WHY DIAMONDS LOOK FOGGY?

There are 4 main reasons why Diamonds look foggy:

1. Inclusions
2. Fluorescence
3. Dirt
4. Cracked

Let’s take a closer look at these…

1) Inclusions

Inclusions are nature’s fingerprint. If Inclusions are grouped together in one spot, or if there’s a feather or cloud in your stone, it can make the Diamond appear foggy or milky in areas.

The Inclusions stop light from entering the stone and bouncing it back into brilliance and sparkle.

The more Inclusions you have (lower Clarity), the more cloudy or foggy areas you will see.

Like this Diamond below…

I’ve seen I3 Diamonds before that don’t even look like Diamonds anymore. They’ve been so full of flaws that the entire stone looked just like a piece of chalk.

2) Fluorescence

Fluorescence is when a Diamond has a natural phenomenon of glowing in the dark (under UV light). It’s just another way of identifying the stone (as listed on a Diamond Report). But sometimes these special Diamonds also give off a milky appearance in natural light as well.

Like so…

It doesn’t matter what the Clarity or Color is of the stone. It doesn’t matter if it’s a VVS with E Color, some Fluorescent Diamonds will appear foggy.

There is no way around this, other than viewing the stone (if it contains Fluorescence) before you buy it just to see if the Fluorescence makes the stone look odd or foggy.

I usually advise customers to stay away from Fluorescent Diamonds, just in case!

The only great thing about Diamonds with Fluorescence is that you can usually get a better deal on these stones. :) So don’t shy away too fast. Just view the Diamond first and then make your decision on its beauty.

3) Dirt

“Hey, my Diamond doesn’t Sparkle anymore!“

This is a common phrase Jewelers hear all the time. And once we take a look at your ring, we understand…

You haven’t cleaned your Diamond very well. There’s crud on the bottom of the stone (some look very gross).

And all it takes is 20 Minutes of sitting in the Ultrasonic Cleaner and scrubbing the bottom with a brush to bring your Diamond back to life again.

It really is that simple. :)

A Dirty Diamond Doesn’t Sparkle!

Take a peek…

Light can’t enter or exit the stone and the stone becomes a dull, boring rock. Not cool!

Clean your Diamond Ring often, at least once a week, to keep the dirt and debris and hand lotions from ruining your sparkle.

Buy an Ultrasonic Cleaner or a Steam Cleaner if you must. Just clean your stone. That way it won’t look foggy anymore! :)

4) Cracked

Crack kills (always wanted to say that), and it certainly can kill a Diamond’s Sparkle and Beauty.

If you hit your stone hard enough, you can chip, break, crack or nick your Diamond.

When this happens, it can send long faults throughout your stone and stops light dead in its tracks!

I’ve seen stones that have been hit so hard, that half the Diamond turned a milky white.

Like so…

The only resolution to a stone this badly damaged is to Recut the Stone.

And many times, if the Diamond is damaged greatly, it’s not even worth the price of recutting. The newer, and much smaller Diamond just won’t be worth it.

The Diamond now goes in the trash!

So be careful with your Diamonds. Get your Diamonds and Rings insured and checked often.

Diamonds can break and that just leads to heart ache! :(

Does your Diamond look foggy?

If your Diamond looks foggy, grab a 10x Jewelers Loupe and take a closer look.

It could be cracked, it could be dirty… When a Diamond is dirty, the Inclusions stand out more.

Let’s just hope it’s the later.

Because that’s the only one that can really be fixed! :)