small black dots in diamonds ?

[sean]

there have been small black dots in an si1 that i have looked at , you can only see them under the loop , what are they and does anyone have an opinion on them if they are in this diamond i am looking at ????

 

[oldminer]

I'd rather have a few "PEPPER" specks that I can't see without the loupe than 1 large one that the eye can readily detect. These black specks may add some gray to the body color depending on how many there are and how scattered they are.

Sometimes inclusions look black from one direction and when you turn the stone you actually see that they are planr and have no depth at all. They are just tiny internal cleavages which seem to stop light transmission and appear black to the untrained observer.

 

[sean]

thanks for the reply dave , there just seems to be one dot in the middle of the stone visibe with the loop , i also looked at a vs2 that had black inclusions ,but very fine ones . to me the stones look good ,but i'm having second thoughts on them because the table percentages are 84% and i have been told this will affect the briliance ,they are princess cuts .

 

[makisupa]

Sean, as a consumer like you and no expert knowledge in the matter, I'm all for little black specs. I'm going to be bidding on a diamond this weekend that is an SI 1 and with some specs on the bottom (not important to me) and one little black speck right in the table. To the naked eye you can't see it although I now can because I'm looking for it. By dropping down to the SI 1 from a VS2, I was able to add on the cut. I'm now looking at an ideal cut, and with the brilliance it provides, it both covers up the inclusions and shines better.

My 2cents, find your budget and than try to get the best cut for your money. There are many SI1 diamonds out there that look just as good as a VS2 to a non-expert (you and me). Good luck!!!!!

 

[Mara]

We looked at an SI1 that had a black speck in it in one of the pavilion facets, it was a 'carbon inclusion'. Looks like a spec of dirt in the diamond..makes you wan to brush it off! Not sure if that is what yours are...but that is what this one was.

 

[Caratz]

My thought is that you want to make your inclusions work for you. From a perfectly practical standpoint, I think the best inclusion to have is one that you cannot see with the naked eye, but that you can easily spot with a loupe. That way, when you take the ring in for cleaning, resetting, etc., you never have any problem confirming for yourself that it's your diamond when you get it back. I would never buy a VVS clarity diamond -- to me, it's the worst of both worlds. They cost a lot more than VS2/SI1, but they are "too flawed" to give you the satisfaction of having a flawless stone, and "not flawed enough" to make your diamond easily recognizable to you when you want to be able to reconize it without relying on an expert.