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CLARITY ENHANCEMENT AND FRACTURE FILLED DIAMONDS – TREATED DIAMONDS

18th April 2017 By Coby Shalev

Clarity enhancement relates to the process of restoring and

improving the overall appearance of a diamond by removing or

hiding its inclusions. This can be done by filling cracks or fractures

and removing inclusions.

Zvi Yehuda, an Israeli diamond cutter, developed this process in

1982. This process works best for diamonds that have a few small

cracks. It can usually improve the clarity of a diamond by one grade

and should not impact other elements of the stone, such as the

weight or the colour. You can spot a fracture-filled diamond with

ease using a microscope or 10x diamond loupe. By adjusting and

turning the stone from side to side you will notice the colour change

from a purple to a yellowy shade. This has been caused by the

treatment.

Advantages

Low cost – The ability to buy a cleaner and larger diamond for less

money.

Higher grading – Clarity grading boosted by one or two grades.

Disadvantages

Is this really a cost efficient option? You pay less money and it may

appear that you have more value. But in reality the inclusions are

still there and the diamond has also been weakened. See below.

Post treatment the stone will be weaker and more susceptible to

damage, either from wear or tear, resizing or remounting.

Often it is too risky and complicated to treat a diamond – the stone

may be too small or too heavily marked.

The appearance of the stone may diminish. Some experts believe a

higher grading will not be achieved because the stone’s appearance

could diminish over time.

Clarity Enhanced Diamonds

Advanced technology nowadays has enabled the jewellery industry to

improve the visual appearance of lower grade diamonds by the process of

laser drilling or fracture filling. This practice is referred to as "clarity

enhancement". Laser drilling, and fracture filling treatments result in an

unnatural product. These diamonds have been altered and are no longer

considered "natural" diamonds.

The treatments are permanent as long as the diamonds are never introduced

to a jeweller’s torch (as in sizing or mounting). High heat or any type of acid or

caustic substance will not affect a natural diamond. A treated or an enhanced

diamond will crack or break in these environments.

The cost of treated diamonds should be at least 50% less than a natural

diamond. Some retail jewellers do not disclose the fact that a diamond has

been fracture-filled or laser drilled. Jewellers can simply write the abbreviation

“CE” for “clarity enhanced” on the paperwork. An unsuspecting customer

might never know what that means. For customers who wish to purchase

diamonds as an investment treated diamonds cannot and will not appreciate

in value or hold value as would an untreated diamond.

Laser Drilled Diamonds

Description: Laser drilling creates a minuscule passageway into the heart of a

diamond. This is a small tunnel that is used to reach a large inclusion in a

diamond. The manmade opening allows for further treatments, such as boiling

out included crystals with acid. In other cases, an internal fracture, feather or

knot, can be laser drilled to create a passageway to introduce glass-like

substances that soften or minimize their appearance. Once a laser-drilled hole

is filled, the Federal Trade Commission states the treatment must be

disclosed.

Detection: Laser drilled holes are sometimes noticeable without the aid of a

10X loupe but it is thought that the drilling is less noticeable than a natural

birthmark in a stone, such as black carbon. When looking through the pavilion

of a diamond the facets reflect the drill hole, so it appears that there is more

than one. The purple pools of colour at the bottom of the drill holes are called

a “flash effect” and signal that the area has been treated with a diamond-filling

compound to make it appear clearer.

Fracture Filled Diamonds

Description: This treatment process eliminates most eye-visible fractures and

feathers in a natural diamond. The artificial filler does not add any colouring or

measurable weight to a treated stone. Fracture filled diamonds are hard to

detect with the naked eye because the filler closely matches a diamond’s

refractive index. While treatment can improve a stone’s clarity, it cannot be

used to fill voids and laser drilled holes in a diamond. The treatment is

permanent even under prolonged exposure to sunlight and ultraviolet lighting.

However, the direct heat of a jeweller’s torch and contact with acid can alter

the treatment.

Detection: This treatment is virtually impossible to detect with the naked eye,

but every fracture filled diamond has a built-in signature called the “flash

effect”. All fracture filled diamonds will reflect either a purplish-blue or green

colour when examined under a 10X loupe.

Fracture filled diamonds cost approximately 50% less than comparable non-

treated diamonds.

Israel Diamond Supply does not carry or sell any treated diamonds,

including laser drilled and fracture filled diamonds. Furthermore, Israel

Diamond Supply advises against the purchase of any treated diamonds.

It is always a better investment to own a smaller, natural, unaltered

diamond rather than a larger treated diamond.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

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