Enhanced Diamonds: Types, Pros, Cons and More (2024)

FAQs

Are enhanced diamonds worth buying? ›

PRO'S OF PURCHASING AN ENHANCED DIAMOND

An enhanced diamond is generally going to sell for 30-50% less than a “natural” diamond of the same carat weight and quality specifications. You'll also get a colorless, eye-clean diamond which otherwise would be very expensive.

Are clarity-enhanced diamonds bad? No. They are just altered from their natural state. Many people will opt for clarity-enhanced diamonds just to have something unique and huge price advantage.

There is nothing wrong with enhanced and treated loose diamonds, so long as you are made aware of it to begin with. If you choose to purchase a treated diamond, you will save money and it will look pretty nice. However, the problem comes in when enhanced loose diamonds are sold without being clearly marked.

Clarity enhanced diamonds are natural stones that used to have eye-visible imperfections and have undergone treatment to remove them. In other words, these were diamonds that were in included clarity range (I1, I2, I3) and have had “plastic surgery” to hide or make the inclusions less visible.

The diamond clarity-enhancement process should last forever. However, using a direct torch flame on the diamond or soaking the diamond in acid will damage the enhancement.

The clarity enhanced diamond will still last for a while, but not as long as a diamond that hasn't undergone this type of treatment. The diamond will be highly susceptible to any type of damage, and could break if a lot of pressure is applied to it, such as during cleanings or repairs.

On a GIA certificate, the diamond will be described as “artificially irradiated” or “HPHT annealed.” GIA only issues treated diamonds with a permanent change. A color enhanced diamond has less value than a natural diamond because it underwent a treatment that isn't natural.

A mild solution of warm soapy water is an excellent way to freshen up your clarity enhanced diamond. Allow your jewelry to sit in the solution for about ten minutes. A baby toothbrush is perfect for loosening dirt and grim that has become attached to your jewelry.

Moissanite Arguably the best faux diamond in existence, moissanite comprises silicon carbide, which means it is almost of the same hardness as a natural diamond. It also has reasonable colorlessness, although the glow is far more colorful than what you would see in a real diamond.

Of course a professional can see it using a magnification like a jewelers loupe or a microscope. They can see a light tunnel from the bottom of the diamond and a flash of light - usually ultraviolet. It is important to state that an enhanced diamond cannot be sold legally without disclosing that it has been treated.

Why are clarity enhanced diamonds bad? ›

You need to understand that clarity enhanced diamonds usually originate from garbage tier quality diamonds that are unwanted and unsaleable. When these stones are polished, little attention is paid to achieving better cut quality because it doesn't make economic sense to do so.

Color enhanced diamonds are natural diamonds that have undergone a color changing process to alter their original color. They may appear whiter, or have a tinted shade that makes them appear yellow or pink.

So, What Makes A Cartier Diamond? At Cartier, the minimum diamond clarity you will find is VS2 and the minimum color available is H.

Enhanced Diamonds vs. Natural Diamonds

Natural diamonds are not enhanced in any way, so each stone exhibits its own naturally-occurring colors and characteristics. However, a diamond altered to change its color or the visibility of inclusions is referred to as an “enhanced” diamond.

The History of Enhanced Colored Diamonds

Although color enhancement was first successfully developed in 1904, it wasn't until the 1950s that enhanced diamonds became popular. This came about as the enhancement process became simple and safe enough to be done in commercial quantities.

Like a car, a diamond is a depreciating asset since it loses a large portion of its value the second you buy it. Think about gold and silver. The market for them is very liquid and fungible since you can store coins, sell them at any time or even trade them later on.

Treated blue diamonds are natural diamonds that have undergone a process called “Irradiation” that changes their body color to blue, black, yellow and others. Treated diamonds are also referred to as enhanced diamonds or treated diamonds.

Enhanced diamonds, unlike high quality natural diamonds are natural diamonds that have had very specific treatments done to them to improve their characteristics, or their natural “flaws”.

The chemicals that you use while doing washing and cleaning work can also be harmful to your jewellery. The oils, lotions and soaps you use everyday can leave traces that accumulate over time and create a filmy layer over the stones, making them lose their sparkle.

Despite its ruggedness, diamond can lose its sparkle with oil or dust deposited on it. To maintain the sparkling of this indestructible gemstone is a tough job, but a possible one!

What's better than diamond but cheaper? ›

The most inexpensive diamond alternatives will be softer gemstones like morganites, aquamarines, and amethysts. While these gemstones are beautiful, proceed with caution when adding them to a piece of jewelry that will experience a lot of daily wear and tear like an engagement ring or wedding band.

Lab grown diamonds are as real as diamonds mined from the earth. Lab grown diamonds are identical to earth mined diamonds in every way, except that they are grown in a lab. They have the same chemical, physical, and optical properties as mined diamonds and exhibit the same fire, scintillation, and sparkle.

Antique cuts actually tend to be less expensive than modern cut earth-mined diamonds if and when you can find them. Part of this reason is because they don't require new mining and all of the associated costs that come with that.

If the cloudiness of your diamond is caused by external factors, such as a greasy film or dirt, it's possible to fix it and regain its original sparkle. The way to do so is by simply cleaning the ring using warm water, soap, and ammonia-based cleaners. If you can't do it yourself, take it to a professional cleaner.

Use Ammonia

Work is required to keep your diamond shining bright. Diamond jewellery can be cleaned by soaking it in a solution of one cup of warm water and one-fourth cup of ammonia for about 15 minutes.

For a quick cleaning solution for gold and diamond jewelry, try a little isopropyl alcohol. You can fill a small container with some alcohol and drop your jewelry directly into the solution. Let it soak briefly and then remove the item. The nice thing about alcohol is that it will dry clear.

Introduction. When an object is so desirable, particularly when it can be sold for such a high price, there are always likely to be vendors seeking to imitate the item and sell it as an authentic piece. This means that diamond jewelry is often imitated and sold as a real diamond.

I3 diamond clarity represents the lowest diamond clarity grade available.

Simulated diamonds are also known as diamond simulants and include things like cubic zirconia (CZ), moissanite, and YAG. They can also include some natural clear gemstones like white sapphire, white zircon or even clear quartz.

Prices You Can Afford

We avoid the "middleman," which the vast majority of retailers are forced to employ. By doing so, we essentially offer our items at wholesale prices. Traditionally, there are seven steps that are involved in the supply chain of diamonds.

How can you tell if a diamond is real by blowing it? ›

Take your diamond between two fingers and blow a puff of air into it. The moisture and heat from that air will fog up your stone. If this fog dissipates quickly, your diamond is real and if it takes a while to dissipate then you need to re-evaluate your jeweler. Diamonds conduct heat and disperse it quickly.

If you're trying to decide on a clarity grade for your diamond, SI1 might be your best option. These diamonds usually appear flawless to the eye and sell for less than VS diamonds. Learn more about SI1 clarity diamonds and how to choose the right one for your engagement ring.

Out of the 4 C's of diamonds, the cut of the diamond is the most important. This is followed by color, clarity, and carat weight.

A diamond that has not been cleaned for a while can look milky due to a buildup of film and dirt on its facets. Cloudy diamonds can also have diminished transparency from inclusions or other characteristics intrinsic to the crystal from which they are cut.

Because diamonds reflect white light, colorless diamonds produce the best sparkle and fire. In fact, the more color a diamond has, the less likely it is to reflect white light. And as a result, will produce less sparkle. A D-color diamond is the highest quality, and will offer the greatest sparkle.

Radiation damage can also occur when the diamond is deep in the Earth. However, the high temperature at which the diamond resides in the Earth is likely to cause the defects to change, reducing its green color and potentially changing it to brown or adding a yellow component [1].

A real diamond appears gray and white inside (brilliance) when held to the light and can reflect rainbow colors (fire) onto other surfaces. A fake diamond will display rainbow colors within the stone when held up to light.

Tiffany only accepts engagement diamonds in the “colorless” and “near colorless” range on a diamond color scale. For engagement diamonds, Tiffany only accepts D, E, F, G, H and I color diamonds. Fancy color diamonds such as yellow or pink diamonds have their own color grades.

We guarantee that all diamonds supplied by Costco Wholesale have a clarity to be "VS2" or better and color to be "I" or better as outlined by the industry standard in the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grading guide. Costco only sells diamond cut grades that range from Very Good to Excellent.

Costing around £4.5 million, this extremely rare 8.5ct light blue diamond is as special as Jlo herself. The blue diamond is a sleek radiant cut, set upon a platinum band with trapezoid accent diamonds.

What is a poor quality diamond? ›

A diamond with a poor clarity grade has multiple inclusions, which directly affects sparkle. Because inclusions hinder the refraction and return of light, the lower the clarity grade, the cloudier the diamond will appear.

Moissanite has unparalleled sparkle! It has a higher refractive index than diamond, resulting in greater brilliance than diamond. Moissanite also has greater dispersion (fire) than a diamond, so you will notice more rainbow flashes of light.

Diamonds are strong, but the glass-like piece that has been added to clarity-enhanced diamonds is not as durable and can break or get damaged. On the other hand, lab engineered diamonds are grown to perfection and precision.

Enhanced Diamonds vs. Natural Diamonds

Natural diamonds are not enhanced in any way, so each stone exhibits its own naturally-occurring colors and characteristics. However, a diamond altered to change its color or the visibility of inclusions is referred to as an “enhanced” diamond.

Moissanite is considered the most realistic fake diamond. The colorless, naturally occurring (but more often lab-made) mineral boasts an impressive hardness almost to the level of real diamonds. Cubic zirconia is another good option, but it's not as crystal-clear or as hard as moissanite.