When buying a diamond, or fine colored gemstone, it is imperative that you own a diamond that has not been altered to improve it's appearance. Since diamonds and fine colored gemstones are so desirable and valuable, many companies have created ways of enhancing poor quality gems to make them appear to be nice gems. This sounds, theoretically, like an appealing discovery since the prices of the visually enhanced gems are lower than a pure, natural gem.

One of the many problems that arise with enhanced gems are that the filling material can come out of the gem, leaving behind a stone that is not only terribly unsightly, but also nearly worthless. "A real problem can occur when a jeweler works on the ring and the material leaks out", says Ron Hansen, VP of Gold & Gems Fine Jewelry.

"I've experienced many examples of this problem while speaking with new clients. One that jumps out was an incident when a very nice lady was shopping in our store and she asked me to evaluate her new diamond that she had thought was a great deal from a store in the San Francisco Bay area. It was a fancy yellow diamond. I am very familiar with these diamonds. It looked like a pretty diamond, rich & bright. As I studied the diamond under high power magnification, I noticed a "red flag" - it had been drilled into with a fine laser and had been "fracture filled" with a synthetic material. I carefully asked her if it had been disclosed at the time of purchase that this diamond was an altered stone. She turned pale and replied, "No, they said that it was a fine diamond at a really good price." I showed her what I had found within the diamond. It was undetectable to the naked eye but quite obvious under high power magnification."

Enhanced Gems

Fracture filling, or clarity enhanced diamond, effects the clarity grading of diamonds and is a concern in the trade and should be a concern to jewelry consumers. The process was begun in the 1980s and is a method of filling cracks with a glass-like substance to improve the overall appearance. The filling material is stable with routine cleaning, but not at temperatures and conditions needed for jewelry repair. The fillings might up the clarity grade but have been slightly yellow, lowering the color rating. Some of the time laser drill holes were made to reach an internal fracture in order to fill it, or introducing a "fracture" that was not originally there!

Enhancement is any post recovery process which alters the appearance, especially the color or clarity of a natural diamond or other gem material. Coating, fracture filling, irradiation, heating (annealing), and lasering are all forms of enhancement. Enhancement can also be referred to as "treatment." Selling enhanced diamonds and gemstones is an accepted practice in the gem and jewelry industry provided that jewelers disclose the enhancement of a stone before it's sold.

Gold and Gems Fine Jewelry does not represent enhanced diamonds. "I feel it a disservice to sell a diamond that has been enhanced.", Says Ron Hansen. "People should buy diamonds because they are rare, natural, and beautiful. Not because they are the deal of the week."

If any one diamond epitomizes the quality and craftsmanship that Gold and Gems is famous for, it would be The Love Diamond. Every diamond in The Love Diamond collection has been meticulously scrutinized for it's cut proportions, polish, and symmetry. 360 degrees of the diamond are absolutely correct. "There are no diamonds that I have ever seen that have the dance, life and sparkle that a Love Diamond does." Says Ron.

When you view one of these diamonds through a facet viewer you will see an impressive display of Hearts & Arrows. This is a pattern that appears due to the absolute perfection of the cut. "Cut is what makes a diamond dance." Ron explains. "Without precision cutting, the other grade factors hardly matter."

Still cut by hand, these diamonds display a truly extraordinary glitter. Once they pass the cut, polish, and symmetry grade from the laboratory they are branded into the collection with a fine laser, inscribing the fine edge of the diamond with name and certificate number of that particular diamond.