Have you ever seen a diamond inclusion with your naked eye? There are definitely some diamonds out there that have visible and obvious inclusions. You may have even seen one in a friend’s or family member’s ring. But to be honest, there’s really no excuse for this.
Your diamond will have inclusions, yes, but you shouldn’t be able to see them at a glance – regardless of your budget.
In this complete guide to diamond inclusions, you’ll learn about what types of inclusions are more and less desirable than others. By the time you get to the end, you’ll know exactly how to buy a diamond that’s completely eye-clean – even to someone who knows exactly what to look for.
What Are Diamond Inclusions?
Diamond inclusions are imperfections, but they aren’t necessarily a bad thing. Think of inclusions like a diamond’s birthmark. You don’t necessarily want them to be obvious, but they do add character and give a stamp of individuality to your diamond.
Completely flawless diamonds do exist, but they are so rare and expensive that you’ll probably never encounter one in real life. In fact, most jewelers haven’t even seen a flawless diamond.
So let’s go ahead and get used to inclusions. They’re going to be a part of your diamond purchase, but the more you know, the better off you’ll be.
There are different types of inclusions, and some are more appealing than others. It may seem odd to talk about an imperfection as appealing, but it’s like the lesser of all potential evils.
When you’re evaluating the 4Cs of diamond buying, Clarity is the C that relates to inclusions. But it doesn’t give you the full picture. In order to make a sound decision, you need to know more about the diamond’s inclusions than its Clarity Grade.
Types of Diamond Inclusions
The first thing you should know about diamond inclusions is how they can vary. We’ve discussed this in a broad sense already, but now it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty. Let’s review the various types of diamond inclusions you may find in a stone.
• Bearding
These hair-like lines often come about as the diamond is being cut. They can extend from the diamond’s girdle to the stone’s center. If there is a lot of bearding in the girdle, the diamond will appear grey and fuzzy.
• Cavity
Just like cavities in your teeth, diamond cavities are large or deep openings in the diamond’s surface. Cavities usually occur during polishing when an internal inclusion gets dislodged and opens into the diamond’s surface. Cavities are quite undesirable because they can trap dirt, which darkens its appearance and makes the cavity more noticeable. Still cutters sometimes choose to keep cavities instead of polishing them out because they can get more money for a larger stone with a cavity than a smaller stone without. It’s simple economics.
• Chip
Chips are small, shallow openings that appear on the diamond’s surface. You’ll most often find chips near the girdle, culet or facet junctions. Unlike most other inclusions, chips typically happen after you buy the diamond during normal wear.
• Cloud
A cloud inclusion actually isn’t one inclusion, but a cluster of them. This term is used to identify a cluster of pinpoint or crystal inclusions that are close together. Some clouding can be okay, but it really depends on the intensity and location. If there’s a large cloud in the diamond’s center, it’ll appear hazy and interfere with light reflection. But if you have tiny diffused clouds, you probably won’t even notice them.
• Crystal
A crystal is an interesting inclusion because it can be like a diamond is embedded within a diamond. This is the case when the crystal is colorless, but crystals can also be colored. You may find crystals in black (from carbon), green (from peridots), reddish (from garnets), or other stones. Although it’s a cool concept, colored crystals are rather undesirable within a diamond because they impact the Diamond’s Clarity.
• Feather
A feather is like a fracture within the diamond. It may appear transparent or it may catch light and look like a white line. If you have a diamond with multiple feathers, it can cause the diamond to become unstable.
• Graining
When the crystal grows in an irregular manner, you may see some internal graining. In this case, the diamond may seem milky or hazy with lines or streaks. If the graining is severe, it may even reflect light.
• Indented Natural
This type of inclusion is usually found at the diamond’s girdle. It’s an indented area of the diamond that is left untouched during polishing because it dips further into the diamond.
• Knot
This is a transparent crystal that’s found at a polished diamond’s surface. Knots may appear raised.
• Needle
These long-thin inclusions can be white or transparent, and they’re only visible at 10x magnification. Generally, needling isn’t terrible, but if needles occur in clusters, it can cause the diamond to become cloudy.
• Pinpoints
Pinpoints are small black or white crystals that are found within the diamond and are visible at 10x magnification.
• Twinning Wisps
Twinning wisps are groups of pinpoint, cloud or crystal inclusions that form during the diamond’s growth. Typically, when a diamond stops growing for whatever reason and then resumes in a different direction, you’ll find twinning wisps in a chaotic pattern.
Now that you know a bit more about the types of inclusions to look for, understand that a diamond’s clarity grade does take these into consideration.
Clarity Grading and Diamond Inclusions
Whenever we talk about standards, we typically look to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). This is one of the most reputable independent grading labs, and so their standards are highly respected in the industry. Other grading labs may have other grading guidelines, but they should remain relatively similar to the standards GIA uses.
With that said, the following should shed some light on how diamond inclusions equate to clarity grading.
• Flawless (FL) – No inclusions or blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10x magnification
• Internally Flawless (IF) – No inclusions and only blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10x magnification
• Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2) – Inclusions are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification
• Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) – Inclusions are minor and range from difficult to somewhat easy for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification
• Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) – Inclusions are noticeable to a skilled grader under 10x magnification
• Included (I1, I2, and I3) – Inclusions are obvious under 10x magnification and may affect transparency and brilliance
Where Diamond Inclusions Can Be Found on Diamonds
As you can tell from the GIA guidelines, the location of diamond inclusions matter. But it’s important to understand that there are ranges, even within a specific grade. For example, if you compare two VS1 diamonds, one may still be more desirable than the other. Although they both made the cut for VS1, one can be closer to VVS2 and the other closer to VS2. Think of these grades as a sliding scale.
So, if you have the opportunity to evaluate two diamonds within the same grade, look at the location of the diamond’s inclusions.
Inclusions can be found virtually anywhere on or in the diamond, and some spots are worse than others.
Pro Tips to Looking for Diamond Inclusions
Now, we’d like to share some gemologists tips on how to save money by choosing a diamond with a more desirable inclusion.
All other things being equal, two diamonds that are VVS2 in clarity (for example) may be priced very similarly. But if you can identify which of the two is more desirable, you can get a great value.
Our brains are wired to look towards the center of objects, especially when those objects are round. This is why you want to avoid inclusions that are visible from any angle when you look at the center of the stone.
Avoid inclusions that are located directly under the facet or under the diamond’s table, if at all possible. Inclusions that appear on the lower half of the girdle are more desirable because in many cases, the ring setting will cover them.
If you’re purchasing a diamond that’s over a carat, your GIA certificate should include a diagram that illustrates where your diamond’s inclusions are located. This should also include the type of inclusion.
Why It Is Important to Know What Type and Location of the Inclusion
As we’ve learned, the type of inclusion matters: Some are more obvious than others, and some can impact the diamond’s structure and stability. Location also matters because it’s the difference between whether you see that inclusion or not.
When you’re ready to make a diamond purchase, compare certificates to see where and what type of inclusions the diamonds have.
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