Very Thick girdle, can anything be done?

[clearfading]

I was looking at a vintage OEC and the girdle is thin to very thick. It obviously looks a little strange if you are studying it and I was wondering if anything can be done to "fix" the girdle. Anyone know? And if so, is it extensive and would change ct weight etc? Thanks

 

[Victor Canera]

Hi Clearfading

Some variance is acceptable with antique stones and your’s doesn’t seem to have the really extreme variances that are present with some others. Sometimes you come across stones that have extremely thin to extremely thick. The girdles are always bruted on these stones too as opposed to being faceted.

If it’s something that’s really bothering you, you could potentially contact a local jeweler that offers diamond recutting. There most likely would be some weight loss, they can probably give you an idea of the weight loss. Is your diamond right at a major carat weight like 3.01 or 2.01 or so? If that’s the case, you risk effecting the value of the stone if it goes a little bit under these major carat ranges.

If you’re worried about possible chipping, maybe consider having the stone bezel set? A halo protects a diamond’s girdle too. Just something to think about.

Good luck!

 

[Karl_K]

Many vintage oec diamonds were cut with paper thin girdles.
They chipped easy and were often repaired by making them slightly out of round leading to large variations in the girdle.
The area of the chip became very large and the rest thin in the repair process.
It is unlikely that if it is a vintage stone that that is the original girdle.

 

[clearfading]

Thanks for the helpful replies!

 

[clearfading]

Actually Karl, the girdle dips down in one spot where It is thin. Would this affect performance? Would this make the crown uneven? It's hard to tell on both accounts. Any tips on figuring that out? Thanks!

 

[Karl_K]

any way of getting pics?
Cutting down a chipped diamonds girdle until the damaged part is thin could explain it. That would result in a very thick girdle except in the area it was chipped.
While not impossible a very thick girdle is a bit out of place on a vintage oec as cut back in the day.

 

[clearfading]

I think you're on the right track with that assumption. There is an extra facet right where it is thin and dips down. Pics are not hardly the best. It's kind of very thick all around then thin with an extra facet where it dips down

 

[Karl_K]

I'm going to go out on a limb and say im pretty sure that girdle has been recut sometime in the past and a chip repaired.

 

[Karl_K]

So the question is what do you have there:
A diamond with reduced spread for its weight because of the huge girdle.
But it looks safe.
Probably safer than it originally was, but is now slightly wonky on the crown.
There is nothing that can be done about it as the fix has already been applied.
There is a good chance it is a salvage diamond.
The reduced spread and the repair/wonkyness reduce its value in my opinion.

So it comes down to price. performance and appearance.
Do you have an ASET or IS image or face up video/images?