I think I am cursed :(

[PrecisionGem]

I think the word "polishing" is kind of misused when it comes to stones. Every operation is actually cutting, the final operation is just cutting with a very fine grit. So if a stone has a chip in it, you need to cut the chip out, and then re-polish the facet. Scratches can be removed sometimes with out deep cutting, so they can be "cut" out with essentially a lap that is both cutting an polishing. Deeper damages require cutting. The problem arrises when you cut down one facet to remove a chip, you have now lost the meet points to the adjacent facets. On a stone like this one with a complicated crown with very uniform facets you would have to recut the entire crown, and then polish it to make all the facets meet up again. The challenge here is to get the stone re-dopped exactly square to the dop, and oriented exactly the same. With simple round designs, this is easier to do. If the stone is not perfectly dopped, the you go fishing around for every facet angle. This design is hard enough to cut when the stone is perfectly aligned.

Removing scratches or small chips from a commercially cut stone is a bit easier, since the cutting is usually pretty bad and nothing really lines up correctly anyways, it doesn''t matter if you over cut a facet here and there to clean them up.

 

[LD]

Oh Cind I do feel for you. If it''s any consolation, I had a blue diamond chipped by an idiot jeweller. As it''s not something I can easily replace I chose to hide it with the setting. I know it''s there but nobody else does. My point? Try to forget about it. Nobody looks at gemstones with a loupe (apart from us PS''ers of course) so it''ll be our secret.

 

[D&T]

aaahhh, Darn it. so sorry this has happened, but glad it''s only loop seen which is a major positive if a chip can be a positive.

 

[Cind11]

Thanks loriken and CravingDiamonds.

 

[Cind11]

Date: 6/26/2009 12:24:45 PM
Author: PrecisionGem
I think the word ''polishing'' is kind of misused when it comes to stones. Every operation is actually cutting, the final operation is just cutting with a very fine grit. So if a stone has a chip in it, you need to cut the chip out, and then re-polish the facet. Scratches can be removed sometimes with out deep cutting, so they can be ''cut'' out with essentially a lap that is both cutting an polishing. Deeper damages require cutting. The problem arrises when you cut down one facet to remove a chip, you have now lost the meet points to the adjacent facets. On a stone like this one with a complicated crown with very uniform facets you would have to recut the entire crown, and then polish it to make all the facets meet up again. The challenge here is to get the stone re-dopped exactly square to the dop, and oriented exactly the same. With simple round designs, this is easier to do. If the stone is not perfectly dopped, the you go fishing around for every facet angle. This design is hard enough to cut when the stone is perfectly aligned.

Removing scratches or small chips from a commercially cut stone is a bit easier, since the cutting is usually pretty bad and nothing really lines up correctly anyways, it doesn''t matter if you over cut a facet here and there to clean them up.

Gene, I''m glad you chimed in with the explanation. While I understood what you told me on the phone, I would not have been able to reiterate it.

 

[Cind11]

Thanks LovingDiamonds and D&T. I guess it''s a mind clean thing. That''s why it bothers me. But I know I will eventually forget about it.

 

[Stone Hunter]

I''m so sorry. It stinks but only PSers would use a loupe to check your jewelry. And I don''t carry mine to the grocery store so you''re safe!

Feel better soon.