Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Purchase An Enhanced Diamond
Is beauty in the eye of the beholder? Maybe not when you are thinking about purchasing an enhanced diamond. Enhanced diamonds are natural gems that have undergone a set of specific treatments. The treatments are designed to improve the visual qualities of diamonds or remove existing flaws. Enhanced diamonds can look like standard diamonds to the untrained eye and sell for a fraction of the cost. However, all that glitters isn’t gold.
Enhancements to diamonds vary but can include laser drilling to remove minor black carbon inclusions. This is to improve the diamond’s clarity. Fracture filling, a method in use for over 2500 years, is used to make natural cracks in the stone less visible. Colour enhancements either modify the gem’s actual colour or apply a thin coating to mask it.
Before proceeding with your purchase of an enhanced diamond, know that the process conjures such a controversy that the CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, and the US Federal Trade Commission require all enhanced diamonds be sold with disclosure at the time of purchase. In order to preserve consumer confidence, enhanced diamonds cannot be passed off as their real deal relatives.
Those considering an enhanced diamond should consider the potential problems with said purchase.
- The problem with clarity enhancements is they are not permanent. They can wear off over time. Exposure to common cleaning chemicals can react with your diamond and revert to its original state. At this point, your only option is to pay to have the stone re-enhanced. That’s not fun.
- You can run into problems with the insurance company because no respectable diamond grading lab will grade enhanced diamonds without permanent enhancement such as the above mentioned clarity enhancements. If you’re diamond cannot be rated, then insurance companies may be hard pressed to offer adequate coverage because they cannot properly value the jewelry.
- Clarity enhanced diamonds can no longer have your cleaned with jewelry cleaner or the process will be reversed. Also, resizing engagement rings is now more difficult.
- Fracture fillings add weight to the diamond. Since a diamond is a featherweight, any changes to that are extremely noticeable. The extra material used to fill fractures will make your ring heavier.
Enhanced diamonds can sell for 50% of their natural counterparts. This can sound tempting to someone trying to maximize your purchase. However, keep in mind there are serious drawbacks to selecting an enhanced diamond that could cost more money down the road. Diamonds can last a lifetime or more and investing in this purchase should be done from a long-term perspective.
Keep in mind that many of these enhancements are not immediately apparent or visible to the untrained or naked eye. Jewellers may pass on enhanced diamonds to unsuspecting buyers by only making simple notations such as CE in the paperwork. To avoid being taken advantage of, it’s best to deal with reputable dealers who have a standard policy of not selling conflict, enhanced, or loose diamonds that have been treated or altered in any way.
Sources:
https://blog.brilliance.com/diamonds/enhanced-diamonds-vs-natural-diamonds
http://www.bloomingbeautyring.com/article-topics/clarity-enhanced-diamonds-vs-non-enhanced-diamonds/
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