Flawless vs. Internally Flawless

[kenny]

I just bought an internally flawless diamond per the June 2006 AGS report.
It is .924 ct I IF Whiteflash ACA.
HCA 1.1, a real fireball.
On the report plots there are no marks in either green or red ink.

I quickly looked at the skin of the stone using a fine Zeiss 66x stereo microscope and noticed no imperfections, so I am wondering why they didn't call it flawless.
Certainly I am not a gemologist and there could be something that I didnt spot in my quick examination that set the grade at IF and not flawless.

Am I correct in assuming an IF can (and does) have external flaws, but a flawless stone can not have internal or external flaws (within the guidlenes, 10x loupe blah blah blah)?

And since mine is IF why are the grade-setting external flaws not indicated on the plots?
What kind of things drops the grade from flawless to IF?
Could they be either man made, such as faint polish marks, or something natural to the stone?
And would you say if it is IF there must be something on the skin, I just have not found it yet?

What kind of things should I be looking for?
Or can you say with confidence if AGS graded it IF, the grade-setting flaw must be so minor that I would never spot it without years of training and experience.

One reason I'm asking is to know my stone by its flaw(s) if I ever turn it into a jewler for any reason.

 

[kcoursolle]

There''s probably still stuff that can be seen with a microscope higher than 10x, that is too small to show up on a plot.

 

[WinkHPD]

The definition of Flawless is no flaws or inclusions under 10x magnification.

It is entirely possible to have a tiny nick or chip or polishing defect that can be seen at 10x that is not bad enough to destroy the ideal polish grade. If this were done it would in effect "double ding" the stone as the stone has already been "downgraded" from Flawless to Internally Flawless.

Please understand that a Flawless grade is incredibly hard to acheive and that Internally Flawless is also incredibly rare, so the very term downgraded to an Internally Flawless is probably a little harsh for the reality of the treasure that you now have. Many diamonds of Internally Flawless nature are actually impossible to cut to Flawless because of their refusal to accept a perfect polish, while still accepting a polish worthy of the Ideal grade from AGS.

Wink

 

[WinkHPD]

P.S. try using indirect or difussed lighting to detect surface polishing grain lines or imperfections. Try oblique lighting too, it is often extremely difficult to locate these tiny imperfections.

Wink

 

[Giangi]

I''m guessing there might be negligible graining, faint polish lines (so faint and slight that they do not prevent the stone from getting excellent or ideal polish) or very minor external characteristics which are generally very hard to find. Or maybe a very small pit on the pavilion...or a smaaall natural confined to the girdle and not marked. As Wink said, there are many factors playing a part. Congrats on getting a rare stone!

 

[JohnQuixote]

Good input here.

I may be reiterating what others have posted Kenny, but to receive AGS 0* clarity (* internally flawless) there must be no inclusions and only minor blemishes when examined by a skilled grader under 10X magnification and proper lighting. In this case AGS requires a comment on the accomanying grading report, for example 'minor details of finish not shown.' In all cases 'not shown' means a non-factor. This may be some minor abrasion, surface graining or other blemish.

Wink is correct in saying that AGS does not count the same characteristic under both clarity and polish.

As for turning it in to your jeweler; you do have the girdle inscription to go by. If you have access to a microscope and a camera you could get crazy with your blemish-location and take some hi-powered photos. If you do, maybe you could share them here.

 

[kenny]

Wink wrote:
"Many diamonds of Internally Flawless nature are actually impossible to cut to Flawless because of their refusal to accept a perfect polish, while still accepting a polish worthy of the Ideal grade from AGS."

What does this mean"refusal to accept a perfect polish"?

Is diamond similar to wood in that it has a grain at affects your ability to work with it?
With wood you can never get as smooth a finish on the end grain as you can when working with the grain.
It is simply a property of the wood and is no reflection on the woodworker.

 

[WinkHPD]

Diamond definitely has grain but maybe I am wrong to call it that, that is a better question for the cutters, but I do know that some facets are MUCH harder to polish than others, depending on how it orients to the crystal structure. I once had a fairly large stone sent to EightStar for recutting and it took nearly a month just to polish the table. EightStar lost money on THAT stone!

Richard von Sternberg told me that it was finished as a matter of pride and the joy of the challenge to do something that was so far beyond the norm in difficulty.

Wink

 

[diagem]

Date: 9/5/2006 4:40:34 PM
Author: kenny
Wink wrote:
''Many diamonds of Internally Flawless nature are actually impossible to cut to Flawless because of their refusal to accept a perfect polish, while still accepting a polish worthy of the Ideal grade from AGS.''

What does this mean''refusal to accept a perfect polish''?

Is diamond similar to wood in that it has a grain at affects your ability to work with it?
With wood you can never get as smooth a finish on the end grain as you can when working with the grain.
It is simply a property of the wood and is no reflection on the woodworker.

Diamonds are still the hardest substance on earth..., unlike wood.
If you try to polish the diamonds "natural" plane, it would be IMPOSIBLE..., unless you apply some sorth of angle to it.

As far a i know, all "flawless" graded diamonds are automatically graded Internaly Flawless when set in Jewelry.
All of the above are right answers, because of the hardness of diamonds, it is nearly imposible to eliminate all (100%) of the "minor polish details on the finished diamond itself.

As far as i know, GIA will not issue a IF or F grade if the diamond possesses "internal graining", but not all labs see eye to eye, HRD labs in Europe will issue a IF grade to diamonds which possess internal graining.

Hope this helps,