Diamonds are natural gemstones. Very few are flawless which means that the majority of gem grade diamonds have internal imperfections. Whether they are visible or invisible to the naked eye, these flaws affect the clarity of the diamond, and hence its sparkle.  Clarity enhanced diamonds are those which have been treated in certain ways to remove flaws, blemishes and inclusions to increase the value of the diamond.

What is the Process?
Clarity enhancement is the process of making natural diamond imperfections, such as flaws, blemishes and imperfections invisible to the naked eye.  This state of the art technological process optically eliminates the flaws, improving the clarity and appearance of the diamond.

To do this, the diamonds are either microscopic laser drilled or feather filled with a material which closely mimics the characteristics of real diamond.  The exact procedure depends upon the nature of the imperfections.  However, as “feathering” is a common flaw in many diamonds, most diamonds are feather filled.

In this technique, the internal surface of the flaw is coated with a transparent material which has optical and refractive properties closely matching those of real diamond.  This is important and is why the resultant treated flaw is invisible in the diamond. In essence after clarity enhancement, the light rays travelling through the treated flaw in the diamond are now reflected and diffracted in exactly the same way as by the diamond itself.  The flaw is masked to the naked eye. 

Only a miniscule amount of material is ever needed to fill the feather flaw so clarity enhancement does not add any weight to the diamond.

Either way, the result is highly effective.

Why do it?
Most diamonds have internal flaws, so clarity enhancement is used to improve the look and sparkle of the diamond.  The result of this process is a natural good looking diamond which is about 40% to 50% cheaper than the price of an unenhanced diamond with the same color and GIA clarity rating.  It makes flawed diamonds more desirable and more saleable. 

This means clarity enhancing makes more diamonds available for setting into fine jewelry than would otherwise have been available to the gem industry.  And this means that more people can afford better diamonds.

Are the Diamonds still Real?
Yes. Clarity enhanced diamonds are genuine mined diamonds that have been permanently treated to enhance their appeal. They are still real diamonds.

For the best diamond jewelry at affordable prices, please check out our diamond page.

Be Sociable, Share!

•