Clarity Enhanced Diamonds - The Laser Drilling Procedure
Saturday, May 28, 2011 by admin
Buying a diamond is not as easy as it used to be. Besides the basic 4 C’s to look for, now you have to make sure of the pedigree of the diamond you are buying. New issues are emerging that question the true value of the diamond.
This is the case with the clarity enhanced diamonds. Normally when a diamond has a visible imperfection, it would not be worth as much, if anything, to the buyer. Now, jewelers can use what is known as laser drilling, a technique that is used to drill out microscopic holes in the diamond to remove any imperfections and improve the clarity and grade of the diamond you are buying.
The dealers are drilling deep into the diamond to burn out any of the large black inclusions that may naturally form in a diamond. It evaporates the black imperfections making the stone more fragile to break. The process of laser drilling does leave small drill holes, but can be unnoticeable unless under a microscope.
Approximately 1 in 3 diamonds are laser drilled to add more value. In the 1990’s the Federal Trade Commission rewrote the jewelry laws stating that the jewelry industry no longer needed to disclose the fact that it was a clarity enhanced diamond. You can certainly ask your jeweler if it was laser drilled, but it is best to ask for a certificate from a gemological lab which most jewelers will have available to you if it is indeed a authentic diamond.
This is the case with the clarity enhanced diamonds. Normally when a diamond has a visible imperfection, it would not be worth as much, if anything, to the buyer. Now, jewelers can use what is known as laser drilling, a technique that is used to drill out microscopic holes in the diamond to remove any imperfections and improve the clarity and grade of the diamond you are buying.
The dealers are drilling deep into the diamond to burn out any of the large black inclusions that may naturally form in a diamond. It evaporates the black imperfections making the stone more fragile to break. The process of laser drilling does leave small drill holes, but can be unnoticeable unless under a microscope.
Approximately 1 in 3 diamonds are laser drilled to add more value. In the 1990’s the Federal Trade Commission rewrote the jewelry laws stating that the jewelry industry no longer needed to disclose the fact that it was a clarity enhanced diamond. You can certainly ask your jeweler if it was laser drilled, but it is best to ask for a certificate from a gemological lab which most jewelers will have available to you if it is indeed a authentic diamond.
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