Fracture Filled Diamonds

Fracture Filled Diamonds,

A colleague and I were discussing the changes in the local jewelry industry and the subject of clarity enhancement and disclosure came up.

There were print adds being ran about large diamonds at very low prices with stated color and clarity. At the bottom of the add and it almost mircosopic sized print laid the phrase ‘Clarity Enhanced’

The words "Clarity Enhanced" might lead you to believe that a diamond has been polished really well to enhance its brilliance, but I'll bet the words "Fracture Filled" woke you up! The terms clarity enhanced and fracture filled tend to be used synonymously, but should be disclosed to the consumer in writing as "clarity enhanced / fracture filled".

The process for fracture filling diamonds was developed in 1982 by Israeli inventor and diamond cutter Zvi Yehuda, and involves filling cracks in diamonds with molten glass to improve their clarity. Fracture filled diamonds did not begin to appear in the market in substantial quantities until the 1990's.

It is important to note that many diamonds contain minute internal "cracks" that do not pose a threat to the integrity or life span of the diamond. Retailers frequently refer to cracks as "feathers" because the term is less disturbing to their customers... We simple prefer to call a tree a tree and call a crack a crack…

Diamonds will a range of sizes of cracks and cavities (surface indentations) can be filled usually a molten lead type glass and it can vastly improve the apparent clarity…the actually clarity is not known unless the filler is completely removed…usually stones in the Included range and borderline industrial range are most likely candidates for fracture filling.

The only advantage of purchasing a fracture filled is getting a larger ‘cleaner’ looking diamond at a low price.

What are the disadvantages of buying a fracture filled diamond? The GIA Gem Trade Laboratory (GTL) conducted an extensive study of fracture filled diamonds and published their results in the Fall 1994 issue of Gems & Gemology Magazine. The GIA scientists concluded that "prolonged exposure - or numerous short exposures - to commonly employed cleaning methods may sometimes damage filling substances." In addition, it was determined that "repolishing of jewelry and repair procedures involving direct exposure to heat (such as re-tipping of prongs) may damage and partially remove the filler from such treated diamonds.”

If the price of an unfilled diamond seems too good to be true it probably is. Large reputable gem labs such as GIA, AGTA, EGL, and HRD are trained to detect clarity enhancements and they may or may not issue a certificate because these diamonds cannot be clarity graded and this treatment is NOT PERMANENT.

If you are uncertain as to whether a diamond has been clarity enhanced / fracture filled, we recommend you have it examined by a qualified Graduate Gemologist who is not affiliated with the store you are dealing with.