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Annual March Diamond Madness - Round 2 - Up to 9% Off
Annual March Diamond Madness - Round 2 - Up to 9% Off
What is worse in a diamond, a cavity, a feather, or a needle?

What is worse in a diamond, a cavity, a feather, or a needle?

“This probably comes as no surprise, but I’m shopping for a diamond engagement ring. I feel like I’ve got a pretty good grasp on carat weight, color, and cut quality. However, I’m not quite clear on inclusions (no pun intended). While my inner perfectionist would love to buy a higher clarity diamond, such as a VVS-1 or internally flawless, the more practical side of me realizes that I’d be spending money on a level of internal clarity that I won’t be able to appreciate without a loupe. So, I’m looking at options within the SI-1 to VS-2 clarity range, probably with G-H color, since that seems to provide a good balance of characteristics. Some of the diamonds I’m considering list inclusions described as cavity, feather, and needle. I’m wondering which is worse in a diamond?”

Are cavities, feathers, or needles bad?

It is important to understand that an inclusion type is not necessarily bad in and of itself, rather it is the extent of the inclusions that we need to focus upon. While a cavity represents a hole within the structure of the stone, a cavity in a VVS-2 clarity diamond is entirely different than the cavity in an SI-2 clarity diamond. It also depends where the inclusion is located, and how extensive it is. This will be reflected in the clarity grade assigned to each stone.

A feather is the term used to describe a small fracture within the crystal structure, they are called “feathers” because they tend to look like a feather when viewed using magnification. Small feathers are not reason for concern, especially if they are well within the body of the stone. Even seemingly larger feathers might not pose any sort of durability risk if they are positioned well.

The reality is that each inclusion needs to be evaluated on its own merits, which is why Brian Gavin personally inspects every diamond produced for our collection. Diamonds which meet his selection criteria are added to our inventory, while diamonds that don’t meet that criteria, for whatever reason, are sold off to wholesale accounts.

Needles, pinpoints, clouds, and crystals:

I’m going to group needles along with pinpoints, clouds, and crystals, because a needle is simply a diamond crystal which is long and thin looking. Thus it doesn’t fall into the same classification as a cavity or a feather, because it is simply a diamond crystal. As such, it is basically a smaller diamond crystal that was encompassed within the larger diamond crystal as it formed.

Diamond crystals, in whatever form, pose no durability issue whatsoever. They are simply diamond trapped within the diamond. As such, they can take many forms and shapes. We tend to describe the crystals in terms of their shape and formation.

For example, a cloud is simply a collection of pinpoint size diamond crystals. A pinpoint is exactly what it sounds like, a tiny diamond crystal that looks like a pinpoint when examined using magnification. They are most often translucent in appearance and resemble tiny specks of sparkling dust. I’ve always thought of clouds as constellations of pinpoint size diamond crystals, because they tend to look like constellations of stars.

Determining whether an inclusion is good or bad:

As stated previously, Brian Gavin personally inspects every diamond selected for inventory, so he’s going to eliminate any diamonds that contain inclusions which he doesn’t like. But you’re welcome to contact us directly to discuss the inclusions within any Brian Gavin Signature diamond that you may be considering. We’ll be happy to pull the diamond from the vault and walk through it with you.

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