What are Diamond Blemishes?
The second most important factor in determining the worth of a diamond, Clarity, refers to the number of inclusions and blemishes found within a diamond and their location and color. While most people are familiar with the basic terminology that corresponds with Clarity, this will provide greater detail as to what is lurking within the intricate structure of your diamond.
DIAMOND INCLUSIONS VS. DIAMOND BLEMISHES
The most significant factors to Clarity are Inclusions and Blemishes. While this is broadly grouped, there are different Inclusions, and their location can vary within or on a diamond. There can be internal Inclusions (which we’ve detailed here) and external inclusions (a bit of a misnomer, I know). These are not the same as Blemishes. Sometimes natural to the stone, Blemishes are more often than not a side-effect of the diamond cutting process. As such, most blemishes are unintentional. The reasons for this are varied, but essentially it comes down to the manipulation exerted on the diamond throughout the heating, cutting, and polishing process. The act of fashioning a raw diamond you would find on an engagement ring into a finished product is sizable. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect some degree of errors. These errors are Blemishes. As with Inclusions, Blemishes are not only physical imperfections; they hinder the diamond's reflective properties. Blemishes can include:
Abrasion
Extra Facet
Lizard Skin
Natural
Nick
Pit
Polish Lines
Burn Mark
Rough Girdle
Scratch
Surface Graining
As stated, blemishes are more often than not a side-effect of the diamond cutting process. Because of the extreme manipulation on the diamond surface, you can have errors appear. While every jeweler intends to avoid such mistakes, they are challenging to circumvent more often than not.
DIAMOND BLEMISHES DEFINED
Burn Mark: A Burn Mark on the surface of a diamond is very similar to a burn mark on the surface of an individual. Basically, the surface was overheated. While our skin will redden and blister, it will eventually peel to reveal new skin underneath. A diamond does not have this luxury. During polishing, if the surface of the diamond is overheated, it will leave a hazy area that characterizes a Burn Mark.
Rough Girdle: The Girdle of a diamond should meet at a clean and precise line, giving a diamond its angular and symmetrical beauty. Unlike facets though, which always need to be precise, sometimes the Girdle can be left a bit rough, as particular mounting styles can hide such imperfections.
Polish Lines: The polishing of any material is simply the repetitive sanding with finer and finer abrasive materials. If you've ever sanded something before, you'll notice that you are basically scratching it. If you continue to do this in finer increments, you'll reach a point where the scratches are so microscopic that they essentially disappear from the human eye, leaving a polished surface. Polish Lines on a diamond are basically failures of this process where the diamond is left in a state where the scratches are still visible.
Lizard Skin: One of the most interesting types of Blemishes, Lizard Skin is the result of incorrect polishing. This occurs when the diamond is polished against its natural flow. The resulting bumpy mess is referred to as Lizard Skin. The good news is that it can be fixed.
While there are many other types of Blemishes, such as Abrasion, Nick, Pit, and Scratches, those all equate to the diamond basically getting hit. As with any hit, it causes some degree of damage to the surface of the diamond. Luckily, we can determine the type of Clarity issue based on the diamond's Diamond Certificate.
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