Please help...Is this a good ring?

[klo289]

My husband bid on a ring from Nathaniel''s Jewelers on ebay, without realizing it was enhanced. Is enhancing a bad thing? Does it make the stone weaker? The ring comes with an a appraisal from G.A.L. Could you please tell me what you think of this ring. I absolutely love the pictures, but don''t want a piece of junk. You can see the listing on ebay here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4109822710&category=67726&sspagename=STRK%3AMEBWN%3AIT&rd=1

The appraisal says the center stone is
1.33 cts round brillant
color H
Clarity SI-2
6.9 x 4.5mm
He is paying $2300 for it. Are we getting a bad deal?

 

[valeria101]

Sounds like a good deal... and this is all that clarity enhancement is about. Without it, the price would have been a worrisome bargain!

Assuming the respective cert knows how to plot inclusions, and the pictures match and all, this can't be bad

quite on the contrary.

I would love to comment more, but this is the first time I see this particular seller's listings.

Usually, by "clairty enhancement" describes laser drilling and/or filling which both hide inclusions by turning them colorless and transparent. These treatments are permanent. I can't find any detraction to them as long as the item is sold for what it is - which here seems to be the case.

Actually, all you need is the return policy to work. Hopefully, the stone would appear eye clean, the ring is at least as nice as the picture would let one hope, and with 10X loue in hand and you will be able to catch the gleam of a "oil-on-water" vail of color shadown (not something opaque, just small flashes of color from light difraction concentrated along the former inclusion) where the treated inclusiong once stood. Pretty cool, actually

 

[klo289]

I was concerned about the laser drilling, because from what I read, was that humidity, time, etc, would cause the filling to come out. And I also read that they are more fragile and break easily, and that is why GIA won't appraise them. I looked up several sites about enhancement, and everyone said to stay away from them. I hope the ring is as good as it looks. Thanks.

 

[valeria101]

Well, these enhancements are generally not ,uch tolerated for gem materials - but this does not mean that the first rain will melt the diamond away! I am sure one can make these enhancements so that the durability of the stone would be compromised, but this is not the point about them. Just as is the case with lower clarity, unenhanced diamonds, each stone has it's own profile and it is basically impractical to guess wether an inclusions would be bad for the stone's integrity ( = usually whatever compromises the thin parts of the stones, such as the girdle area, or the tip of the culet for what that matter). There is no way I could tell this about your stone without holding it.

Aside such general concerns about inclusions in general, these treatments do not commend special comment. From the stone's "point of vire" the laser drill is just a small inclusions more and one oriented just so to fall out of site (perpendicular on the table, for example). If the filling comes out or becomes discolored (possible, but not during the next half a decade or so of normal wear out of the way of corrosive substances) it can be replaced...

These stones are not supposed to require specila treatment during wear or anything - the filler and the stone are much more tollerant to corrossion and stress than the wearer'd hand. There are restrictions against those VIOLENT jewelry cleaners (sonic cleaning for sure... maybe steaming, but I am not sure) and the seller should be able to comment on this.

There are not too many threads of treated diamonds around here, this is surely welcome

 

[Murph]

Hi klo289,
my local "maul" jeweler tried to sell me on a filled stone. when I told him i like the look but wanted it in a different setting he said it could not be switched because the filling might burn. kinda got turned off the idea after that.
Still looking and learning.

Murph

 

[valeria101]

Oh... that's another.

One does need to instruct jewelers about the presence of enhancement whatever they will be doing to the ring - not that the stone cannot be handled afterwards, but definitely not exposed to high temperature or acids. Actaully, a jeweler's shop and harsh treatement is where the enhancement makes a difference... But almost everything can be done to these stones; bar being cast in place and set in tension rings.

The respective ring must have been something special, otherwise taking a stone away from a prong setting should be easily done. Not so if the stone is already compromised (and this definitely would not be related to the enhancement) and the jeweler's knows it ! This is a weird story though