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This Cannot Be True

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pyramid

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An aquaintance has told me I can cause a feather on the surface of my diamond by just dropping the ring on my bed, the soft mattress part?? Can't be true can it!
 

pyramid

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Yip, I thought it was a teensy weensy bit absurd. Why would she say something like this.
 

RubyBleu

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Hold on..... it is theoretically possible that you could cause a feather in that way ----- if there was already a weakness in the diamond's crystal structure.

But for the most part, this sounds like the stuff we used to say when we were kids - like: "if a butterfly hit you in the right spot, you could die..." etc..

We all assumed that the "right spot" was somewhere around the temple, and I for one used to lightly tap myself to see if I could find the weakness before some butterfly nailed me - it was either that or wear a hockey helmet to school, and we already had one of those kids. I call this the "Smaug Factor" and blame J.R.R. Tolkein.

If you have an I2 or an I3, it is possible that a certain amount of rough handling could cause damage - I've seen stones cleave - setters damage perfectly good stones all the time - often through feathers that start as bearding around the girdle - but there usually has to be a weakness for this to happen (a small feather along the grain, in the cleavage direction....)

So relax, enjoy your diamond, and it's ok for her/you to wear it while romping around on the bed - just maybe take it off when you are bare knuckle fighting in bars. A diamond is the hardest substance on the planet, but that doesn't mean it can't be broken.

RubyBleu
 

pyramid

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I liked the butterfly one. We used to say that is a wasp went in your ear you would die.

Anyway, the stone is an SI1 so I think I am definitely very safe.
 

RubyBleu

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You should be fine :)
 

pyramid

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By the way, how would a consumer know if there was already a weakness in the diamond's crystal, is there a way to tell?



(Hold on..... it is theoretically possible that you could cause a feather in that way ----- if there was already a weakness in the diamond's crystal structure. )
:read:
 

RubyBleu

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Sometimes you just don't know - but often large feathers running from the girdle are an indication - certain types of inclusions may be indicators - for the most part it's just bad luck. I would avoid stones with clusters of feathers running from the girdle (it's okay if they are by the girdle, just make sure they are not alreading running from the girdle) - think a crack in your car windshield.

Diamonds are crystals - the same logic that allows them to be cleaved along the crystal plain could theoretically see them damaged by rough handling. Don't worry too much - the odds are rather like getting struck by lightening - S--t happens, but mostly to the other guy. ;-)

RB
 

Rhino

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Re: Weakness in the diamonds crystal structure.

There have been discussion and debate on this subject quite heavily in the diamondtalk forum. There are some that hold to an opinion that strain in the crystal is of major concern and can potentially lead to the diamond breaking. There are some who hold that while being of concern it not a major concern. Dropping a diamond on a mattress no matter what clarity and even if strain is present in the diamond will not cause it to break.

Peace,
Rhino
 

RubyBleu

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You've heard of the straw that broke the camel's back - I'm just suggesting that the possibility is there - so too is me getting Madonna into my bed - but in all likelyhood, it aint gonna happen.
 

Garry H (Cut Nut)

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I am with Jonathon / Rhino - it will not break hort of a very strong directional blow in very specific directions.
99.9% of damage to diamonds is small nicks on the girdle (edge) that many people have and never know are there until someone like me tells them.
99% of diamonds have no damage.
The DT thread was run by an appraiser who runs a business charging you for "strain reports" to tell you if a diamond has strain and increased likelyhood of breaking if you drive over it with a steam roller.

Enjoy your diamond - but remember the prongs can be a bit dangerous in the bedroom :)
 

pyramid

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I would avoid stones with clusters of feathers running from the girdle (it's okay if they are by the girdle, just make sure they are not alreading running from the girdle) - think a crack in your car windshield.



I here you, as I do not have a car I have not really looked at a crack in a car windshield. What does this mean is it like a hairline fracture or what is your inference from this?
 

luckyguy

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Pyramid,
The car window remark, I believe, is speaking to the effect that happens when a car window gets nicked. For example, a small rock or debri strikes the windshield and causes a very small nick/crack in the windshield. Then, as you continue driving around and variuos forces such as wind and vibration provide enough pressure and movement to cause the tiny crack to begin to grow. Eventually you end up needing your windshield replaced, because the small nick has turned into a crack that runs from one side of your windshield to the other.
 

pyramid

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Oh, okay thanks.

Is a hairline fracture on the very surface of the crown, in a curve from the upper girdle facet the same as a feather. This is definitely hairline in size & appearance.
 

pyramid

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P.S. the depth if hairline in size also. Maybe this is a blemish on the surface rather than a feather. Maybe I am analysing the stone too much now since I have bought a 10x loupe.
 

sylvesterii

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that would basically be what a feather is. look at the inclusion map on your certificate, it will probably identify the feather.
 

pyramid

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I can see other feathers in the diamond as white, but this hairline crack looks like a hairs breadth black line and only shows white when I reflect light on the surface of the facet. I do not have the plot at the moment.
 

pyramid

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I have now noticed that this hairline feather runs around graining on the surface of the upper break facet and therefore may not come from the girdle. Why would graining stop where the fracture is and not continue on the other side of the fracture. There are lots of grain lines below the fracture line in a perpendicular direction to the fracture.

graining: -----
fracture: )))))



------------)
------------)
------------) shown on its side it actually stands vertical from
------------) foot of upper girdle facet.

Remember it is a hairline fracture at the surface of the facet.
 

Richard Sherwood

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Pyramid, those are most likely polishing lines, not grain lines.

When the area where a feather breaks the surface is polished, one side will have a clear polish and the other side will invariably have minute "drag lines". When the polishing wheel "hits" the feather, minute bits of diamond are abraded off the opposing side. These bits are "dragged" along the surface on the opposite side of the feather (the side encountered "second" by the wheel).

It's a normal characteristic of diamond polish, and not something to worry about. It's one of the factors taken into account when polish is graded.

Rich, GG
Sarasota Gemological Laboratory
 

pyramid

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Oh Okay I didn't know about polish lines.

What about the hairline feather on the surface of the break facet which starts on the surface of the girdle and follows the crown curve up, is it something to worry about?
 

pyramid

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Additional to my last post - as I do not know how to add to a post when it has just been sent. By the way I don't know if the hairline fracture is on the surface of the girdle as a 10x loupe is not enough magnification but it is definitely on the upper girdle break facet and curves up it.

Are hairline fractures plotted on a certificate as a blemish or inclusion as it looks black and only white when light is reflected on the facet.

I read about a small fracture getting worse in the cutting process but would this happen in daily wear with such a small light fracture?
 

RubyBleu

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pyramid.... just relax, in all likelyhood you are fine. I never worry about that stuff myself and my company buys 10 000 stones a year or more.

RB
 

RubyBleu

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pyramid.... just relax, in all likelyhood you are fine. I never worry about that stuff myself and my company buys 10 000 stones a year or more.

RB
 

RubyBleu

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pyramid.... just relax, in all likelyhood you are fine. I never worry about that stuff myself and my company buys 10 000 stones a year or more.

RB
 

Mara

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Have you had this stone appraised? Maybe you need a professional to take a look at this famous 'feather'..might put your mind at ease alot quicker. :)
 

pyramid

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RubyBleu Thanks i will try to relax, but if I find a hairline fracture on the surface of the girdle which meets up with the hairline fracture on the upper girdle facet is that not the same as feathers running from the girdle which you warned about. At the moment I can see the hairline fracture curving on the facet but cannot get the diamond positioned to see if it crosses onto the surface of the girdle after it comes to the edge of the upper girdle facet. I do not know about these things but was wondering if the hairline fracture would have been polished off for the girdle or would it turn at an angle and run down the girdle.
 

vortex

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We are very concerned about a trillion cut diamond that we had reset by a jewler in the mall into a new setting. After having the ring sized and set and little balls put on the ring on the inside for sizing, we were amazed when we got home that we now had a I1 diamond vs. the SI2. We have a 10x lupe, and clearly the ring has a hairline fracture near the prong.

We are not sure what to do at this point >>????

-Scott HELP!
 
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