Diamond Blemishes and More
Every time diamond shopping is discussed, you will here the same thing. A great debate on the four Cs of diamonds, the infamous cut, clarity, color and carat weight. The four Cs are incredibly important, but they are not the entire story.
Relying on the four Cs is important, but there is a downside to it. Sales people know them through and through, if you know what I mean. A different approach that can separate the good from the bad is to look for diamond flaws instead.
Diamond problems tend to come in two categories. Problems that occurred after mining are known as epigenetic. Problems that arose while the diamond was being formed deep under ground are known as syngenetic.
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.
Should you buy diamonds with pinpoint inclusion flaws? Personally, I do not think so, but other people feel they are acceptable so long as the flaw is in an unobtrusive location. You will simply have to evaluate the diamond you are looking at and make up your own mind.
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.
If you see a diamond with extra facets, you might wonder why? It is there because a problem had to be cut off. There is no way to know if they problem was natural or jeweler error, so you just have to evaluate whether you are comfortable buying it.
The world fracture connotates big problems. The same is true when talking about diamond fractures. It is a break in the diamond somewhere. Avoid these diamonds. Also, be aware that some jewelers will try to fill the fracture and pass them off as regular diamonds.
A rather practical diamond flaw is a scratch. Scratches are not a huge problem unless they are on the top table surface. Even then, they can usually be polished out. A deeper scratch, however, can be a diamond killer as polishing is impossible.
Needles are another flaw that is fairly controversial among diamond lovers and jewelers. Some, such as myself, do not view them as flaws. In many cases, a diamond with a special quality is actually a diamond with a needle that is reflecting the light oddly.
Your average needle is an elongated open valley within the diamond. It is so small that you cannot see it. It is big enough, however, to slightly tweak the light passing through and create stunning brilliance and sparkle.
Diamonds are organic matter condensed under pressure and heated to amazing temperatures. This means they are inherently going to have one flaw or another. Still, understanding the above will keep you from buying something with little quality.