Diamonds flaws could be described as inclusions that hinder the beauty same as the black image in beautiful full moon. These are inside as well as outside the gemstone and there presence always pinches because these flaws make the dazzling stone imperfect.
Why Diamonds Flaws are unwelcome
flaws holds back the overall
alluring look of the gemstone.
Diamonds are known for its
awe-inspiring sparkling when any ray
of light passes through it. The
light could be natural sunlight or
incandescent light. The inclusions
present in the gem obstruct its
sparkle effect making it not so
attractive. More the flaws in the
stone less desirable it becomes
therefore, flaws are always
unwanted. Moreover, the monetary
value of gem reduces if it has more
number of blemishes.
Why Flaws Crop up?
appear due to the presence of
impurities in the chemical
composition of the gemstone. The
most common impurity causing flaws
in Diamond is Nitrogen. The total
percentage of Nitrogen in the
composition is 1% of the total mass.
Also it can crop up at the time of
Types of Flaws
- There are
several types of inclusions found
which can be divided into two broad
categories viz. external and
internal. External flaws are on the
outer surface of the gem while the
internal flaws are within the
structure of the stone. External
flaws can be natural or can be
formed later but an internal flaw
mostly exits naturally during the
formation of the gemstone.
different kind of external flaws are
These are referred to
as thin lines on the surface. It is
mostly formed when the stone
undergoes the different steps of
gemstone processing like cutting or
polishing. There are very less
chances that it happens naturally.
Cracks within the
stone structure that are unparallel
to the cleavage plane are called as
fractures. It makes by and large the
appearance of the gem fragmented as
it has no shape. These days with
modern technique the cracks can be
filled to improve the clarity but it
is still visible.
These are formed
when the raw stone is being
processed at cutting stage. In order
to remove the natural inclusions the
stone is cut that result in the
extra facets (sides). It is done to
enhance the clarity. This external
flaw does not spoil the clarity but
due too many facets the look of
Diamond is deteriorated.
These are referred to tiny
gaps on the stone's outer surface.
Pits are very small and it can be
seen with only magnifying glass. In
spite of being undersized it
devalues the stone's clarity.
composition of Diamond contains 100%
carbon. Therefore, when at the time
of natural formation the
crystallization sometimes remains
incomplete which results to some
black carbon dots on the surface of
the gemstone. These dots can be
categorized as graphite, pyrrhotite
and pentlandite. It affects the
clarity to the large extent.
It is formed when
gemstone cutter cuts the raw stone
too much to remove the big crystal
inclusion. It looks like a deep
opening in the stone.
possess more internal flaws than the
external. These are visible less
with the naked eyes. The different
varieties of this category are -
Crystal and Mineral
Sometimes, during the natural
occurrence small crystal or mineral
lumps are left within the stone.
These are so tiny that can't be seen
without enlargement through the
magnifying glass. It impedes the
clarity of the stone and also its
value in the monetary terms.
: The crystal or
mineral inclusions in the shape of
long thin needles are referred as
needle flaws. In few cases, these
can be of different colour that is
clearly visible in the colourless
Diamond. These affect the clarity
but can also in special cases give a
different attractive look to the
gemstone. It is the only flaw which
can be looked up because of its
: These are the most
commonly found Diamond flaws. These
are the small crystals that occur
during the natural formation. It is
very difficult to remove these
imperfections as it is very tiny.
Too much cutting in order to remove
this flaw variant might lead to the
total loss of the stone.
: A different image is
created when more than three
pinpoint inclusions appear next to
one another within Diamond. The
image can look like a cloud, circle
or any other formation. This is
known as cloud inclusion. In the
grading reports it is mentioned as
tiny red dots.
: These are formed
at the time of gemstone processing
and are not natural. Lasers are used
to remove the dark blemishes from
the diamond and during the process
few vapour like traces are left.
These traces are the thin lines like
thread hence called as laser line
inclusion. Stone clarity is deeply
affected by these lines.
: These inclusion
crops up in the diamond at the
initial stage of formation. The
reason is same as other inclusion
that is improper crystallization. It
can also appear at the time of
polishing due to the disproportion
in the hardness across the gemstone.
It is very difficult to remove these
lines during the cutting stage. If
these flaws are colourless then it
does not blots the clarity else the
coloured grain lines certainly
reduces the clarity.
: The minuscule crystal
lumps left back after the
crystallization and reaches the
outer façade of the gemstone then
these are referred as knots. These
are totally undesirable as it not
only worsen the clarity but also the
sturdiness of Diamond. Under the
adequate light these knots are
: As the name
suggests these inclusions are the
referred to fissures that group
together and looks like feather. It
is usually seen in the gemstone.
Normally, it would not disturb the
clarity but if the length increases
towards the stone's surface then it
might result in the breakage of
Diamond as the hardness is affected
: These flaws are
positioned parallel to the
crystallographic planes of the
gemstone. It is also a straight line
inclusion. It does not emerge
naturally rather a sturdy blow
results in deep internal damage in
the structure of the stone which
leads to cleavage flaws. Diamonds
with this imperfection should not be
purchased in any case because it is
sure to break along its length in
imperfection is formed when two or
more other types of flaws are
twisted together at the time of
Diamond formation. For example
pinpoint, needles, cloud or feathers
form together leading to the
formation of white band inside the
stone. These are regular in fancy
: These are
also known as bearding or dig marks.
It is formed when the raw stone is
cut during the processing. These are
thin lines like hair that assemble
around the diamond's girdle. Its
presence is abided till less in
number else more lines reduce
These flaws are unquestionably not a
positive feature of the gemstone but
presence of few flaws is appreciated
to some extent as they give a
different look to the gem. When
buying women's best friend "Diamond"
one has to be very cautious about
these not-so friendly flaws. Be
cautious, All the Best!!