Diamond Enhancements
There are many varieties of diamond enhancements or treatments a diamond can undergo that can significantly alter the price of the diamond when compared to a natural diamond.
Bleaching: The use of chemicals or other agents to lighten or remove a gemstone's color to achieve a brighter diamond.
Heating: The use of heat in a high temperature sintering furnace to effect desired alteration of color, clarity, and/or phenomena.
Infilling/Fracture Filling: The intentional filling of surface
breaking cavities or fractures usually with glass, plastic, Opticon with
hardeners and/or other hardened foreign substances to improve durability,
appearance and/or add weight. The foreign
material will have a different index of refraction than diamond, and a trained gemmologist
can see the light bending within the stone.
Lasering: A laser is used to penetrate a diamond and remove certain
black inclusions. Chemicals are then used to
further reach and alter inclusions in diamonds.
Oiling/Resin Infusion: The intentional filling of surface cavities of a colourless
oil, wax, natural resin, or unhardened man-made material into fissured
transparent/translucent gemstones to improve appearance.
(i.e., oil,
man-made resin, paraffin, etc.)
Gamma/Electron Irradiation: The use of gamma and/or electron bombardment to alter a gemstone's color; may be followed by a heating process.
Irradiation: The use of neutron bombardment, with the combination of any other bombardment and/or heat treatment to alter a gemstone's color
Last Update: 27 Nov 2008