Clarity Enhanced Diamonds can contribute nice savings for person finding for a diamond. You can get a "nicer" brilliant for less money. But should you?
First you have to understand what "clarity enhanced" means. "Clarity enhanced diamonds" are diamonds that went straight through any of a amount of processes used to enhance a diamonds level of clarity. Diamonds have all sorts of blemishes and inclusions inside, many of which cannot be seen to the naked eye, but they still exist. The blemishes take down the value, and sometimes, when they are big enough or dark enough, can have a real work on on the appearance of the diamond.
The varied processes used to enhance a diamond's clarity are:
• Laser Drilling
• Fracture Filling
• Deep Boiling
Laser Drilling is a process in which a laser is used to drill a tunnel into the brilliant in order to remove an inclusion. The inclusion might be dissolved by use of a chemical explication applied via the tunnel.
Laser Drilling will leave a tiny line which can be seen when looked at under a microscope from the sides, and you will see a simple tiny white dot when finding from the top.
Some laser enhancements also generate cracks around the inclusions. That sounds pretty bad, as if the brilliant is being ruined. The truth is though that these marks and "cracks" honestly look more natural and nicer than the inclusions. It turns out that even though you are doing some minor damage to the stone, you are still enhancing it.
It is honestly a misnomer to say you have damaged the brilliant by creating cracks, but I use that term because that is what it seems to be, not because that is what it honestly is doing. When this process is done, those inclusions are gone forever, and the impel of the brilliant remains intact - this tunnel or "cracks" will not work on the time to come impel of the diamond. As well, the inclusions removed are permanently removed - they will not return after some time. Sometimes they might fill the tunnel with a filler substance.
The Gia will not warrant diamonds that have been enhanced by laser drilling.
Fracture Filling is a process in which tiny fractures, or cracks, are filled with a clear substance. Nothing is honestly being done to the diamond, but the appearance is being improved. The crack is not being "fixed", but they become even more imperceptible or difficult to detect (with the naked eye).
Fracture Filling is not permanent. The filler material can erode, or darken, over time, via exposure to the sunlight, heat, cleaning materials, etc.
The fracture filling process can only be done to stones where the inclusion reaches the surface. Because no drilling is being done, the only way to inject the filler material is via the natural "hole", meaning the hole has to reach the surface.
The Gia will not warrant stones that have been enhanced with fracture filling.
Deep Boiling is a process in which the brilliant is boiled under deep pressure using a highly acidic solution. This process can only be performed on a brilliant where the flaw reaches the surface, as the material inside the flaw has to be able to come out and no drilling is being done.
Deep boiling is not a process for filling the hole or cavity, no external filler material is being inserted into the diamond. It is simply removing the "dirt" that is inside the diamond. The inclusion or flaw will remain, but it will be the color of the brilliant instead of a black dot.
The Gia will warrant stones that have been deep boiled. This process is so common, it is a appropriate and does not need to be mentioned. brilliant manufacturers will already just throw in whole batches of diamonds into the boiler without even inspecting them first to see which need it. It is simply part of the cleaning process.
In my opinion there is nothing wrong with a clarity enhanced diamond. If you are finding to buy a larger brilliant or one with a best color, but it would be beyond your budget, getting one that is clarity enhanced is a great way to get a larger brilliant for cheaper. The only problem is when the seller does not disclose the facts that the brilliant has been enhanced - if you are made to believe you are buying a non-enhanced brilliant and are paying the value of a non-enhanced diamond, but then the seller gives you a brilliant that has been enhanced, that is fraud like any other. As long as you know that is what you are buying there is nothing wrong with it. The integrity of the brilliant has not been damaged. This is because I believe that diamonds are bought for their beauty, and what is foremost is what you can see and how it looks to you - not the investment value. Diamonds are rotten investments.
What Does "Clarity Enhanced" Mean and Should You Avoid It?
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