All About Treated Diamonds
Why Do Treated Diamonds Exist?
Many people think that diamonds are created in nature and that there is no way to improve them. This is not true. When it comes to diamonds, many diamonds are altered by jewellers, to make a lower grade diamond look like a more expensive one. These diamonds are referred to as 'treated diamonds'.
People have been working to improve natural objects for many centuries. We have crossbred plants and animals to produce new species. We prune and shape trees and bushes to make them more pleasing to the eye or to create new varieties of roses and other plants that adorn our gardens enhance the front of our homes.
We admire the skills of the gardeners and farmers who create these new species and make our gardens and countryside more beautiful. We have no problem with accepting these changes as being good and making food less expensive, more plentiful and of higher quality.
Diamonds that are treated can have better clarity than if they are untreated. Diamonds can have better colour, and even be coated to improve their appearance. People with limited budgets can choose treated diamonds to buy a diamond that looks better than their budget allows.
However, is it worth compromising by buying treated diamond jewellery? In the final analysis that is a choice that each buyer must make for themselves, but it is better to know about what treated diamonds are to make an informed choice!
At All Diamond, we do not sell jewellery that uses treated diamonds. All our diamond jewellery is made with natural diamonds that look lovely because of the quality of the original diamond and the skill of the artisans who cut, polish and set them in precious metal settings.
Diamonds Are Treated To Improve Their Clarity
Israeli diamond cutter Zvi Yehuda invented a method of filling tiny cracks with molten glass in 1982. Since his innovation, some companies have developed an enhanced process that fills the cracks with bromine instead of molten glass. Unfortunately, bromine can discolour the diamond under certain lighting conditions. It's always a good idea to ask what method the diamond has been treated with so that you are not surprised when you see the diamond in the light outside the store.
Clarity treatments can give a diamond as much as a whole grade in clarity improvement which can add a lot of profit for those jewellers who do not disclose the treatment to their customers.
Diamonds are often graded by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) and the grading service is the best way to know about the quality of the diamonds before you buy them. At All Diamond, every diamond 0.50 carats or larger will have a GIA certificate. The certificate will tell you if a diamond has been treated and what treatments have been used.
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Diamonds Treated To Improve Or Change Their Colour
There are several different types of coloured diamonds. Some are actually painted in order to take away a yellowish tinge and make the diamonds appear whiter and more transparent. Some are coloured darker, to permanently alter a diamond to a different colour by using electron bombardment. Others become treated diamonds by way of laser drills. In the 1970's people began using lasers to drill minuscule holes into the diamonds to reach dark-coloured spots. The dark areas can then be bleached with acid. Sometimes the diamonds are finished by filling the tiny holes with molten glass.
Diamond Brightness Improved With Coatings
Coated treated diamonds look much like normal fancy coloured diamonds, except that the entire diamond gets a coating of a substance that is designed to make the diamond appear brighter and more translucent to the naked eye. In fact, the coating is so good on many treated diamonds that it can go undetected unless an experienced gemologist appraises the diamond for its value.
Treated diamonds are often very beautiful and can be more affordable than diamonds that are not treated. When you bring your diamond in for cleaning, you should inform the jeweller so that they can use appropriate cleaning methods and chemicals so that the appearance of the diamond is not affected.
Should You Buy Jewellery With Treated Diamonds?
Buying treated diamonds can save you money, but purists will often prefer to buy and own 'the real thing' over a lower quality diamond that has been artificially improved. However, in the UK there is no requirement that jewellers should tell buyers that their diamonds have been treated to make them look as good as they do in the display case.
If you do not know that a diamond has been treated then you can, in effect be overpaying for the diamond because what you are buying is a lower grade diamond than an untreated one. The manufacturer is selling a lower grade diamond for a higher price. Is that what you want to buy?
In some countries, there is a legal requirement that buyers should be informed about any treatment the diamond has undergone.
In the UK, you should ask the seller whether the diamonds are treated. All of our jewellery is made with untreated diamonds. The beauty that you see is inherent to the diamond. Our artisans use their skills to cut and polish natural diamonds without any tricks or concealment!
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We cannot tell you what you should choose. All that we can do is set out our standards and offer you the best quality possible in each item we sell, no matter what its price might be. Remember, every diamond we sell, larger than 0.50 carats, will have an authoritative diamond grading certificate from the GIA, the most reputable diamond grading labs in the world.
All Diamond - All-natural Diamonds Cut And Polished With Care And Skill
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