Air bubble in a diamond?

moosejaw My Profile Registered User : offline Joined: 04-23-03 Posts: 60 Years: My Karma Power: 41 Points: 10 Hits: Out=0, In=1	Post#1 @ 05-05-03 , 11:38 PM A woman just told me about a diamond she bought, and paid 3k for a .92 stone, but was told she got a deal on it due to the fact it has an "air bubble" under the table? Does this effect the stone at all? Just wondering. -G

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Post#2 @ 05-05-03 , 11:45 PM

A deal? I dunno about that. I have a diamond that has an inclusion that looks like an air bubble. I'm not sure what this type of inclusion is called. Mine is a .70 rb, I'm guessing it's an H/I and probably an SI2(although represented as an si1) and it was $780. I've seen similar diamonds from the same seller that I got mine from in that size for $1200 or so. I guess it would depend on whether or not the inclusion can be seen with the naked eye. Maybe some experts will chime in and help better than I can but I think they will probably need more info such as whether or not the diamond has been graded by a lab and what the specs are.

To me the inclusion in mine affects the light return. Also, I like to be able to look down into the diamond and see the depth and the inclusion in mine kept me from seeing the depth. I hope that makes some sense. LOL

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Last edited by msmithmomx2 : 05-05-03 at 11:47 PM.

moosejaw My Profile Registered User : offline Joined: 04-23-03 Posts: 60 Years: My Karma Power: 41 Points: 10 Hits: Out=0, In=1	Post#3 @ 05-06-03 , 12:46 AM I agree with the light return issue, even though she says you cannot see the bubble, which I dont completely understand. I'd love to hear some other opinions about it. I was wondering about it possibly making the diamond weaker, and possibly prone to breaking due to the imperfection. -G

Diamond in the Ruck My Profile Registered User : offline Joined: 12-31-01 Posts: 571 Years: My Karma Power: 52 Points: 10	Probably not Post#4 @ 05-06-03 , 12:51 AM It is probably not an airbubble. Probably an included crystal that looks like an airbubble. It is like carbon spec. Generally not the real deal just an included crystal.
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Diamond in the Ruck My Profile Registered User : offline Joined: 12-31-01 Posts: 571 Years: My Karma Power: 52 Points: 10	Post#5 @ 05-06-03 , 12:52 AM ps what was the color and clarity if you are that good of friends to share such personal information . Air Bubble sounds like a sales pitch.
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Post#6 @ 05-06-03 , 12:56 AM

I would think an air bubble would be impossible in a diamond--after all, a diamond is made of carbon, and carbon is lighter (?) than air, so air would sink to the bottom of whatever the carbon was being pressurized in, not be stuck in the middle of it. But I haven't taken geology since junior high, so I don't have a clue if what I just wrote had any basis in reality.

I've seen drilled diamonds where the empty spot that used to contain black carbon looked like it had an air bubble. Could the person who sold your friend the diamond have misled her?

In any case, I would think any open area in a diamond would compromise it's strength.

Mag

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moosejaw My Profile Registered User : offline Joined: 04-23-03 Posts: 60 Years: My Karma Power: 41 Points: 10 Hits: Out=0, In=1	Post#7 @ 05-06-03 , 01:20 AM I had never heard of an air bubble either...I may have to ask her about the possibility of drilling. I am a firm believer in if it is too good to be true, it is.

Diamond in the Ruck My Profile Registered User : offline Joined: 12-31-01 Posts: 571 Years: My Karma Power: 52 Points: 10	Post#8 @ 05-06-03 , 01:28 AM I sold a .90 H SI2 for 2300 last week but not many people beat my prices in BM stores. Probably was to good to be true.
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moosejaw My Profile Registered User : offline Joined: 04-23-03 Posts: 60 Years: My Karma Power: 41 Points: 10 Hits: Out=0, In=1	Post#9 @ 05-06-03 , 01:31 AM Well I will talk with her and guide her to DT so she can read about things before she does them. However she seems a little bit stuck on the deal part, and the price. Oh well, its out of my hands. I just hate seeing people get ripped.

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Post#10 @ 05-06-03 , 02:05 PM

Moosejaw,
Even though the spot in her diamond might look like an "air bubble" it isn't. Its probably a "negative crystal". This can look like a bubble, but if you look closely enough you can make out distinct crystal faces. You grade for these inclusions just like any other inclusion, so getting a "discount" for this is like getting a discount for a feather, veil or cloud. 3K for a 92 pointer seems low which would indicate that the inclusion is large enough to make the clarity grade around I2.
That said, I personally think that these sort of inclusions are really neat. Looking at them under a microscope gives you a real sense of wonder at how these things come to be formed. I've seen a couple of stones that have had included garnet crystals that lend a greenish or orangish cast to the finished stone.

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Paul-Antwerp My Profile Joined: 06-28-01 Posts: 295 Years: My Karma Power: 0 Points: 10 Hits: Out=344, In=0	Post#11 @ 05-08-03 , 05:06 PM If this stone really contains an airbubble, it is certainly not a diamond, and most probably glass. Maybe, this is a case of using the wrong word while describing the stone, but I find this very dangerous to comment on. Live long, Paul

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