will repolishing diamond make it brighter ?

[jeweln]

Hi PSers ,

my ering is an old one in 18kt yellow gold 6 prong solitaire .it holds a 1.25 ct RB non certified diamond that I estimate the color to be L/M ( after buying GIA diamonds ) . the cut is maybe good because is sparkles in some lights and when clean ,although when I loupe it the symmetry looks bad .
the ring bothers me ( because all my other diamonds are ideal/excellent cut ,bought after I joined PS ) . but I dont want a recut since I dont want to lose size .I am thinking of having the diamond polished by BGD ( the pavilion appear to be glazed or frosted ? ) and the yellow prongs rhodium dipped ( I think the yellow prongs make the diamond darker ) .opinions would be appreciated . Thanks

 

[JulieN]

Have you consulted with BGD yet? What kind of size loss are you looking at?

 

[Gypsy]

I would also ask GOG, Jonathan a while back posted about some super polishing method that really amped up performance. Worth a call.

 

[jeweln]

Gypsy ,
thanks .do you have that thread ? I hope they dont require the diamond to be certified or insured ? because mine is not .

 

[jeweln]

no I am in the planning process .my guess is with a recut , my diamond will go from 1.25 ct to 1 ct . but I dont want to lose the size .

 

[WinkHPD]

no I am in the planning process .my guess is with a recut , my diamond will go from 1.25 ct to 1 ct . but I dont want to lose the size .

If your diamond goes from fairly dull to bright and sparkly, the apparent size might actually be larger than its size now.

Take a look at these two stones.



These are actually a CZ set that Gary Holloway had made for jewelers to show the extreme difference that cutting can make.

He made another set too and they are on the board here somewhere with a stone the size of a .75ct diamond and the same ugly one carat diamond. Even though the physical diameter of the .75 is smaller than the one carat, it looks larger because of the edge to edge brilliance.

You might have a much more valuable diamond at 1ct that actually looks larger than your 1.25ct. There are several people on the boards here who could help you make that assessment professionally.

Wink

 

[Dreamer_D]

I would consult on a complete recut! You could be surprised on the end result. Face up size is what matters, and with many poorly cut stones being so deep, recuts can often mean maintaining face up size. Plus, Wink's photo demonstrates the way that well cut stones also look bigger.

 

[jeweln]

wink,
thanks for the comparison ! I think I may consider a recut after all .
Dreamer,
a recut without losing face up size will be too good ! I

 

[diamondseeker2006]

I had a one carat recut to a .80. I'd much rather have a smaller but more beautiful diamond! I highly recommend a recut even if you lose a little size!

 

[rubybeth]

wink,
thanks for the comparison ! I think I may consider a recut after all .
Dreamer,
a recut without losing face up size will be too good ! I

I'd see if Brian Gavin can analyze it an estimate how much 'face up' loss there might be. His computer renderings of what the stone would look like after a recut are incredible. And, I think it would be worth it to have a sparkler that's a couple tenths of a millimeter 'smaller' face up vs. a stone that goes dull when dirty or in some lighting.

 

[yssie]

This part raises flags: "pavilion looks glazed/frosty"

Have you had it professionally cleaned? If not I strongly recommend it. It can be really hard to get a stone totally clean, especially if it hasn't been cleaned in a long time - I spent a solid two days trying to get my MIL's original stone clean once, scrubbing and soaking and home-steaming and more scrubbing and soaking and I could *see* the surface coated with goop but nothing I did short of going over it with a toothpick had any effect.

The facet-meets might look glazed/frosty after years of wear (though not if the stone has been protected by a setting all those years), but for a clean flat facet area to look that way either the polish is beyond dreadful (very very unlikely) or something abnormal happened (stone burnt during repair)... get it totally clean before you worry too much!

 

[jeweln]

Hi yssie ,
the diamond is set in a 6 prong Tiffany style ring . even after I clean it with a jewelry cleaner (I soak it for 10-15 minutes ) the glazed pavilion remains . so either it has very bad polish ? or maybe soap or gunk buildup like you suggested .I will try the toothpick method next time . even after cleaning it does not have edge to edge scintillation .

 

[yssie]

Hi yessie ,
the diamond is set in a 6 prong Tiffany style ring . even after I clean it with a jewelry cleaner (I soak it for 10-15 minutes ) the glazed pavilion remains . so either it has very bad polish ? or maybe soap or gunk buildup like you suggested .I will try the toothpick method next time . even after cleaning it does not have edge to edge scintillation .

Just take it to your local jeweller and have them steam it, unless it has stones other than diamonds as well? If so what are they?

It doesn't sound like it'll be a super duper louper uber-performer totally clean, if it is not currently, but at least you'll have a better idea of what you *do* have to work with and you can make an educated decision on whether the risks & costs of a recut might outweigh the rewards (if you decide that they might, the stone will need to be analysed to see if that is actually an option, as previous posters have said)

 

[Gypsy]

Gypsy ,
thanks .do you have that thread ? I hope they dont require the diamond to be certified or insured ? because mine is not .

It's not in a thread. It's something he said elsewhere that I remember.

Please have that diamond cleaned, and cleaned well first.

 

[lambskin]

As a non expert newbie to this forum I have learned so much about all kinds of jewels and diamonds. I am curious, what does a recut cost? I know each stone and recut are different-but what are the factors that go into the price? I am assuming it is size and quality of the stone and the amoount of recutting necessary and more. I have no idea what the range would be -are we talking hundreds of dollars or thousands? I am not talking about changing a stepcut into a oval or huge stones. Just a RB recut designed to make the RB diamond look better as in Gypsy's post. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[Gypsy]

As a non expert newbie to this forum I have learned so much about all kinds of jewels and diamonds. I am curious, what does a recut cost? I know each stone and recut are different-but what are the factors that go into the price? I am assuming it is size and quality of the stone and the amoount of recutting necessary and more. I have no idea what the range would be -are we talking hundreds of dollars or thousands? I am not talking about changing a stepcut into a oval or huge stones. Just a RB recut designed to make the RB diamond look better as in Gypsy's post. Any input would be appreciated. Thank you.

350 a carat. With a 350 minimum. For a standard recut. I have no idea what Jonathan's super polish thing costs.