What Is A Clarity Enhanced Diamond?
For centuries, clarity enhancement on diamonds, sapphires, citrine, emeralds, and other gemstones has been a means of treatment to help improve the visual appearance. Commenced in 1982 by a diamond cutter, Zvi Yehuda, whose origin is in Israel, fracture filling diamonds was a new way of enhancing cracked diamonds with molten glass to improve diamond’s clarity. Read on to learn more about clarity-enhanced diamonds.
What Are Clarity-Enhanced Diamonds?
Clarity enhanced diamonds are natural gemstones with visible imperfections like blemishes, inclusions, or flaws and later undergo a treatment process to mitigate or remove them. The process may involve various methods before achieving the desired brilliance. Almost all natural diamonds have inclusions and imperfections. And it is such imperfections and inclusions that affect the clarity grade, which is measured to gauge how flawless a diamond is.
Are Clarity Enhanced Diamonds Real?
100% yes! The clarity enhancement process is performed on natural diamonds to give naturally occurring flaws or enhance the imperfections revealed from the cutting and polishing process of the diamond.
How Diamond Clarity is Enhanced
Diamond clarity enhancement can occur in four types; deep boiling, laser drilling, fracture filling, and special laser drilling. The main reason for using these methods is to minimize the visible inclusions in a diamond.
Laser Drilling
Laser drilling is a method used for diamonds that have black inclusions not reaching the surface. The laser burns a microscopic hole that opens up into the black inclusion. Then, after inclusion is opened, a deep boiling is done to get rid of dark materials and clear the inclusion.
However, the GIA does not recommend this procedure because the tunnels will compromise the durability of the diamond. That is one of the main reasons a jewelry store will legally disclose that the diamond has undergone laser drilling.
Fracture Filling
This process consists of inclusion cavities filled with microscopic silicon, molten glass, and other compounds. It is one of the best for getting rid of feather-type inclusions that entail empty cavities. Fracture filling is common when a diamond undergoes special laser drilling to fill the hole.
The filling process will improve the diamond’s appearance and brilliance. However, when observed from above, the diamond will appear flawless, but the filling tends to disrupt light passage into the diamond through its facets in an angular view.
For more information on diamond clarity enhancement, visit J. Vincent Jewelers. We have a comprehensive collection of custom engagement rings to suit your taste. You can also contact us to learn more about our latest designs.