would this scratch a diamond?

[candide]

Hi-

I am sure I am just being a nervous nelly, but please indulge me.

I went to my appraiser today (who is great). When inspecting the girdle, she was holding the diamond with (what appeared to be) metal tweezers on the table and culet. She then was twisting the diamond to look at the girdle.

Could these tweezers have scratched the diamond or affected its polish?

Thanks
Jon

 

[FOODIE]

No, I don't think that's a danger at all. If so:

1. We'd be able to cut our own diamonds if they scratched so easily.
2. No one would touch diamonds with anything but, perhaps, Q-tips.
3. They certainly wouldn't be "forever."

 

[sylvesterii]

really the only thing that can "scratch" a diamond is another diamond, or some serious force behind a blow. The diamond that you have has been held by probably 100 tweezers. They are industry standard. If the tweezers scratched the diamond...imagine what the prongs on a ring could do to it? with all that miniscule movement, it would rub away to nothing.

don't sweat it.

 

[mike04456]

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On 9/30/2003 9:49:34 PM candide wrote:





I went to my appraiser today (who is great). When inspecting the girdle, she was holding the diamond with (what appeared to be) metal tweezers on the table and culet. She then was twisting the diamond to look at the girdle.

Could these tweezers have scratched the diamond or affected its polish?

----------------

What you're describing is the standard method for grading a diamond. You can get a better view of the interior of the diamond holding it that way as opposed to girdle-to-girdle.

Done properly, there is no risk of damage.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

The diamond will eat the tweezers for breakfast...

 

[dimonbob]

I had a very small hole drilled near the end of one side of my tweezers to better hold a diamond while I turned it. I also did that with my stone holder from the microscope. It works great but I think the hole has been slowly getting bigger.