Diamond Cuts Explained

By Jeff Ostroff

Diamond Clarity
Diamond clarity is important. Diamonds have natural flaws called inclusions and blemishes inside the diamond. These can be tiny air bubbles, black carbon deposits, clouds, or feather cracks. Look at ice cubes, you'll see they crack inside and look like white feathers. On the external surface blemishes can be chips, imperfect corners, scratches, or pits on the surface. Some diamond flaws are so small you need a microscope to see, or a 10x loupe. Some flaws are so bad Mr. Magoo can see them. The easier flaws are to see, the worse the diamond is. The diamond will not properly bounce light as it should and will not sparkle as much as you'd like. Ideally you want zero inclusions in your diamond. But life is a trade off, the fewer inclusions, the more it costs. The more it costs, the more inclusions you'll be willing to live with! Once again the GIA and the AGS are there for us with more standards. Below is the GIA Color Grading Scale, and the AGS scales, graded by looking at the diamond through a 10x loupe. Most jewelers use the GIA scale. As you shop the mall jewelry stores, the tags may have the GIA letters on them. The ones you'll see the most of are VS2, SI1, and SI2, typically the ones you and I can afford. Diamond color clarity has a big effect on price.

Clarity Enhanced Diamonds

Diamond engagement rings with clarity enhanced diamonds are a short cut to be avoided. Some diamond jewelry contains clarity enhanced diamonds, reworked losers, without a GIA cert, as GIA does not grade clarity enhanced diamonds. Some jewelers use a laser to vaporize black carbon deposits inside flawed diamonds, leaving a white track similar to ski tracks, that a trained jeweler could easily spot with a 10x loupe. Some jewelers perform fracture filling by injecting temporary clear solids whose index of refraction simulates diamond. But these are temporary solutions to permanent problems, band aids, that make your gem look 1-2 grades higher. Over time, humidity, and temperature extremes, clarity enhanced diamonds don't last. Some jewelers don't tell you it's a clarity enhanced diamond, and if you get one, it better be priced much less than other gems of the same color and clarity level. Clarity enhanced diamonds are like buying a car that's been in a wreck, then painted over. This is why I tell you to bring the Diamond Engagement Ring Buying Guide with you to the jewelry store for the clarity charts and photos of clarity enhanced diamonds The jeweler knows they cannot pull the wool over your eyes.