Although I am solidly against the evils of the diamond trade and the DeBeers cartel (and I know diamonds are a poor investment), I find myself in a bind as a man who needs to obtain a diamond in the next month for my fiancee.
I want it to be genuine diamond (not fake CZ) and certified. Looking through eBay, it appears that I can save a significant amount of the price if I buy a clarity-enhanced diamond.
Apparently, “clarity-enhanced” means they fill in the occlusions with a glass-like material to mask little fractures and imperfections.
Not only does it cut down the price, it makes the diamond look better, in my estimation. I believe artificial diamonds will take over one day, anyway.
I know there are quite a few jewelry experts on this board… So my question is this: is there any pitfalls or noticeable drawbacks to buying a clarity-enhanced diamond?
[disclaimer] i am not a jeweler, or a trained expert. i just learned a bit while buying mrs. longhair jewelry over the years.[/disclaimer]
single word answer: no
a clarity enhanced diamond may be cheaper, but you definitly get what you pay for. the fill material is not as stable as they would lead you to believe. heating your diamond, for example can cause the fill to discolor. cleaning it in an ultrasonic cleaner will also cause damage to your stone.
you do not have much time, so go out this weekend and ask the jeweler to allow you to compare a clarity enhanced stone to a non-enhanced stone under the gemscope. crank the scope to its highest magnification and i am sure you will see the difference. now, imagine this fill material turning yellowish brown over time…
if your jeweler will not let you examine the diamonds you are thinking about buying under a gemscope, do not buy from him. find another jeweler with more honesty and less to hide.
Well, I am not planning to subject the gem to extreme heat, lasers, cutting torches, industrial acids, or recutting tools.
If I ever need to clean it, I’ll drop the ring into a cup of warm water along with an alka seltzer.
I’m just wondering if normal wear will cause discolorations within a 50-year timeframe. Like submerging it in hot, sudsy dishwater? Or exposure to normal sunlight?
Perhaps someone who owns a clarity-enhanced diamond has firsthand experience where it actually changed color or got noticeably worse over time? (or didn’t worsen?)
How long have the enhanced diamonds been around? You probably aren’t going to be able to get information on how they’ll hold up in 50 years.
I’m curious as to why you asked for imput and then dismiss the first feedback you get when it isn’t what you want to hear. Will you consider what longhair75 if others give you similar advice, or do you just want me to say, there is nothing wrong with clarity enhanced diamonds and you should buy several for your soon to be wife?
I was just trying to clarify what is meant by “heating”. Some of the web sites I’ve looked at describe it so vaguely, you’d think it would discolor if you breathed on it wrong. Other places describe industrial cutting torches, etc.
I would like to believe longhair, but he didn’t mention any first-hand experience with a clarity-enhanced diamond. Therefore, I assume he is citing second-hand information. Is it possible that some of these fears of diamond discoloration is unfounded? Maybe, or maybe not… I’m just trying to get the straight dope. Thank you.
Here’s a thread about clarity enhanced diamonds, some good info on the process and history.
My question to you is whether or not you are well versed in the diamond grading trade, so you can better understand what it is you are buying and frame your search. I like PriceScope they have a lot of basic info about diamonds, and how they’re graded/priced, along with links to some online dealers who have a wide selection of stones at decent (for diamonds, at least) prices.
I bought my wife’s engagement ring online and had a fairly good experience with it. I’d be worried about going through eBay though, at a minimum check out some of PriceScope’s linked dealers for price comparison.
Iy you are going to set it in a yellow gold ring you can save some money by compromising on the color of the diamond. A pure white diamond will be wasted if it’s next to yellow gold.
Dan, good tip, but I’m going after a white gold ring.
DrDeth, she didn’t insist, but she told me she preferred a real diamond and a new ring.
Cheesesteak, that’s good info, but what I’m primarily concerned with now is whether the clarity-enhancement is going to cause a noticeable discoloration problem in the future. The recommendation I’ve seen is that it’s fine for earrings or pendants, but not good in rings.
I’m wondering if the problem with rings is that normal wear and tear causes them to discolor (which I currently have no factual evidence of, but would be a dealbreaker for me). Or perhaps the fear is that in a ring, the normal banging of the gemstone against hard surfaces could cause damage to the clarity-enhanced diamond. (which is not a dealbreaker for me, since I can simply replace the gemstone)
however, the information i posted was what i have been told by several different jewelers. i have no first hand experience. i would not purchase a clarity enhanced stone. i would rather buy a smaller, better quality stone than a larger stone with obvious flaws. the repairs made to a stone being sold as “clarity enhanced” are rarely visible to the naked eye, but pretty obvious under examination through a 10x jeweler’s loup. put them under a gem scope cranked to 35x, and they look like pieces of broken glass.
you did, however, mention that you were comparing prices on e-bay. are you planning to buy this clarity enhanced diamond sight unseen from someone on e-bay?
Yes, my current thinking is to buy sight-unseen from an eBay seller with a high positive feedback rating and long history of sales. The ones I’ve seen have a 10-day or longer no-questions-asked return policy.
then my suggestion would be to get the no questions asked return policy in writing with a notary stamp, and have the stone appraised at at least two reputable jewelers immediately.
One issue with clarity enhanced is that in order to fill the defect, the defect must break through the surface, which is bad to have, it makes the diamond less sturdy.
Just so we’re on the same page, when you say a “real” diamond, can we assume you mean mined vs cultured (eg: Gemesis) Both are real diamonds, as opposed to CZ.
Thanks for the Gemesis suggestion. After some research, it appears they are all very yellow in color and not the look I’m going for. (Engagement ring) If they could produce some colorless artificial diamonds at better prices, I might reconsider.
Heh, as with anything in life, there is risk. There are risks involved with buying retail, too.
I might not get the gem I think I’m buying since I’m not a gemologist.
I might overpay (retail markup) for the gem quality that I receive.
I might break or lose the gem by accident.
A mugger may steal the gem from me on my way home.
I might pay a fair price (through luck or haggling) and see the price plummet anyway (if something happens to the diamond market).
As I see it, there is a fair to good chance of one of the above things happening. If it does, I am out many thousands of dollars. (Say, $5000)
On the other hand, there is a small, but tangible chance of a problem ordering through eBay. I can minimize it by going with a seller that has a great reputation, a great refund policy, thousands of successful sales, positive feedback and numerous customer testimonials. If I am screwed anyway, then I am out many hundreds of dollars. (Say, $500)
At least, that is my risk assessment algorithm right now. Not sure how accurate it is, though. Yet, this is why I am considering the notion of buying a diamond on eBay when others might consider that to be “crazy”.
There is no such thing as a “new” diamond or “new” gold. All this stuff has been around for millions of years. Diamonds have almost no resale value, and you can pick up very nice ones from pawnshops for rock bottom prices. Then you can have a jeweler custom design a new setting out of the melted down gold and you’ll have a nice ring for a good price without feeding the diamond industry.
Whatever you get her, be sure to tell her what it is. If I were to get a diamond ring, first thing I’d do would be to have it appraised for insurance purposes. That would be a nasty surprise.