2112
I''m sure someone who knows more about this than me will chime in here, but what is that blip at the 7 o''clock mark?

The azimuth of 2 facets has been adjusted for a clarity improvement of weight save - it should not pass as a H&A''s even though it can still have H&A''s patterns.
I would want to know if the girdle is a knife edge at that spot - if not then it will be fine. Ceratainly not a feature you would see with a naked eye. The light return etc will be very fine.

 

[Juansito]

Thanks for your responses. Gary, can I ask what is the significance of observing a knife edge on the girdle at that spot? Does this not qualify as an H&A diamond because it is "Clarity Enhanced"? How does this "alteration" affect the value of the diamond? I obtained this image from a PS appraiser who did not comment on the feature noted on the ASET. The diamond did indeed display a H&A pattern and also performed "excellent" on all aspects of Imagem analysis. The appraised value of the stone was 45% more than I paid. Should this clarity enhancement be factored in to the appraisal?

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/10/2009 10:53:31 AM
Author: Juansito
Thanks for your responses. Gary, can I ask what is the significance of observing a knife edge on the girdle at that spot? Does this not qualify as an H&A diamond because it is ''Clarity Enhanced''? How does this ''alteration'' affect the value of the diamond? I obtained this image from a PS appraiser who did not comment on the feature noted on the ASET. The diamond did indeed display a H&A pattern and also performed ''excellent'' on all aspects of Imagem analysis. The appraised value of the stone was 45% more than I paid. Should this clarity enhancement be factored in to the appraisal?

What was the treatment done on this diamond if it is clarity enhanced - was it fracture filled etc?

 

[Juansito]

There is no mention of any clarity enhancement on the AGS certificate or on the BN website. Only the dimensions of the diamond, the stone's Cut/Color/Clarity data and inclusion map are provided in the accompanying AGS certificate.

This diamond was purchased via BN and I had asked them about "clarity enhanced" diamonds in their inventory before purchasing and they replied:

"BN does not carry any diamonds that have been treated to enhance clarity or color. Our diamonds are graded by either the GIA or the AGSL, and grading reports from both of these labs will clearly list any clarity- or color-enhancing treatments."...

..."If you are looking at diamonds from another source, it might be helpful to know that the AGS and GIA will grade laser-drilled diamonds, but not ones that have been fracture filled. The GIA will provide an identification report for diamonds that have undergone other clarity treatments, but they will not grade them."

So I am a bit perplexed as given the first part of their response it should not be clarity enhanced because they don't carry enhanced diamonds. The ASET suggests enhancement per Garry's comment. If accurate, the second part of BN response suggests the stone is not fracture-filled as it was graded by AGS.

I received the ASET image from an appraiser and I thought the feature at 7 o'clock was peculiar and looked like what is referred to as a dug-out girdle on
GOG

However, the appraiser did not mention any suspicion of clarity enhancement and reported that the stone had conformed to the reported parameters on the AGS Certificate and diplayed favorable characteristics on IdealScope, ASET and Imagem analyses.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 5/10/2009 11:03:28 AM
Author: Lorelei

What was the treatment done on this diamond if it is clarity enhanced - was it fracture filled etc?

I think Jaun is just referring to what Gary said was done, as "clarity enhancement". Not what it technically means.

Jaun, correct me if I''m wrong.

Until Gary answers, one thing with a very thin girdle spot is that it will be at a much greater risk of chipping if it takes a knock in that spot.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/10/2009 12:00:19 PM
Author: Ellen

Date: 5/10/2009 11:03:28 AM
Author: Lorelei

What was the treatment done on this diamond if it is clarity enhanced - was it fracture filled etc?

I think Jaun is just referring to what Gary said was done, as 'clarity enhancement'. Not what it technically means.

Jaun, correct me if I'm wrong.

Until Gary answers, one thing with a very thin girdle spot is that it will be at a much greater risk of chipping if it takes a knock in that spot.

Ok, I was confustulated, I thought Juan meant the diamond was CE!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 5/10/2009 12:08:08 PM
Author: Lorelei

Ok, I was confustulated, I thought Juan meant the diamond was CE!

lol!

 

[Juansito]

You are correct Ellen, I was referring to Garry''s comment regarding clarity enhancement. As per my post, I was not aware of any clarity enhancement. Do AGS and/or GIA Certs truly contain explicit and detailed reports of clarity enhancing treatments, as the BN rep states? If so, can I be confident that my diamond is NOT enhanced? If it is not, then what else can account for the blemish on the ASET?

 

[denverappraiser]

No, it’s not clarity enhanced, or at least what we're talking about isn't evidence of it. When a cutter is working on a stone they need to make some decisions about the cutting. If there is an inclusion near the surface that can be cut out by tweaking one or more facets they can improve the clarity at the expense of a little bit of reduction in the cut. The same applies to a little bit of tweaking to bump the weight over one of the magic numbers like 2.000. I agree with Garry that this is what has happened here. Notice how the two upper girdle facets (that’s the ones along the outside edge) look different at the 7 o’clock position than the rest? That’s because they are at a slightly different azimuth than the others and this was no accident. It was done to improve either the clarity, the weight or both. This is often paired with a knife edge girdle right at that point, which can cause a durability concern. Ask the seller about it and check the lab report for ‘very thin’ as the girdle minimum.

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

 

[jet2ks]

EDT: Neil posted his explanation as I was typing, and expained it much better than I could have.

 

[Juansito]

Neil, I am confused. You are saying that the ASET does not provide evidence of clarity enhancement. Yet, if I am understanding you, the ASET suggests that the cutter Intentionally tweaked the two upper girdle facets for some gain in either Clarity OR Weight. Why then does this not constitute clarity enhancement?
Per the vendor, BN, policy is they don''t sell "enhanced diamonds". Will communicate with them in regards to this diamond specifically.

Per the AGS certificate the girdle is 1.3%-3.4% and was listed as Thin (not Very Thin) on the vendors website.

The diamond is with the appraiser and he has agreed to provide me with a map of the girdle which I will share when available.

I''d like to thanks everyone for the valuable comments.

 

[oldminer]

Clarity Enhancement: The "bad" kind. Filling the stone''s inclusions with a glass-like material to help mask inclusions.

Clarity Enhancement: A "normal" kind. Altering a facet angle or two to actually remove an inclusion from the diamond.

These two different "enhancements" are not related, but very different in spite of the careless way they can be used which often creates confusion. There was no glass filling in this particular diamond.

 

[jet2ks]

Clarity enhancement is when natural inclusions in a diamond are worked over to reduce their appearance. The most common methods are laser drilling (where a small hole is drilled to the inclusion and then the diamond is bathed is acid to remove a black carbon inclusion) and fracture filling (where a polymer is injected into a feather through a laser drilled tunnel to reduce the feather''s appearance).

What this cutter did was produce the best looking, biggest, highest clarity diamond he could out of the piece of rough. In order to do this, yes, the cutter had to make some small adjustments to the angles. This is NOT a bad thing. Actually, quite the opposite in this case. If the cutter was able to produce a diamond with this good of light return and not sacrifice the integrity of the girdle, he must be quite skilled.

All diamond rough has imperfections that must be cut and polished out to produce the best and most valuable final product. That means that ANY diamond you buy had compromises made by the cutter, either in size, quality of cut or final clarity. In this particular case, the cutter probably had several choices.

1) He could have not adjusted those angles and had a very noticeable inclusion or cavity left in the stone
2) He could have not adjusted the angles and cut a much smaller ideal cut stone
3) He could cut out the inclusion and have a diamond with less than ideal proportions and light return
4) He could adjust the angles ever so slightly that no one would ever be able to see them with the naked eye to cut out the inclusion and have a larger, beautiful stone.

I''d say he made the right choice.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 5/10/2009 2:38:23 PM
Author: Juansito
Neil, I am confused. You are saying that the ASET does not provide evidence of clarity enhancement. Yet, if I am understanding you, the ASET suggests that the cutter Intentionally tweaked the two upper girdle facets for some gain in either Clarity OR Weight. Why then does this not constitute clarity enhancement?
Per the vendor, BN, policy is they don't sell 'enhanced diamonds'. Will communicate with them in regards to this diamond specifically.

Per the AGS certificate the girdle is 1.3%-3.4% and was listed as Thin (not Very Thin) on the vendors website.

The diamond is with the appraiser and he has agreed to provide me with a map of the girdle which I will share when available.

I'd like to thanks everyone for the valuable comments.

There are two meanings of the term clarity enhancement here - what Neil is probably referring to is a decision which could have been made by the cutter when crafting the rough diamond to plan for removing an inclusion let say. This is part of the many decisions the cutter has to make when cutting a diamond and many diamonds are subject to the same considerations. Each rough diamond is carefully examined and has a cutting plan in order to achieve the desired result. Rough diamonds are not created equal and each needs a skilled assessment prior to and during the cutting process.

This is different to the process of clarity enhancement where a diamond is treated with a filler or laser in order to " improve" the finished diamond's apparent clarity grade.

This page explains the clarity enhancing processes which are often used, so you will see the difference between an actual clarity enhanced or treated diamond, and that this is not the same thing as crafting the cut diamond and making the decision to remove an inclusion from it.

http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Clarity/ClarityEnhancedDiamonds/

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

They are giving you good advice.

 

[Juansito]

I think I have a better understanding now.

The cutter produced the finest diamond he could from the rough given the natural inclusions in said rough. As a result he introduced a feature on the girdle that resembles digging which may have made the girdle very thin at this point and more vulnerable to chipping, but maybe not. I will have more information in the form of a girdle map sometime this week, which should reveal the width of the girdle at its thinnest point and provide some insight regarding the effect of the cut on durability and whether it has been compromised. Provided the girdle is not "knife edge" or "paper" thin, this diamond is acceptable. Am I correct?

One more question if I may, What is the minimum acceptable girdle width?

Thanks again for the patience and clarifications.

 

[jet2ks]

Date: 5/10/2009 2:38:23 PM
Author: Juansito

Per the AGS certificate the girdle is 1.3%-3.4% and was listed as Thin (not Very Thin) on the vendors website.

If this is the girdle measurement for the diamond, then you are fine. If it was knife edge at any point, it would be listed as Extremely Thin.

 

[Juansito]

Just wanted to let everyone know that the girdle checked out. No very thin areas anywhere along the girdle. I''d like to thank you all for educating me in regards to the types of enhancement, how each is defined and which practices are acceptable and unacceptable.

It looks like I''m all set in terms of diamond selection!!

Thanks again to all!!

 

[jet2ks]

Glad to hear it all checked out. Please come back with pictures of the final product. We LOVE pictures.

 

[Juansito]

I will post pictures of the finished product once it comes in. The diamond is now off to be mounted on a setting.