Anxiety - Know Your Enemy!

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Clarifying clarity How flaws affect diamonds?
Flaws classification, the clarity grade, is one
of the most important criteria used to determine
the value of a diamond. As with all things in
nature, however, there is really no such thing as
"flawless." Even though some very rare diamonds
are classified "flawless," the term is somewhat
misleading and you must be sure you understand
what it really means. When we talk about a
diamond's clarity or flaw grade, we are referring
to presence of tiny, usually microscopic,
imperfections. As it forms in the nature, every
diamond develops imperfections. They might be
microscopic cracks shaped like feathers, or
microscopic diamond crystals, or even crystals of
some other gemstone! Each diamond's internal
picture, its internal character, is unique. No
two are alike, so the clarity picture can be an
important factor in identifying a specific
diamond. To the buyer, however, the clarity grade
is important because it indicates, on a relative
basis, how "clean" the diamond is. The cleaner
the stone, the rarer and costlier. How is the
clarity grade determined? Diamonds used in
jewelry are usually very clean, and little, if
anything, can be seen without magnification. This
has started to change as an increasing number of
diamonds with visible cracks or other inclusions
enter the market, stones in the range, and below
but for most part, differences in clarity can not
normally be seen simply by looking at the stone
with the naked eye. The clarity grade is based on
what can be seen when the diamond is examined
using magnification, as provided by a loupe. The
"flawless" grade is given to a stone in which no
imperfections can be seen internally
("inclusions") or externally ("blemishes") when
it is examined with, although at higher power
inclusions will be visible in a flawless diamond.
For clarity grading purposes, if an inclusion
can't be seen at , it doesn't exist. Clarity
grading requires extensive training and practice,
and proper grading can only be done by an
experienced jeweler, dealer, or gemologist. If
you want to examine a diamond with the loupe,
remember that only in the lowest grades will an
inexperienced person be able to see inclusions
easily, and even with the loupe it will be
difficult to see what a professional will see
easily few amateurs will see anything at all in
diamonds with the highest clarity grades.
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Growth lines of graining. Growth lines of
graining can be seen only when examining the
diamond while slowly rotating it. They appear and
disappear, usually instantaneously. They appear
in a group of two, three, or four pale brown
lines. If they can not be seen from the crown
side of the diamond and are small, they not
affect the grade adversely. Knaat or twin lines.
These are sometimes classified as external flaws
because they appear on the surface as very small
ridges, often having some type of geometrical
outline, or as a small, slightly raised dot with
a tail resembling a comet. These are difficult to
see. External Flaws or Blemishes A natural. A
natural usually occurs on the girdle and looks
like a rough, unpolished area. It may resemble
scratch lines or small triangles called trigons.
A natural is a remnant of the original skin of
the diamond, and is often left on the girdle when
the cutter tries to cut the largest possible
diameter from the rough. If a natural is no wider
that the normal width of the girdle and does not
disrupt the circumference of the stone, some do
not consider it a flaw. Often naturals are
polished and resemble an extra facet, especially
if they occur below the girdle edge. Nick. Nick
is a small chip, usually on the girdle, and can
be caused by wear, especially if the girdle has
been cut thin. Sometimes a nick or chip can be
seen on the edge of the facets where they meet.
If small, this bruised corner can be polished,
creating an extra facet. This usually occurs on
the crown. Girdle roughness. This blemish appears
as crisscrossed lines, brighter and duller
finishing, and minute chipping. This can be
remedied by faceting or re-polishing.
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The major grading system used in the United
States,VO Genesis Review like color grading
system, was developed by the GIA as part of its
diamond grading system. The GIA system is only
one of several in use, but it has gained wide
acceptance in the United States and many other
counties around world. Basically these systems
grade the stone for its imperfections, both its
internal inclusions and external blemishes. The
clarity grade represents the total picture, the
type, number, placement, and color, of the
diamond's imperfections. These can be white,
black, colorless, or even red or green in rare
instances. The "flaw" grade is more commonly
referred to as the "clarity" grade today. There
are eleven grades on the GIA scale, beginning
with FL, Flawless, colorless, well cut stone,
particularly from one carat and up, is extremely
rare and is prices proportionately much higher
than any other grade. Some jewelers insist such
stone do not exist today. The grade IF is given
to a stone with no internal flaws and with only
minor external blemishes, small nicks, pits, or
girdle roughness, not on the table, that could be
removed with polishing. These stones, in
colorless, well proportioned makes, are also rare
and priced proportionately much higher than other
grades. The imperfect grades are given to given
to stones in which flaws may be seen by a
qualified observer without magnification they
are readily available and are much less
expensive. http//publishacademyreview.wordpress.c
om/2015/12/08/vo-genesis-system-review/ They are
graded These grades are called first pique
(pronounced pee-kay), second pique, and third
pique in some classification systems and some
grades may still be desirable if they are
brilliant and lively, and if there are no
inclusions that might make them more susceptible
than normal to breaking, and so should not be
eliminated by a prospective purchaser who desires
lovely diamond jewelry. As a genral rule,
however, imperfect grades may be difficult to
resell should ever try to do so.