Find your diamond
Find your jewelry
shape
carat
color
clarity

Bummed about my I1 diamond

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
MissRedd

MissRedd

Rough_Rock
Joined
Oct 20, 2009
Messages
24
I guess this is mine and my bf''s fault because we didn''t do enough research. We had a diamond picked out that had good clarity in the SI range, very good cut, near colorless and our sales lady called to tell us it had sold but she had one that was just as good--didn''t have the clarity. My boyfriend told her that we''d take that one. Sight unseen. Granted it is a BEAUTIFUL diamond, but we didn''t know until last week when we picked up the appraisal papers and the GIA report that we realized it was an I1 diamond with a feather flaw.

That really didn''t bother me until I started reading posts out here. I shared some of these with my boyfriend and now he is determined that we are going to take the ring back and upgrade to an SI1. The diamond is a "very good" cut, color I and .73 carat weight.

I couldn''t even see the flaw until last night when I was sitting in a dimly lit room and then I could see what looked like a white dot in the center of the diamond down deep. If I hold the ring up and look at the side I can see a white line across the bottom.

Now I''m bummed and can''t seem to shake it. Is there a huge price difference between an SI1 and an I1? Do we need to upgrade?
 
you both need to be happy with your purchase, within budget. whats the sense in spending a couple thousand dollars on a ring you or your fiance may not be happy with. you have to be realistic with that you can afford but I think you should love your e ring.

at jamesallen I found a .73 ideal gia cert. G SI1 for 2,180 hopw that helps
 
The "white line" across the bottom is most likely a girdle reflection that you''d see in *any* stone. You can search for "girdle reflection" threads & see if the pictures there look like what you''re seeing. It is true about other flaws though that once you see them its hard to UNsee them. Likely no one else will ever notice it ... but if it bothers YOU or your FI then, if you''re able, trade it. Just take your time & be sure the next stone meets your needs. Its a slippery slope around here for trades, retrades, upgrades etc.
3.gif
 
It might be a girdle reflection- but at least it is not a black feather. My first ring had one, and the first place I saw it was in the shower! For some reason, when
it was wet, I could see it. I don''t know why. So if you cant see it..... But if it bothers you, I would trade it. My personal comfort level is VS2. I am not color sensitive
so I went with an I. That fits my parameters nicely if the stone is well cut. Point being, find the level that is your comfort level, whatever that is. Now is the time
to be happy with the stone. If you are not trade it back and get something you feel good about!
 
7.gif
That's never a good feeling to have about your brand new ring.

I've got two things to pitch in here:

1. IMO If you can't see the inclusion (and make sure that the line you're seeing is the inclusion, not the girdle reflection, which will be on every diamond you buy) you got an eyeclean I1, which is a fantastic deal!! If you haven't found it yet, it's VERY unlikely the casual observer will when you're showing it off
1.gif
. For some people the "mind clean" aspect is important: knowing that you can't see the inclusion because it's just not there, but for others like me if I can't see it and noone I show it off to will see it, I don't care about it, which would make an eyeclean I1 my ideal diamond. I think the biggest problem here is that if you want to sell it or trade it in later on without a vendor agreement, you'll have a hard time finding someone who'll take an I1.

2. Some GIA "vg" cuts can be "better" cut than some GIA "ex"s: there are certain steep/deep combinations that can make the ex grade, but may have visible leakage IRL. I have a GIA vg that would score AGS0, for example. A friendly reminder to check those numbers if you trade up
1.gif


Good luck!
 
Frankly, what you''re seeing could be girdle reflection and an abraded culet - one a universal factor, one so common as to be almost universal.

I think this may be what some board members call the "mind-clean" issue: even if you can''t see anything with the naked eye, you *know* something is in there, and it worries you (in terms of someone else with better eyes seeing it, in terms of durability, whatever). I have to say, for me an I1 would be a source of concern, too, but it''s really individual. If *you* like your ring, that''s what matters.

You say you''re bummed - so, why? With the stone itself, or with what you think "I1" means about it, or to other people, or ...?
 
ok, Yes yes yes...that line is the girdle reflection! That is exactly what it looks like. SO that is normal and ALL diamonds have this?

That eases my mind if it is so. Is that the white dot I''m seeing from the top when the room is dimly lit? Is it the girdle reflection too?

Perhaps that isn''t the feather at all then. If that''s the case then I can''t see any inclusions in this diamond. This would be great news!

Thank you everyone so much for your help!

36.gif
36.gif
 
HI:

Look at the GIA plot. Is the "line" that you see congruent with the inclusion descriptions on the plot? GIA will have documented the inclusions on the picture of the diamond on your certificate and if the inclusions doesn''t look like the line you are describing, then it could be as others have suggested. And yes, in general, SI (1 & 2) stones are priced differently then I1 stones.

cheers--Sharon
 
*deleted*
 
Is your diamond clean? Try cleaning it by soaking it in warm water with a little dishwashing liquid mixed in, brush it gently with a soft toothbrush and rinse (put the plug in the drain first!!!!). Dry carefully with a clean paper towel, making sure to dry the bottom of the diamond too.

How does it look now? Better?
 
I am glad you are feeling better about your diamond. I recently went through the same thing. I have a 3 stone necklace totaling about 1.5 cts. I recently realized while they are ideal/ideal/idea/F they are I2. I can not see the inclusions because they are bezel set. It upset me but then I decided what do I really care, who will know except if I sell it or post it on PS.
 
I read somewhere on some website or out here that people should go no lower than an SI1 for an engagement ring. My boyfriend even called another jewelry store and they said they don''t even seel I''s.

I know there is a price difference to upgrade to an SI, but can someone give me an idea as to how much that might be. We are prepared to pay the difference, just want to be prepared before we walk in to our jeweler.


Thank you everyone for your information.
 
Date: 10/28/2009 8:52:01 PM
Author: MissRedd
ok, Yes yes yes...that line is the girdle reflection! That is exactly what it looks like. SO that is normal and ALL diamonds have this?


That eases my mind if it is so. Is that the white dot I''m seeing from the top when the room is dimly lit? Is it the girdle reflection too?


Perhaps that isn''t the feather at all then. If that''s the case then I can''t see any inclusions in this diamond. This would be great news!


Thank you everyone so much for your help!


36.gif
36.gif
Click to expand...

Is the white dot you''re seeing in dim light in the very center of the diamond? Is it very symmetrical (i.e., looks perfectly round, not irregular shaped)? In other lighting conditions does it disappear or turn a different color -- darker?
 
is this picture from your avatar your ring?

teresakring2.jpg
 
If your boyfriend (FI?) is determined to upgrade it, before doing so, can you check to see when your return period is up? Possibly you can find an SI stone for the price you paid for the I1 stone (since that one was purchased at a B&M)?

Everyone is so particular about what clarity they would be okay with. Personally, I''d want my eng. ring to be an SI1 or better. That''s just me, though. . .I''d go down in size for a better clarity (and have chosen to do so with purchases.)
 
Yes, that is my engagement ring in my avatar. It is a beautiful diamond. It sparkles a lot. Wish I could take a picture of it sparkling.

What is a B&M?
 
Ms, Redd, I think your diamond is very beautiful. And I also think that the white circle you say you can see in the stone is normal -- if it''s the white circle I''m seeing in the photo deco posted. I think it''s another reflection and probably not an inclusion.

But if you are unhappy with even the idea of an I1 -- and some people are, and there''s nothing wrong with that -- you may want to consider looking for another stone that has a better clarity, SI1, SI2 perhaps, or VS2 if you''re very concerned about seeing any inclusions.
 
Is there such a thing as having an eye clean I1? I would think mine would be awfully close to that if so. I don''t see any inclusions if it is true that the little white dot I see when I look at it in a dimly lit room is just a reflection. I don''t see any white dots in my office lighting or store lighting. I see no dark spots and I see no cracks/feathers.

I think i was fine with the I1 until I started to educate myself by reading the posts and now I feel I have an "IMPERFECT" diamond. I''m concerned about the durability of it more than I am the beauty of it. It is beautiful.

Maybe I should be happy with what I have!

What does B&M mean?
 
Yes, there are I1s that meet some standard of being eye clean (since each person seems to define them at different distances, in different lighting). There''s certainly a possibility you have one, which is very fortunate for you. My idea of "money clean" is higher than my idea of "mind clean."
28.gif
The lower of clarity you get that remains eye clean, the better of a financial move, in my opinion. You get the lowest price with no visible difference. You pay very steep prices for perfection, if that''s your main concern.

A B&M is "bricks and mortar" - a "real" jewelry store, not an online vendor.
 
Yes, there are such things as eye-clean I1 stones. The types of inclusions vary from stone to stone, even stones within the same grade level.

"B&M" refers to bricks and motar, meaning a diamond retailer with a retail store you can actually visit, rather than an online business.

Not all inclusions affect durability. I can''t remember from your earlier posts what type of inclusions your stone has -- do you have the grading report?
 
It only says from GIA about the clarity is the reason is Feather. I''d have to look at it tonight to see how it is really worded.
 
Miss Redd, I think you probably have an eye-clean I1. If the thought of owning a stone with the word "imperfect" in its description bothers you, then you can upgrade it. However, you say it''s beautiful, and it sounds as if you can''t actually see the flaw. So it''s more the idea of I1 than the fact of your diamond''s flaw that''s bothering you.

If it were me, I would just be happy with my beautiful diamond.

I own two beautiful I1 diamonds that I''m very happy with. One is eye clean unless I use a magnifying glass (loupe). The other I can see some little specks in if I look carefully. I love them both and would not trade them for higher clarity stones.

But that''s just me. What matters here is how YOU feel about YOUR diamond.
 
Regarding my GIA Report--It says CLARITY CHARACTERISTICS Feather. Should the report tell me where the feather is at?

Also it says NO Fluorescence I''m trying to find if that is good or bad. It sounds like that isn''t good by reading posts out here and that it should have a little bit of fluorescence.

Refresher on stats:

It is I color
I1 clarity
.73
Very Good Cut
Round Brilliant

My GIA Report plastic sleeve has a large orange dot and a small red dot on it. What does that mean?
 
Date: 10/28/2009 7:00:09 PM
Author:MissRedd
I guess this is mine and my bf''s fault because we didn''t do enough research. We had a diamond picked out that had good clarity in the SI range, very good cut, near colorless and our sales lady called to tell us it had sold but she had one that was just as good--didn''t have the clarity. My boyfriend told her that we''d take that one. Sight unseen. Granted it is a BEAUTIFUL diamond, but we didn''t know until last week when we picked up the appraisal papers and the GIA report that we realized it was an I1 diamond with a feather flaw.

That really didn''t bother me until I started reading posts out here. I shared some of these with my boyfriend and now he is determined that we are going to take the ring back and upgrade to an SI1. The diamond is a ''very good'' cut, color I and .73 carat weight.

I couldn''t even see the flaw until last night when I was sitting in a dimly lit room and then I could see what looked like a white dot in the center of the diamond down deep. If I hold the ring up and look at the side I can see a white line across the bottom.

Now I''m bummed and can''t seem to shake it. Is there a huge price difference between an SI1 and an I1? Do we need to upgrade?
Click to expand...
Congrats on your engagement or pending engagement! Can I please offer a suggestion? You and your boyfriend loved your ring until you got on this forum. So......forget the forum and go back to loving your ring. Why upgrade when you think your diamond is beautiful and all was good and happy? This forum is a great educational tool but it can also be a bad thing if it leads you to spend more money when you were perfectly happy before.

Regards,
Lisa
 
Thank you LisaRN. That is exactly what I was thinking. Had I not read so much--I would still be flying high with joy about my diamond. I almost feel like I''ve ruined it by gaining so much knowledge.

My ring is beautiful. I even asked a friend if she could see any flaws in it today. She said she couldn''t see a thing and she thought it was beautiful and she is jealous! :-) What I wanted to hear....lol

Even having said that--I am going tomorrow to my jeweler just to get my ring cleaned and my fiance wants me to ask--JUST ASK--if they have any SI1 diamonds and what they run--and what their other stats are.

I think I''m perfectly fine with just keeping what I have. We''ll see what the jeweler says tomorrow.

Wish everyone on here could see it in person.

I hate the clarity grade being called IMPERFECT. That is a bad word for such a beautiful diamond!
4.gif
 
Date: 10/30/2009 5:36:04 PM
Author: MissRedd

I hate the clarity grade being called IMPERFECT. That is a bad word for such a beautiful diamond!
4.gif
Click to expand...

Aw, I''m glad you''re feeling happier about your ring. And don''t even worry about the terminology - it doesn''t mean that at all! It stands for "included," and is a part of every stone description (except for the flawless ones). A VVS stone? Is very, very slightly included. And so on, and so forth ....
 
I sometimes wonder if it wasn''t listed wrong in clarity, but what do I know. I''m going to talk to the jeweler tomorrow and get more insight. Maybe I can look under a gemscope tomorrow.

I''ll let you know what I find out.
 
Personally, I could not do an I1 unless it was pretty much perfect other than the clarity (I think). But looking at the picture of your stone, it doesn''t look as bad as your mind is telling you
3.gif
I think it''s worth it to LOOK at the si1 stones and see if they just sing to you better than your current one. If not, well no harm was done and you still have a lovely stone. And btw my rings are si2 and although my PS-eye can see inclusions in one of them it is still PERFECT to me. :D really.
 
Swedish Bean... I'm going to look to see what they have for SI1's tomorrow.

How difficult is it to sort of special order a diamond to your specifications? we might want to upgrade to an SI1; G color, VG cut, quarter carat range.

We are going to just see about this diamond tomorrow and if we find that we'd rather have an SI1 we'll start talking money.
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
GET 3 FREE HCA RESULTS JOIN THE FORUM. ASK FOR HELP
Jewelry Blog
PriceScope-Concierge-Ad
Find prime cuts.
Top