Why Does My Diamond Look So Dirty? Please Help!

[DecoLVR]

I recently posted about my new OEC in SMTR.

I am going crazy trying to figure out why it always looks dirty no matter how much I clean it. I have tried everything, including steam and a 10 second dip in acetone. Even when it looks clean to the naked eye, if I loupe it, I can see a greasy looking film coupled with tiny little spots of dirt on the surface of the diamond. Why can''t I seem to get my diamond clean???

 

[chrono]

Do you know the clarity of the OEC? It could be a grade making “cloud” type inclusion. I’m also wondering if it has strong fluorescence which sometimes can give a hazy appearance.

 

[DecoLVR]

Hi Chrono, the clarity is VVS2. What I''m seeing doesn''t look like any type of inclusions I''ve ever seen, and it''s only on the surface of the diamond. The color is K and I wondered if maybe the lower color made any grease/dirt on the stone more apparent. I don''t know if it has any florescence or not.

 

[stone-cold11]

Definitely not inclusions at VVS2 level if graded correctly so that brings to question which lab grades the stone?

If you are viewing it indoor, probably not fluorescence. Try shinning a black light on the stone in a dark room and see if it glows.

Maybe the polish grade is bad? Try getting it clean by a jeweler?

 

[Circe]

It could be surface graining, possibly ... does the "film" look like it has any texture to it? Lizardskin or polish lines? Alternately, a burnt diamond can sometimes have a funny, hazy look to it. I''d say take it to a jeweler and see what they say: it might not need anything more complicated than a deep cleaning.

 

[Demon]

Try using compressed air to dry it. I was having the same problem, and it turned out to be water spotting.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 12/9/2009 10:15:37 AM
Author:DecoLVR
I recently posted about my new OEC in SMTR.

I am going crazy trying to figure out why it always looks dirty no matter how much I clean it. I have tried everything, including steam and a 10 second dip in acetone. Even when it looks clean to the naked eye, if I loupe it, I can see a greasy looking film coupled with tiny little spots of dirt on the surface of the diamond. Why can''t I seem to get my diamond clean???

I would get a professional cleaning and also invest in a good ultrasonic machine providing you don''t have pave diamonds in your setting. You could also try cleaning with an ammonia solution, soak and scrub carefully with a soft brush, rinse thoroughly and dry.

 

[DecoLVR]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I will try them. Just to clarify, the diamond doesn''t have an inherent hazy or cloudy look to it. It''s clear and sparkly when I clean it. It''s only when I look at it under the loupe that I can see the film of gunk. I think the compressed air may do the trick. We have hard water and it may just be water deposits drying on the stone, although I never noticed it on my original e-ring so I''m not sure why it would be so noticeable on this stone.

I looked at Walmart yesterday for a UV pen light but couldn''t find one. Although I may not have been looking in the right place. Does anyone know where I can find one?

If the stone does have fluorescence would that explain why in some lighting the diamond appears as white as my F color diamond did, and in other lighting the yellow is very obvious? Or is this a common thing in stones with K color?

 

[Demon]

We have hard water here, too, and it sounds just like what was going on with my stones. Looked great except for under the loupe. Compressed air is fantastic for drying, IMO. (Your ring is gorgeous, and the water spots would drive me nuts!) Also, Otto Frei has a loupe with both UV and LED lighting options, and search the Colored Stone forum for a thread about fluorescence in spinels - there was a link there to an ebay seller of UV lights.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Don''t look at it under the loupe, that will solve it too

If it isn''t affecting the beauty and optics to the naked eye, then perhaps it isn''t worth obsessing about? Just my thoughts

 

[yssie]

I think I know what you''re talking about.


Once I decided to steam my diamond. I put it over a saucepan, and let it steam for a good half-hour, and rinsed it, and when it came out it was covered in a "greasy film" a lot like you''re describing. I think there was a tiny bit of oil in the pan... well, the US didn''t help, soap didn''t help, a second steaming with a totally clean (checked!) pan didn''t help, and finally I sat down with a desklamp and a baby toothbrush and loads of q-tips and started scrubbing. I had to manually scrub this film off the table, crown, pavilion, under the prongs, etc.. but it did get my stone clean, finally!

 

[kenny]

There is clean, and then there is CLEAN.

When hard water evaporates (or ANY water except distilled) it leaves behind a film of minerals.

Also, ANY cleaning liquid becomes contaminated by the gunk it removed.
Allowing it to evaporate ensures some residue will dry onto the stone.
Even drying with a clean cloth or Q-Tips will not get deep into every nook and cranny near the prongs and underneath the pavilion of many settings.
This means the contaminated cleaning fluid on the pavilion and near the prongs will dry via evaporation, leaving a residue.

After cleaning it (before drying) dip the diamond in a spoonful of distilled water and/or use a can of compressed air to blow the final liquid away.

Then throw away that now-contaminated distilled water, do not return it to the bottle.
Personally I use Isopropyl Alcohol.
When louping my diamond there is zero residue after cleaning.

 

[Rockdiamond]

Sometimes it's impossible to get a diamond totally clean in the setting.
Even a small amount of gunk- be it oil, hand lotion( please remove your rings before applying hand lotion!) or some other film on a small facet on the bottom of the diamond can make a really shiny, brilliant stone look dull throughout.

Sometimes we've had to remove stones from settings to really get the stone clean....

 

[DecoLVR]

Date: 12/10/2009 12:34:35 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
Don''t look at it under the loupe, that will solve it too

LOL! I knew someone was going to suggest that.

I''m really trying not to obsess about it, but I''m a little crazy when it comes to keeping my jewelry clean.

 

[kenny]

Even if you don't loupe it a residue will effectively degrade the cut of your diamond.

Light travels in a straight line but changes direction when it passes from one material to another.
When it passes from air to diamond it changes direction by a specific known amount.
A residue on the diamond alters that angle. (which makes sense since there are now 3 materials [air, gunk and diamond] instead of just 2, air and diamond)
I think I read here that residue on the pavilion also changes the angle of reflection within the diamond.

You paid a fortune for your well cut diamond.
All the facets are cut at the angles that will do a good job returning light.
Changing the angle of light when it enters the stone or when it bounces within the diamond results in light not going where it should.

I've even read someone suggesting altering cut proportions so diamonds would look their best when dirty, which is how 99.9% of diamonds spend their lives.

So with a dirty idea cut diamond you get a double whammy.
Reside attenuates some light and also sends some light astray.

 

[Bosie]

Try an ultrasonic cleaner, given no pave, I put a little windex in the water, perhaps use warm water, or better yet distilled water.

 

[emeraldlover1]

Date: 12/10/2009 2:03:04 PM
Author: kenny
Even if you don''t loupe it a residue will effectively degrade the cut of your diamond.

Light travels in a straight line but changes direction when it passes from one material to another.
When it passes from air to diamond it changes direction by a specific known amount.
A residue on the diamond alters that angle. (which makes sense since there are now 3 materials [air, gunk and diamond] instead of just 2, air and diamond)
I think I read here that residue on the pavilion also changes the angle of reflection within the diamond.

You paid a fortune for your well cut diamond.
All the facets are cut at the angles that will do a good job returning light.
Changing the angle of light when it enters the stone or when it bounces within the diamond results in light not going where it should.

I''ve even read someone suggesting altering cut proportions so diamonds would look their best when dirty, which is how 99.9% of diamonds spend their lives.

So with a dirty idea cut diamond you get a double whammy.
Reside attenuates some light and also sends some light astray.

This is an interesting concept. I wonder what he stone would look like when clean?

 

[kenny]

Date: 12/10/2009 5:06:08 PM
Author: emeraldlover1

Date: 12/10/2009 2:03:04 PM
Author: kenny
I've even read someone suggesting altering cut proportions so diamonds would look their best when dirty, which is how 99.9% of diamonds spend their lives.

This is an interesting concept. I wonder what the stone would look like when clean?

Bump.

I think I remember he said it would be shallow.
Was that Garry?

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