Can you scratch a diamond with tweasers?

[justinislooking]

I was just looking at our diamond with tweasers and it slipped. I could feel the tweasers scraping against the diamond. It made me very uncomfortable... it was worse than nails on a chalk board. I looked the diamond over with a 10x loupe (that a guy at Kay''s gave me for free - thanks!) and couldn''t find any scratches. I''m pretty paranoid about scratching it every time I pick it up right now.

 

[Diamond Explorer]

it is impossible to scratch a diamond with tweasers. Diamond is the hardest substance and can only be scratched by another diamond. However, mishandling a diamond could cause it to crack and chip. Be careful when handling a loose diamond and dont use much force to avoid damage.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Date: 5/16/2009 10:07:03 PM
Author: Diamond Explorer
it is impossible to scratch a diamond with tweasers. Diamond is the hardest substance and can only be scratched by another diamond. However, mishandling a diamond could cause it to crack and chip. Be careful when handling a loose diamond and dont use much force to avoid damage.

Actually it is possible to scrath a diamond with tweezers, but the scratch is that left by the metal on the diamond.
It is quite common on bruted non polished girdles for e.g.

but the force required to chip a diamond with tweezers would be beyond imagination.

 

[Moh 10]

Garry, you wrote, "Actually it is possible to scrath a diamond with tweezers, but the scratch is that left by the metal on the diamond.
It is quite common on bruted non polished girdles for e.g."

I don't think that is scratching of the diamond.
I think those marks are actually fine metal particles which the diamond scratched off the tweezer, much like the metal filings left in a file, or sawdust in used sandpaper.

 

[Diamond Explorer]

I think the highest risk from improperly handling tweasers is snapping them closed and sending the diamond across the room and hiding it somewhere difficult to find.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Date: 5/16/2009 10:51:50 PM
Author: Moh 10
Garry, you wrote, ''Actually it is possible to scrath a diamond with tweezers, but the scratch is that left by the metal on the diamond.
It is quite common on bruted non polished girdles for e.g.''

I don''t think that is scratching of the diamond.
I think those marks are actually fine metal particles which the diamond scratched off the tweezer, much like the metal filings left in a file, or sawdust in used sandpaper.

Of course Moh, I thought that was clear?

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 5/16/2009 10:29:49 PM
Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)



but the force required to chip a diamond with tweezers would be beyond imagination.

except for the culet by picking it up by it?
Maybe princess corners?

 

[Diamond Explorer]

Date: 5/16/2009 11:04:33 PM
Author: strmrdr

Date: 5/16/2009 10:29:49 PM

Author: Garry H (Cut Nut)





but the force required to chip a diamond with tweezers would be beyond imagination.

except for the culet by picking it up by it?

Maybe princess corners?

yep, thats what I was worried about, the points can be fragile.

 

[Moh 10]

Thanks Garry.
I guess it is just semantics.

I thought "it is possible to scratch a diamond with tweezers" meant actually scratching the diamond.

I'd probably have selected the term "leaving marks on the diamond".

 

[Diamond Explorer]

Date: 5/16/2009 11:07:49 PM
Author: Moh 10
Thanks Garry.

I guess it is just semantics.


I thought ''it is possible to scratch a diamond with tweezers'' meant actually scratching the diamond.


I''d probably have selected the term ''leaving marks on the diamond''.

couldn''t those be removed with the proper brush or acid bath?

 

[justinislooking]

Thanks folks. Diamonds are so tiny and valuable that I just had to make sure. I heard some people say that diamonds could be broken rather easily, not necessarily scratched, but broken. This made me think that diamonds may not be as durable as typically thought.

Also, one time I went to Jared and asked them to show me a certain stone. The lady dropped the stone into the bottom of the microscope where the light was. She then proceeded to repeatedly fail to pick it up. When I saw it under the microscope, it looked just like it had been scratched along the table from her failure to pick it up. I guess I was wrong though.

 

[Diamond Explorer]

Date: 5/16/2009 11:15:30 PM
Author: justinislooking
Thanks folks. Diamonds are so tiny and valuable that I just had to make sure. I heard some people say that diamonds could be broken rather easily, not necessarily scratched, but broken. This made me think that diamonds may not be as durable as typically thought.


Also, one time I went to Jared and asked them to show me a certain stone. The lady dropped the stone into the bottom of the microscope where the light was. She then proceeded to repeatedly fail to pick it up. When I saw it under the microscope, it looked just like it had been scratched along the table from her failure to pick it up. I guess I was wrong though.

What you saw was probably just a piece of lint that the diamond attracted while in the light well. They attract dirt, grime, and grease like no other.

It takes a very steady hand to make handling diamonds graceful.

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 5/16/2009 11:15:30 PM
Author: justinislooking
Thanks folks. Diamonds are so tiny and valuable that I just had to make sure. I heard some people say that diamonds could be broken rather easily, not necessarily scratched, but broken. This made me think that diamonds may not be as durable as typically thought.

Also, one time I went to Jared and asked them to show me a certain stone. The lady dropped the stone into the bottom of the microscope where the light was. She then proceeded to repeatedly fail to pick it up. When I saw it under the microscope, it looked just like it had been scratched along the table from her failure to pick it up. I guess I was wrong though.

Rest assured that anything you saw was a foreign substance on the diamond, not caused by the trip to the well in the microscope, else I would have ruined many a diamond...

The culets and points such as the corners of a princess cut can be easilychipped by mishandling, which is why I use the soft nosed tweezers in my videos. (I got yelled at by Lieve Peters, Paul''s partner at Infinity before I started doing so. She was totally correct about it too!) (Really, I am not just saying that since I will see her in only ten days at Vegas and do not want her to yell at me again!!!) (HONEST!)

Wink

 

[Ellen]

Date: 5/16/2009 10:57:05 PM
Author: Diamond Explorer
I think the highest risk from improperly handling tweasers is snapping them closed and sending the diamond across the room and hiding it somewhere difficult to find.

Yes. Brings to mind that restaurant scene from Pretty Woman with the escargot.

 

[gottabekin]

For a second I was reading "Can you catch a diamond with tweasers?" lol.

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

Date: 5/17/2009 9:14:09 AM
Author: gottabekin
For a second I was reading ''Can you catch a diamond with tweasers?'' lol.

Ah, yes. Mr. Miyagi style.

Sorry. Couldn''t resist.

 

[Rhino]

The only concern handling diamonds with tweezers insofar as any kind of damage is concerned is as strm pointed out. The culet or the points (corners) on a princess cut. More than often when we call in princess cuts we find chipped corners which can be caused by not being careful when handling. On a round and when grabbed on the girdle should be no prob and is likely what Garry said.

 

[diagem]

Sometimes the metal of the tweezers can leave a dark mark smack on the facet junctions..., and the most effective fashion of getting rid of those marks is by boiling the Diamond...