An enhancement is any process that alters the appearance of a diamond, such as lasered, fracture filled, or
irradiated.
Lasered Stone
A lasered stone is one that has been laser drilled into the diamond to a dark inclusion then boiled in acid to remove
the dark substance. This leaves a white inclusion and a very small (microscopic)
hole; this is a permanent change to the diamond so it is the only enhancement
that most labs will certify.
Filled Diamonds
Filled diamonds are diamonds that either have a fracture or cleavage
that reaches the surface, they then fill it with a glass or epoxy to make the
fracture less visible. Heating these stones during setting or repair can cause
the filling to discolor, and even melt and leak out. To recognize a filled
diamond look for flattened gas bubbles, web like patterns in the filling; it may
appear greasy or oily at the filling, and yellowish looking cloudy areas. One of
the big things to look for is the flash effect, under darkfield illumination
while looking on the same plane as the crack you can see a single color and then
if the stone is tilted slightly you will usually see a second color. These
colors are usually yellowish orange and blue or pinkish purple and yellowish
green. A filled laser hole usually appears to be a tiny yellow
line.
Irradiated Diamond
An irradiated diamond is when the diamond is exposed to high amounts of radiation, which artificially alters
or improves the color of the diamond. Once color treated with radiation the
diamond can now have a dark, color such as blue or green. This is much less
expensive then a natural dark colored diamond.
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