Scratches on Diamond? Experts...

[Mara]

Like any good engaged girl home on a Friday night...I took some more pictures of my ring. Figured I would see if I could get something good enough to enter in Garry's contest.. (amateur night). Anyhow---I took this picture and noticed when I uploaded it that in the middle of the table there seemed to be a series of scratches. Sorry the picture is a little dark..I was experimenting with lighting. I louped the diamond after seeing this picture, and the table when the diamond is tilted and louped looks smooth and unblemished.




I clean the diamond and ring with those little baby wire toothbrush things that were discussed a while back (basically extremely small nylon bristles on a wire stick), and I know that sometimes the wire scrapes the platinum inside when I scrub too hard or the bristles flatten. I know the wire itself won't scratch the diamond, but could the scratches of what appear to be IN the diamond in the picture be reflections of the scratched setting under the culet where I scrape the wire against the platinum, at the area where the prongs join the head?




I'm a little paranoid the diamond itself is scratched from the picture, but then when I loupe the table it looks smooth.




Thoughts?

 

[Richard Sherwood]

I can't really see the lines on the LCD laptop screen I'm working off of, but there's no toothbrush alive that will scratch a diamond.

For that matter, it shouldn't be scratching the platinum either.

 

[newenglandgemlab]

Looks to me like a little film on the pavilion and the scratches are where the stone is clean from the bristles. Get that jewelry cleaner out and start cleaning!! Maybe try a little extra ammonia...Cindy

 

[Mara]

Well interestingly enough I had just cleaned the ring pretty intensively before I started to take pictures of it.




Rich...thats what I thought about the toothbrush--the scratches are smack dab in the middle of the table and kind of almost in a ring pattern...sporadic though. I will see if I can enlarge that section and repost or something.




Cindy..so you think the scratches are on the pavilion of the DIAMOND or on the setting itself inside the head and reflecting?

 

[Richard Sherwood]

It sounds to me like there's a faint film on the diamond, probably from skin oils or something along that line, and the toothbrush bristles are leaving the circular pattern on the film when you clean it.

You might need a cleanser with good "grease cutting" abilities, like Mr Clean, or a good dishwashing soap, to get rid of the film.

 

[Mara]

Rich I use windex...is that not powerful enough? I'll try Mr. Clean or similar...




I scrubbed it again this morning REALLY well and still those marks are there. It looks like they are inside the stone and they are dark and blackish. The table still appears smooth. I was going to take it into my jeweler in Aptos and see what he thought, but I got coerced into going to see an afternoon movie instead, diamond marks may have to wait until tomorrow to be identified!

 

[Mara]

Here is a slightly better and brighter picture of the scratches this morning. See the slight circular pattern smack dab in the middle of the table?




Also from the GIA plot, this diamond is a VS1 and has a feather along the girdle (right next to a prong which may be visible in the 10 oclock position in this pic), and a pinpoint in the pavilion which I have never been able to see before. Other than that it's clean.

 

[newenglandgemlab]

Hi Mara,

Looks like the bristles just cleaned enough to appear as scratches so you are actually seeing the places where it is clean on the pavilion outer surface. Sometimes you can see the rough inside of the prongs but not usually in the center of the stone. We used to use spic and span and ammonia in the shop...worked just great! Cindy

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Yeah, I think Cindy's right. You're just seeing where the bristles have cleaned in the midst of a stubborn film on the pavilion of the diamond.

It's pretty common. Sometimes it takes a soak in a hot ultrasonic and then a good toothbrush scrubbing to remove it completely.

 

[pyramid]

Mara, where you say it is going round in circles, is this not reflections of the same mark as to me it looks like the same shape on both sides of the pavillion?

Another question is your photograph taken at more than 10x magnification?

Can you shine the light on the pavillion of the stone to see if there is still a film of lotions on it?


whoops sorry I see the question is asking for experts

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Pyramid, if you don't qualify as an expert by now, I don't know who would.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

1. Mara get your jeweller to file those square prons into triangular or much smaller rounded = you see more diamond.
2. Can you take a side on photo - I think I know the cause.

 

[Mara]

I will take a side view picture tomorrow Garry...since now it is dark and I was using natural light to get those clearer brighter shots. What's your guess on what it looks like? I viewed the stone from side view (do you want straight on side view or tilted or) but wasn't able to view too much.

 

[Mara]

Okay so I took some pictures...not sure exactly what you wanted Garry so I took a bunch.




Secondly...I got out the grease fearing dish soap and scrubbed the ring, then soaked it in boiling water, then applied Simple Green to it and then soaked it in boiling water again for about 10 minutes. Then scrubbed it one last time. Put it under the loupe and the scratches/marks are STILL THERE and actually when I tilt the diamond they look like they are not only in the table but extend sporadically out to the edge of the stone.

So now I have one of the cleanest rings on Earth most likely...but it still has those marks under the loupe. None of which really seem visible from the side. Only the top down. Anyway..heres the pix.

 

[Mara]

 

[Mara]

 

[Mara]

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Mara I thought you may not have had full access to clean the back of the stone - but clearly I was wrong

I suspect that you are seeing grain or growth plane lines in the stone - like these in a GOG diamond.
Does that look like what you are seeing? If not draw us a sketch because neither Rich nor I can see what you are seeing.
Otherwise they may be polish lines -they appear more continuos.

 

[pyramid]

Could it be twinning wisps near the surface of the table with reflectors in the pavillion? Would the photo be taken at more than 10x so would not be on the GIA plot? On the last photo Mara posted can still see the light grey coloured marks near surface towards back of table so cannot be dirt on pavillion.

 

[pyramid]

Mara You said you could see the marks with the loupe after you cleaned your diamond with dish soap and Simple Green. Have they always been there, I mean when you looked at the stone with a loupe before was it all clear under the table?

 

[Mara]

Yes I louped the stone when got it multiple times.. (for a month)...these marks were not there originally. I don't know what else to show...does everyone see the marks clearly in that 2nd picture? So unless grown lines or twinning wisps still grow after the diamond has been cut and set then I don't know! If I feel motivated I will drive to Aptos today and have my jeweler look at it and if he doesn't know..I am tempted to drive and see our appraiser in Walnut Creek and have her look at it!

 

[Mexi]

I can see the lines clearly in the pics but I am no expert.

 

[valeria101]

You know what? Not that I know what those are but one somewhat simmilar thing I noticed too... This might not be related, but it does seem that certain glass sourfaces get a very, very sturdy deposit if cleaned repeatedly with mainstream cleaning agents (well, the names are never the same for these in different countries, and I am not a chemist to pinpoint the culprit). Usually, not-so smooth surfaces help a great deal for these deposits to form. I became aware of this while dealing with antique glass. The spots, lines and marks gor pretty bad and I had to go for professional service to remove them. I know that (very) old and scratched glass is no diamond, but, otherwise, I've never heard of anything like your story! I can't wait to see what your jelweler has to say...

 

[strmrdr]

I can see it on the top view and also on the last side view.
In my very non-pro opinion it looks to be on top of the stone.
Lime or salt deposit?
Do you have very hard water?


I think i see some of the same material on the prongs also..

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Can someone show us exactly what you are refferring to folks - this just looks like inclusions to me?

 

[strmrdr]

.

 

[pyramid]

On the second picture Mara posted to the bottom left of the lighted circle in the middle there is a brighter/lightened bit of the stone around which I see grey/whitish etches, also on the last side picture she posted towards the back of the picture just under the table these same white etches.


On the post above the circled areas are the same ones I was talking about.

 

[strmrdr]

.

 

[Mexi]

I believe this is what Mara is concerned about:

 

[Mexi]

Guess we had the same thought.