Hi bestguesstoo,

I am not by any means a diamond expert, but here is what I think may be happening.

Normally, diamonds are hydrophobic, that is to say the surface of the diamond repells water and does not become wet. So, when a diamond passes over the surface of a grease table, the dry diamond surface adheres to the grease and is captured by it.

When a diamond is covered in a film, from mineral salts etc, the surface of the diamond can now retain moisture and becomes wet when expose to water. When passing over the grease table, the wet diamond cannot adhere to the grease and is washed away with the rest of the tailings.

Moving on from this, if the surface of the diamonds has a film on it, I think that the luminescence of the diamond might also be changed. This, in turn, would render the x-ray sorting equipment ineffective.

I have a lot to learn about diamonds, so please do your own research. I'd hate to be misleading anyone.

We will soon get to know exactly what is happening.

Good luck to all...peterjr