A diamond’s overall appearance is affected by 4 main characteristics – its cut, color, carat weight and clarity. Clarity refers to the look of internal characteristics of a diamond called inclusions, and surface defects called blemishes.
Types of inclusions:
Crystal and mineral inclusions – small bits of crystals and minerals can be imbedded in diamonds, maybe even smaller diamonds. These are not usually seen without magnification, as most inclusions are invisible to the naked eye.
Pinpoint inclusions – these are small bits of light or dark crystals that can create a hazy area in the diamond, called a cloud, if grouped together. Laser lines – are vapor-like trails left behind by lasers which are used to remove dark inclusions from the stone.
They look like thin strands of thread that begin from the diamond’s surface and stretch inwards.
Feathers – are tiny cracks in the stone that do not usually affect it unless they reach the surface, making the diamond prone to shattering, even by small knocks.
Cleavage – a diamond’s biggest weakness that has the potential to split the diamond apart if hit at the correct angle. It looks like a straight crack with no feathering.
Bearding – these are hair-like lines that appear on the girdle during cutting. These are usually polished away or removed by re-cutting the diamond. Grains lines – or growth lines, are created by irregular crystallization during diamond formation.
Scratches – are fine surface lines that can be usually polished away. A diamond has to be removed from its setting in order to be polished properly.
Nicks – are small chipped off portions of the diamond. These can be resolved by polishing them to create an extra facet.
Pits – are holes in a diamond’s facet. If shallow, these pits can be sometimes polished away, but will likely affect the stone’s clarity grade, especially if the pit occurs on the table facet
Natural – is a portion of a diamond’s original rough surface that has not been polished. It is usually found on the girdle and does not affect a diamond’s clarity grade.
Inclusions are all part of diamonds and can vary greatly in the natural creation of the diamond.
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