Diamond Enhancements

As beautiful and lovely as diamonds are, sometimes, they are not perfect.  Cracks, inclusions, or other flaws may be present.  Also, sometimes people want to give their diamonds a new, more improved look by enhancing the color or improving a slightly colored diamond.  In the past, these types of enhancements could not be done.  However, with new technologies and improvements, diamonds can go through many enhancements to improve appearance.

• Drilling- used to help cut diamonds better and can remove inclusions or flaws from diamonds at the microscopic level.  Diamonds are drilled up to the inclusion and then washed with chemicals to fill the inclusion.  This can substantially improve the look of a stone, but also detract from its resilience.
• Filling- used to enhance the look of diamonds with cracks.  A glass like material is used to fill the crack and will improve the look.  However, it is not a permanent fix and can melt under extreme temperatures.
• Color bleaching- (also called high pressure high temperature) used to improve the look of vaguely colored diamonds.  A diamond is exposed to high temperatures and high pressures, similar to the environment that forms a diamond, and the color is enhanced by several grades.  This is a permanent treatment but can be difficult to identify.
• Coating- used to add color to diamonds.  Dyes are used to coat the outside of the diamond and are hard to recognize.
• Irradiation- used to change the color of diamonds.  High-energy particles are used to relocate carbon atoms to create color.  Often, colors created are greens and blues.

Overall, diamond enhancements can enhance the look of a diamond with or without detracting from its value and quality.  However, depending upon the diamond you have, it is definitely something worth considering.