Possible inclusions missed by GIA??

[Nobel]

HOw likely is it that GIA missed some inclusions? According to their grading report, there are three needle inclusions, two under the table (one in center, one off center) and another under a bezel facet.

According to an independent appraiser however, the central needle was described as a crystal. Furthermore, he didn''t see the other two needles, though he did see two pinpoints, one under a different bezel facet and a second under an adjacent star facet.

My question is, how likely is it that the GIA missed the two additional pinpoints? How is it that my independent appraiser couldn''t see the other two needles as per the GIA report? Everything else about the diamond matches. So can I assume human error, not that the appraiser is looking at a different stone?

 

[valeria101]

Weird... sometimes certs say "pinpoints not shown". Does yours? Pinpoints would not be on the plot of inclusions on the cert. But feather turned crystal and two feathers missing in another thing. Leaving the posibility that this is a different stone aside, what is the clarity grade? A tiny feather and sloppy appraisal may explain some of this, but otherwise, the whole thing sounds wrong. Maybe the appraiser paired another "diagnostic" with the stone in the last minute? GIA would not have missed such things, but GIA does not guarantee that you have the right cert for that stone or anything else starting from their door. Puzzling storry! I hope things get cleared out fast.

Can you post the cert? Did you ever try to see those inclusions for yourself or ask a jeweler to seek them out and show them to you?

 

[magna2]

I seriously doubt that GIA would miss those inclusions.

 

[Hest88]

Hm. Even in GIA had missed the pinpoints, how could they plot needle inclusions that weren't there?

 

[Giangi]

It's unlikely, but possible. Grading is made by humans and there always are errors. Diamond grading is not a science...
Are you SURE that the stone matches the report?

 

[niceice]

Needles ARE diamond crystals... They are long, thin diamond crystals... And they tend to be transparent and rather elusive... They can be extremely difficult to locate! We spent 45 minutes evaluating a diamond the other day trying to find the needle shape diamond crystal within the stone and it wasn't visible from a straight on vantage point, we had to twist the stone around under the scope extensively before we were able to catch a glimpse of it and even then we lost it a few times while trying to capture an image of it. Still, diamonds are graded by human eyes, even at the GIA so it is possible for clarity characteristics to be missed, mis-identified, etc. and for color grades to be off a shade or two... It all depends on the clarity of the grader and the condition of his / her eyes at the time of grading... Whether they were focused or still thinking about the parent / teacher conference they had with their child yesterday... That's why it is important to purchase your diamond from somebody that evaluates the diamond independent of the lab report and determines whether the lab was accurate in their assessment of the diamond and to have the diamond evaluated by an independent gemologist as you have...

 

[niceice]

For those who are curious, here is a picture we just took of two needles located within the triangular upper girdle facet of a diamond that we are checking in as seen through our GIA Gem Scope at 50x magnification:

Do you realize how much we had to magnify the diamond to capture a clear image of these little guys? Hope this helps...

 

[dimonbob]

It is more likely that the independent appraiser is wrong and GIA is right in this case. GIA does not just use one grader to plot the inclusions. Usually there is a second and a third grader to check the first. They also use the wet brush method to grade clarity which most independent appraisers have never heard of but is very effective.

 

[newenglandgemlab]

The plots do not always have all the inclusions. The plot only has to verify the grade or so I have been told. Cindy