Know Your Diamond Flaws
Knowledge is the key to shopping for diamonds. The more you know, the better the result will be. Most people focus on color, carat weight, clarity and cut, better known as the 4 Cs, when shopping for diamond jewelry.
In this article, we talk about looking at diamonds from a different direction. Instead of focusing on the four Cs, which diamond sales people are trained to discuss in depth, we will take a look at typical diamond flaws.
Diamonds have two types of flaws. Epigenetic refers to flaws made during the formation and are the fault of Mother Nature. Syngenetic refer to flaws after the mining process and tend to be the fault of the jeweler!
Our first flaw is know as a pinpoint inclusion. It appears as a dot of light in the diamond. Do not be fooled, my friend. It is a crystal anomaly. If the point of light does not change location when you move the diamond, you have a pinpoint inclusion.
Are all pinpoint inclusion pieces to be skipped? Not really. They are very common problems. If the inclusion is in an area of the diamond that is not effected by the cut, it really is not a problem. If it is, move on to the next diamond.
Blemishes are found on the exterior surface of diamonds. They are typically epigenetic in nature, meaning they occurred during the cutting or polishing of the diamond. They can often be ground out by a better quality jeweler.
Along these lines, a diamond may be considered to have flaws if it has extra facets. These are essentially extra cuts to the diamond. They indicate the removal of a blemish or other flaw with the diamond. The extra facets are not a negative per se for many people.
A much bigger problem for a diamond is a fracture. This type of flaw refers to a break within the diamond that reaches the surface. They can be filled artificially, but these diamonds should really be avoided unless you are getting a very good deal.
You would think a scratch would be no problem for a diamond. In most cases, you would be right. It would just be polished out. Deeper scratches, however, can be bad news. If you polish too much, the cut can be changed. This can ruin the diamond.
And then we get to controversy. Diamonds can suffer from needles. These needles often make slight tweaks to the cut and clarity of the diamond. This can lead to interesting results including extra brilliance and sparkling.
So, what is a needle? It is a microscopic opening in roughly the shape of a needle that runs through the diamond. It is not visible to the naked eye, but will do unique things to the sparkle and color of the diamond. This can be good or bad, of course.
At the end of the day, it is the very rare diamond that does not have some minor flaw. Understanding what these flaws are is critical to the selection process. Figure out what you can live with and then find that special diamond.
Tags: Fashion