When it comes to buying diamonds, their brilliance is certainly a huge factor in whether they are judged to be quality pieces or not. To figure this out, many people focus on the four Cs of carat, cut, color and clarity.



The four Cs can be dangerous for buyers. Why? Well, most know the terms, but not really what they mean. Thus they end up buying what the sales person is promoting, instead of a good diamond. Looking for diamond flaws often produces better results.

Diamonds have two types of flaws. Epigenetic refers to flaws made during the formation and are the fault of Mother Nature. Syngenetic refer to flaws after the mining process and tend to be the fault of the jeweler!

An syngenetic flaw that often occurs is a pinpoint inclusion. This flaw looks like a point of light within the diamond. It is really a crystal that is reflecting the light. If you move the diamond under the light and the point of light remains fixed, you have a problem.

If you see a pinpoint inclusion, should you skip the diamond? Not necessarily. They are very common in diamonds. If it impacts the clarity, then skip it. If not, do not sweat it. All diamonds seem to have some minor imperfection.

Blemishes are found on the exterior surface of diamonds. They are typically epigenetic in nature, meaning they occurred during the cutting or polishing of the diamond. They can often be ground out by a better quality jeweler.

Along these lines, a diamond may be considered to have flaws if it has extra facets. These are essentially extra cuts to the diamond. They indicate the removal of a blemish or other flaw with the diamond. The extra facets are not a negative per se for many people.

A much bigger problem for a diamond is a fracture. This type of flaw refers to a break within the diamond that reaches the surface. They can be filled artificially, but these diamonds should really be avoided unless you are getting a very good deal.

A rather practical diamond flaw is a scratch. Scratches are not a huge problem unless they are on the top table surface. Even then, they can usually be polished out. A deeper scratch, however, can be a diamond killer as polishing is impossible.

And then we get to controversy. Diamonds can suffer from needles. These needles often make slight tweaks to the cut and clarity of the diamond. This can lead to interesting results including extra brilliance and sparkling.

How does this occur? Well, the needle is essentially a slight open space in the diamond. As the light passes by, it creates a prism within the natural prism of the diamond. Light is reflected to and fro. This can create extra brilliance or an odd look.

Diamonds are organic matter condensed under pressure and heated to amazing temperatures. This means they are inherently going to have one flaw or another. Still, understanding the above will keep you from buying something with little quality.