torch dangerous to diamonds

[whotheyare]

hi my friend told me in jewelry business that a torch to a diamond is not good and torching a diamond will cause it to react because its made of carbon, is this true? then how do jewelers fix jewelry settings?

 

[Regular Guy]

Maybe blending is better?

 

[Sharon101]

I believe that diamonds can sustain burn damage if not handled correctly by the setter. Although Im sure that this would be 101 stuff for a setter.

 

[pyle112]

Date: 10/29/2007 2:07:20 AM
Author: Regular Guy
Maybe blending is better?

abazias actually tried blending a diamond
diamond blend

 

[whotheyare]

yes sharon i think that maybe true but isnt that only for colored diamonds or is that for all diamonds? he says for white diamonds diamonds should still be coated with boracic acid and denaturaled alcohol before using torch near it,

is this true? i thought diamonds can sustain like 5000 degrees so why the need for coatings before torching on natural diamonds?

 

[door knob solitaire]

Your friend may have had exposure to information of care for clarity enhanced stones. The high heat of a torch will remove the treatment to reveal the flaws the treatment was made to cover. I don''t believe any PS vendors use or touch these types of stones for that reason among other reasons. They only want to use natural clarity stones...those with clarity graded by man not enhanced by man.

I haven''t reviewed the guidelines of conversation concerning that subject on this forum...so I apologize if I broke the guidelines. I thought that answer may help to address the question posed. Smite me with a lightning bolt if I am outta bounds!! (or simply remove my post).

Ddddd.....Kkkkkk......Sssssssss.......-shuttering and worried about the bolt

 

[whotheyare]

hi doorknob, no i specifically asked to confirm he was talking about natural diamonds, he said for CE diamonds no torching AT ALL and for natural diamonds still not good to torch unless its dipped in the boracic acid and should only be torched by a professional benchworker working on the gold,

so I guess I am just surprised that diamonds couldnt withstand torch heat without special coatings because he said the carbon will start to burn and he himself burned a few 100% natural diamonds himself (the carbon buring and creating a skin of carbon on the surface), is this true?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Natural untreated diamonds can be heated to higher than the soldering fusing point for platinum as long as the surface is coated with a borax or boracic acid paste which forms a layer that stops the carbon coming in contact with the air and burning. They go white hot without any problem.

It is extremely rare for a diamond to break while heating.
We can retip prongs right on the diamond with out problems.

 

[diagem]

If Borax is not used..., the polished facets of the Diamond burns resulting in an exterior hazy/cloudy type of appearance!!!

The only remedy would be re-polishing the burned facets..., which is not a big damage..., but definitely an inconvenience for consumers who do not have access to cutters/polishers.

 

[Sharon101]

Date: 10/29/2007 2:59:59 AM
Author: whotheyare
yes sharon i think that maybe true but isnt that only for colored diamonds or is that for all diamonds? he says for white diamonds diamonds should still be coated with boracic acid and denaturaled alcohol before using torch near it,

is this true? i thought diamonds can sustain like 5000 degrees so why the need for coatings before torching on natural diamonds?

A setter was talking about this the other day to my h. He said that diamonds can be burnt!!! So I guess its true, well according to one diamond setter anyway!!! Its not something that I had ever heard of before this particular conversation. The setter was talking to my h. because I am getting a ring made up by him. The topic came up because for awhile my Mums diamond was looking very brown, not how we remembered it at point of purchase. It turned out that she wasnt cleaning her ring properly. But this setter offered the suggestion that it could have infact been burnt during the setting of the ring. So I guess it has happened before.

 

[diagem]

Date: 10/29/2007 8:06:22 AM
Author: Sharon101

Date: 10/29/2007 2:59:59 AM
Author: whotheyare
yes sharon i think that maybe true but isnt that only for colored diamonds or is that for all diamonds? he says for white diamonds diamonds should still be coated with boracic acid and denaturaled alcohol before using torch near it,

is this true? i thought diamonds can sustain like 5000 degrees so why the need for coatings before torching on natural diamonds?

A setter was talking about this the other day to my h. He said that diamonds can be burnt!!! So I guess its true, well according to one diamond setter anyway!!! Its not something that I had ever heard of before this particular conversation. The setter was talking to my h. because I am getting a ring made up by him. The topic came up because for awhile my Mums diamond was looking very brown, not how we remembered it at point of purchase. It turned out that she wasnt cleaning her ring properly. But this setter offered the suggestion that it could have infact been burnt during the setting of the ring. So I guess it has happened before.

If I am not mistaken..., Diamond becoming brown is not one of the symptoms of burning.... (at least not during the cutting stages!)

 

[Sharon101]

Date: 10/29/2007 10:52:03 AM
Author: DiaGem

Date: 10/29/2007 8:06:22 AM
Author: Sharon101

Date: 10/29/2007 2:59:59 AM
Author: whotheyare
yes sharon i think that maybe true but isnt that only for colored diamonds or is that for all diamonds? he says for white diamonds diamonds should still be coated with boracic acid and denaturaled alcohol before using torch near it,

is this true? i thought diamonds can sustain like 5000 degrees so why the need for coatings before torching on natural diamonds?

A setter was talking about this the other day to my h. He said that diamonds can be burnt!!! So I guess its true, well according to one diamond setter anyway!!! Its not something that I had ever heard of before this particular conversation. The setter was talking to my h. because I am getting a ring made up by him. The topic came up because for awhile my Mums diamond was looking very brown, not how we remembered it at point of purchase. It turned out that she wasnt cleaning her ring properly. But this setter offered the suggestion that it could have infact been burnt during the setting of the ring. So I guess it has happened before.

If I am not mistaken..., Diamond becoming brown is not one of the symptoms of burning.... (at least not during the cutting stages!)

Im sure he was merely refering to the fact that a color change had occured after setting, maybe he was just brainstorming???

The real reason was due to handcream ... none of us could believe how awful my Mums diamond looked!!!!

Lucky the problem resoved with daily cleaning!!!!

 

[Ellen]

Date: 10/29/2007 3:20:41 AM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)
Natural untreated diamonds can be heated to higher than the soldering fusing point for platinum as long as the surface is coated with a borax or boracic acid paste which forms a layer that stops the carbon coming in contact with the air and burning. They go white hot without any problem.

It is extremely rare for a diamond to break while heating.
We can retip prongs right on the diamond with out problems.

So Gary, if a jeweler cracked (as in pieces) my moms Emerald cut diamond while retipping the platinum prongs, is it safe to say he was probably negligent? or sometimes chit just happens?