| Judging
Clarity
Imagine
looking into a colorless kaleidoscope and seeing amid the
geometric patterns things resembling miniature galaxies, rainbows,
abstract sculptures, feathers, fishing lines, eroded canyons,
or diamond crystals. That's what it can be like to look at
a diamond through a microscope.
Sometimes
when you look, all you can see is a geometric pattern. The
diamond might be playing hide and seek with you. It expects
you to tilt it and turn it upside down or sideways and spotlight
it in different ways. Then out of nowhere, you may see some
specks, ripples, or indentations. The specks might be minute
crystals. They might also be dust particles on the surface
that got tired of floating in air.
When
you try to find the forms within a stone and marks on its
exterior, you are analyzing its clarity. Clarity is the degree
to which a stone is free from external marks called blemishes
and internal features called inclusions.
Together
they represent the clarity characteristics or clarity features
of the stone. You may be more familiar with terms such as
flaws, imperfections, or defects. Gemologists prefer not to
use these terms because of their negative connotations. A
replacement for the term blemish should be found, too, because
not all blemishes detract from the appearance or value of
a diamond, despite what the term implies.
It
can be to your advantage to buy a diamond with inclusions
and blemishes. They can be proof that it is authentic and
natural. They can act as a fingerprint and help protect you
from having your diamond switched. They can lower the price
of the diamond without affecting its beauty. They can make
you feel your diamond is special.
So,
if you're buying a diamond for personal enjoyment, you don't
need to know how to find one that is flawless. You do need
to know, however, what flaws will make your diamond less attractive
and less durable.
The
specks might
Decrease
the brilliancy
Book
has stores
Are
called pinpoints
Indentations
where chunks
There
are various
Allows
people throughou
Unaided
eye through
Grading
reports can
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