Scratches on Diamond? Experts...

[Mara]

yes guys on those last few pix..all of those marks circled. they were not there when we got the stone and the one has ONE tiny pinpoint white inclusion somewhere in the bottom pav which i have never been able to find, and it has a few tiny feathers on the girdle next to a prong. It's a VS1 grade.

 

[strmrdr]

think this one is the inclusion.
If it is it isnt near the other problem area...

 

[strmrdr]

Mara are those at 10x magnification?
If they are in the stone it looks more like a si2-i1 if it is 10x....
not to freak you out or anything,,
im not a pro at this...

 

[Mara]

No that's not the inclusion (feathers)....they I believe are in the near 10 o'clock picture in the second face up picture. A few straight feathers next to each other right on the girdle next to (very next to) a prong. The pinpoint is somewhere in the pavilion.




Also the stone is definitely a VS1...we have the GIA report and had it independently appraised after purchase by a great appraiser, and as I said..those table marks were NOT there when we bought it and had it appraised.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

looks like dirt - maybe there is s dry water stain - do you have a cupacino machine Mara - for a steam clean?

they probably are on the pavilion surface.

Unless the jeweller fire stained the stone?
Think you better head for an appriaser

 

[aljdewey]

Would it be possible that the wire stick part of the wire cleaner is making these marks?




When you said baby toothbrush several times before this thread, I'm picturing a small sized toothbrush with the head & bristles.




But your description here -- a wire stick with bristles protruding from it.....(almost like an xmas tree) makes me wonder if the wire is scraping against the table during cleaning?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Good point 'Swan'.
It may be that the metal wire part has left some steel on the pavilion facets - a wash in an acid or pickle bath that does not attack the ring would do the trick.

 

[caratgirl]

So Mara, now that the contest is delayed til tomorrow, are you going to your jeweler's store today? I vote for the metal scratches on the pavilion or table as well. A vendor had me convinced one time that I had scratched my diamond, but after I skulked

off and went home, I discovered that a razor blade got the offending 'scratch' off just fine. I had also spent fruitless hours scrubbing to no avail. So I wouldn't worry. I bet it is just something like that or a really tough mineral deposit.

 

[bling]

wow..this sorta scares me...i mean, i know mara cleans her ring with a passion...just like me..and it still is "dirty"? im nooo expert, but i would take it to an appraiser and have it professionaly cleaned...with all the ammo they got! im sure it will be fine after and just as beautitful as ever.. good luck!

 

[Mara]

No I'm at work today (DAMN) so I can't take the trip to the jeweler. I am a little freaked out that somehow I have been scratching the diamond with the metal brush (it's sa proxybrush, I'll see if I can find pictures, its like a pipe cleaner) but then again as the experts have noted, the wire shouldn't be scratching the actual diamond. So what gives?! I scrubbed the ring like MAD all weekend, did the boiling water trick 2ce, used Spic & Span, Simple Green and anything else I could scrounge up around the house and still those stupid scratches are there. I am starting to be a little paranoid that I really am doing something to screw up the stone..which sounds ridiculous I know. But if I have literally worn my fingers raw trying to scrub this thing, how can it be dirty? Does steaming really help all that much more than boiling water would?




Fiance says...'Well the only reason you saw these marks is because you were taking magnified pictures right? So who cares right if you can't see them normally?' WHO CARES?! WHO CARES? I nearly singed off his eyebrows with my glare--I care!!! I don't want to be damaging my stone if I am doing something wrong. What if in another year the scratches have doubled and its because I didn't follow up. Then he'd have to get me a new stone..haaaaaa.




Anyway enough ranting. I'll not be able to get to the jeweler next weekend either..too busy..so it may have to wait a few weeks (NOO) while I freak out silently. Or if I can get up to Walnut Creek one day and see if Nancy can take a look at it..maybe. BTW a good note is that without magnification (btw those pictures were 10x mag--just taken with my loupe and the digi cam lens smashed up against it) you can't see a darn thing on the stone. It looks perfect still. So very odd.




Oh here is a link to proxy brushes:


http://www.edentalstuff.com/Merchant2/The_Store/Top_Brands/Proxybrushes.html




I have one of the smallest ones I would guess. It's very small and fits in and scrubs all the nooks and crannies on and around the stone.

 

[song]

Hi Mara,
I know you're worried about your stone, but a trip to a jeweller will likely clear up the problem. One suggestion.. I would trade that brush that you're using in for a baby's toothbrush with a plastic handle. Although you haven't likely scratched your diamond, diamonds can and do get scratched by metal objects.

I found an odd looking mark on my stone a couple of weeks ago that Windex, a baby toothbrush and my ultrasonic couldn't remove, so I do know how you feel. When I was at the mall I had a jeweller take a look and he popped the ring into his ultasonic while we chatted and when it was finished the stone was cleaner than I've ever been able to get it. And guess what? No odd looking mark.

Best of luck with your beautiful stone, I am keeping my fingers crossed that it is nothing more than a superficial mark and can be removed by a professional. ~song

 

[Mara]

----------------
On 11/10/2003 5:38:12 PM song wrote:





Although you haven't likely scratched your diamond, diamonds can and do get scratched by metal objects.

----------------

Is this true experts? Could scrubbing vigorously with my little metal proxy brush really scratch the stone? Yes? No? Maybe? I'm very curious. I didn't think random metal like that could scratch a diamond even if I was raking the metal across the stone.

I took a second peek at the stone and it does appear that the marks are on (in?) the table area somehow..but the table IS smooth when I run a thumbnail across it. So odd. I will get it checked out sometime in the next two weeks by jeweler or appraiser, but now I am paranoid about scrubbing the stone. Wonder if they have proxy brushes with plastic instead of metal!? I love the tiny size of this thing, it cleans the pavilion like nothing else did....

Thanks for all the well wishes and comments--keeping fingers crossed. Took a look at my diamond earrings tonite under the loupe, they have no funky looking dark marks. I clean them sporadically but wear them even more sporadically, not like the ring at all. Hmmm.

 

[tomatoe]

Mara, this is what u r referring to right, Interdental poxabrush?

From my previous usage with them, if they cant physically scratch away my tooth enamel, i doubt they will scratch ur diamond. It could have 'scratched' the dirt/ oil on the surface of the diamond. Get it down to a jeweller asap to put ur mind at ease

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Mara please do not panic - your stone is probably just stained on the surface.
There is no way you could ever scratch the stone - even with a file or emery paper.

ReLAX

 

[Mara]

Speak directly into the microphone, Garry ! I am going to hold you to that!!

Yes tomatoe..thats what I use. Cool huh? As long as it doesn't scratch your stone--it cleans all the small areas that other brushes I had couldn't reach.

 

[song]

Oh Mara, it was not my intention to add to your worry. I am not an expert in the field. Niceice says it's possible, if you try hard enough, to scratch a diamond with a aluminum pop can lid.
http://www.niceice.com/simulants.htm
While it isn't impossible to scratch a diamond, it is highly unlikely that you have damaged your diamond with the brush you were using to clean it. ~sighs~

 

[valeria101]

----------------
On 11/11/2003 1:05:21 PM song wrote:

Oh Mara, it was not my intention to add to your worry. I am not an expert in the field. Niceice says it's possible, if you try hard enough, to scratch a diamond with a aluminum pop can lid http://www.niceice.com/simulants.htm
~sighs~ ----------------

I believe NiceIce. The lid is usually not straight: it has ridges and points which apply pressure unevenly on the diamond's surface as the piece of soft but rather springy metal is robbed against the gem. The pressure resulting from such elastic force might be able to tweak small diamond chips (via small hits taking advantage on the diamond's average brittleness, not it's top resistance to abrasion). Ok, I'll bring this to my neighbor (PhD in Physics, not economics like me), but sounds like a fun topic as yet!

 

[pauls girl]

Keep us updated, Mara

I am very curious as to what the jeweler says. I can imagine how troubling it is, not knowing.

-PG

 

[tomatoe]

yeah mara, its great for getting into those hard to reach places. thats y they created it for people who have gum problems. hope everything goes well and u get good news soon!

 

[Caratz]

Those cannot possibly be stratches -- there are too many of them, they are clustered in a circular pattern, and they are isolated in the center of the table.

If they are scratches, that's not a diamond in the photo.

 

[pyramid]

I think we should all stop surmising until Mara finds out for definite what it is. Hopefully it is just metal which has scraped off the cleaning brush and will come off with an acid dip as Garry Holloway said.

 

[Roxy]

Mara, were you ever able to solve this mystery? I'm new to the site (although I've been reading & learning from the forum for months now) and am dying to learn where the apparent "scratches" came from.

BTW, I think your ring is beautiful!

 

[Mara]

Thanks Roxy...no we have had no time to make a trip to our jeweler in Aptos...next weekend will be much less hectic.

Hoping to make the drive then!

 

[Mara]

Also wanted to reply to this....




Went to the jeweler today and had him look at the diamond. He scrutinized it for about 5 minutes, cleaned it repeatedly, etc...and determined that there are no scratches on the table and nothing inside the stone obviously. He agrees with my original thoughts that the inside of the platinum head joint is scratched from my vigorous metal brush scrubbings and possibly could be reflecting scratches back up through the culet into what looks like the center of the stone. But he confirmed the diamond itself is fine. Though he doesn't want me to continue to use the wire brush to clean.

So glad to know the diamond seems to be fine, not super concerned about the platinum being scratched inside as the marks are in no way even remotely visible without any magnification. Whew....for now

Thanks for all the help, thoughts, assistance.... hopefully we are in the clear

 

[caratgirl]

Glad to hear it turned out so well, Mara! It's probably because the brush's metal was so soft. I guess you'll have a nice supply of brushes for other uses now

. I was just thinking about this the other day, so I am happy that you posted the ending.

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Wow Mara..I'm glad everything is fine and you got that issue cleared up...

 

[Mara]

UPDATE!




Since most of you know that I switched out my old stone for a new one, when the jeweler took the stone out of the setting, he noticed the same marks I did! I wasn't there when he did this, he only told me about it over the phone. He wasn't sure if it was IN the diamond but didn't see how it could be, but various cleaning methods were NOT working on it. I was getting worried thinking somehow I had damaged it, but he put it in an acid bath overnight and that got rid of the marks. In the end he determined that it had to be some metal or something from the brush I was using to clean it....a few times I had very strongly SCRAPED the metal right against the diamond but figured no big deal since I knew metal couldn't scratch a diamond. Apparently the metal had deposited onto the stone in such a way that it was STUCK until the acid bath got it off. Very odd eh?




So I've been banished from using the metal brush (but I use it secretly when Greg isn't around and just very softly) ....I need to find something new. I want something like this small proxy brush but not metal. Anyone have ideas?




So just an FYI!

 

[Daniela]

Mara,

I use a regular baby toothbrush and Mr. Clean daily and it works incredibly well. There is no build-up on either the setting or the pavillion of my diamond, and I've had it for months. Your original wire brush may have been overkill--you might find soaking the stone in hot water and Mr. Clean and giving it a scrub gives you the same level of cleanliness.

Give it a try. I would let go of the wire brush, if for no other reason than the fact that it could easily scratch your setting if it managed to leave semi-permanent filings on your original diamond.

Otherwise, invest in some sort of more high-tech cleaning device.

 

[KittyTiger]

Mara,
How come you dont' use one of those tiny ultra sonic cleaners? I have one... and they do a jewler's job!! It's SO clean! And you dont' need to get a heated one. The regular one will heat up to a VERY hot temperature from the waves all on it's on if you leave it in there over 15 minutes. And it comes out with not a speck of anyhting on it!

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Try tooth brush boiling water ammonia and detergent and then the steamer from a cappachinno machine - it is a good excuse to buy one