{"id":24284,"date":"2018-07-17T09:31:33","date_gmt":"2018-07-17T13:31:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=24284"},"modified":"2018-07-17T09:31:33","modified_gmt":"2018-07-17T13:31:33","slug":"feather-flaw-or-cracked-diamond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/feather-flaw-or-cracked-diamond\/","title":{"rendered":"FEATHER FLAW OR CRACKED DIAMOND?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Diamond<\/div>\n

Cracked?<\/h2>\n

\nPossibly.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Inclusion!<\/h2>\n

\nMore than likely…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nYou see, a crack or a fracture is literally an inclusion<\/strong> itself. So you can’t really say is it cracked or included…<\/p>\n

It’s both!<\/h2>\n

\nBut what most people want to know<\/strong>, is this:
\n<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Did they buy a cracked diamond?<\/li>\n
  2. Did they crack their diamond?<\/li>\n
  3. Is that mark a feather or a flaw?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nThese answers vary, so I’ll try to help you out<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

    \nA crack (like a broken window<\/strong>) can look very similar to a feather<\/strong> (a leafy white inclusion that runs through a diamond, and could be small <\/strong>or rather large and obvious<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

    What’s the difference?<\/h2>\n

    \nThe origin<\/strong> (or starting point).<\/p>\n

    \nJust like this diamond pendant<\/strong> a reader sent me…<\/p>\n

    \n\"Diamond<\/p>\n

    \nNormally in a pendant, it’ll probably be an inclusion<\/strong> (especially if there are two separate white lines<\/strong> that don’t touch, like in the photo above). New cracks in pendants and earrings are rare<\/strong>, after all, you don’t bump or hit<\/strong> those stones like you would a ring.<\/p>\n

    \nSo you know there’s a good chance that it’s either a flaw, and more than likely it was bought like that<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \nIn the pendant above, I would say that the diamond is I clarity<\/strong>, and those flaws have been in the stone since the time of purchase!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nCloser inspection under a scope would tell the difference…<\/p>\n

    So what is a diamond crack?<\/h2>\n

    \nA diamond crack usually starts from the surface<\/strong> of the stone and works its way inward. That’s because a crack is caused by hitting the stone<\/strong>. They crack upon impact and fractures to the center. The outside surface feels rough, jagged, chipped<\/strong>… And viewing the diamond up close (under a microscope<\/a> or 10x jeweler’s loupe<\/a>, you will see that the damage is fresh<\/strong> (not smoothed over, worn<\/strong>, or polished).<\/p>\n

    \nIf you run your fingers over the surface of the stone and feel a crater or rough spot<\/strong>, that’s a good sign it’s fractured<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \nBut if it feels smooth and slick<\/strong> (and all you feel are facets), that’s an internal flaw<\/strong>, an inclusion<\/strong>, something buried inside <\/strong>the stone.<\/p>\n

    \nUnder a scope, feathers are softer, frayed out like wings on a bird (hence they’re called feathers<\/strong>), patterned like nature with a paint brush. <\/p>\n

    \nAnd while it’s tough to tell the two apart…<\/strong><\/p>\n

    The other way is through time!<\/h2>\n

    \nInclusions or feathers have been inside the diamond for a billion years<\/strong>. Those birthmarks are permanent <\/strong>and will never change<\/strong>. So the day you buy a diamond, those marks will already be there, and they will stay there forever<\/strong>. Whether it be a feather, or a fracture (remember, fractures are a form of inclusion<\/strong>, so technically you could buy a diamond that’s fractured and that’s a perfectly fine purchase<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

    \nBut, if you’ve had your stone for years, and suddenly look down and see a new white crack<\/strong> running through the diamond, that’s probably a fracture (or a dirty stone<\/strong>, which I’ll discuss soon).<\/p>\n

    \nDamage could happen to any diamond at any time with the right amount of force<\/strong> and the proper angle<\/strong> (diamonds break across cleavage lines<\/strong>, like lines in a tree).<\/p>\n

    \nIf you can’t tell if it’s a crack or a feather<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

    Take it to a jeweler for inspection!<\/h2>\n

    \nCracks are quite common<\/strong> in lower clarity diamonds (Like I2 & I3<\/strong>). And, many pendants and earrings are I clarity (which lowers cost and most people don’t view them like they would an engagement ring<\/strong>, so the clarity doesn’t need to be so high). <\/p>\n

    \nMany people buy included diamonds and don’t even realize it<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \nThis is because they don’t view the stone<\/strong> at the time of the purchase. They only look closer at the stone somewhere down the line… <\/p>\n

    \nAnd the reason why some flaws become obvious after the purchase<\/strong> is this:<\/p>\n

    The stone is dirty!<\/h2>\n

    \nDirt hinders light<\/strong>, and light is what helps hide flaws<\/strong>. So when a diamond gets dirty (from lotions, perfumes, soap<\/strong> and whatnot), the flaws stand out more<\/strong> and become more apparent. People notice lines, marks, black spots, fractures…<\/p>\n

    \nSome customers freak out<\/strong> and say “The jeweler sold me a cracked diamond…<\/strong>”<\/p>\n

    But the real fault is yours!<\/h2>\n

    \nYes the jeweler may have sold you a stone with a crack, but I’ve already told you, included diamonds can have cracks<\/strong>. They’re just another trait or identifying mark<\/strong>. So the jeweler did nothing wrong<\/strong>. It’s common. Half the diamonds in jewelry stores have eye-visible flaws<\/strong>… HALF!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    That’s what buying lower clarity gets you: FLAWS!<\/h2>\n

    \nIncluded diamonds don’t change<\/strong>. Those feathers, flaws, and cracks have been in the stone since day one<\/strong>. They didn’t grow or magically appear<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    \nIf you buy a low clarity diamond, you’re probably buying imperfections<\/strong>. Easy as that! (Cleaning <\/strong>the stone will “hide<\/strong>” those flaws once more – buy yourself a nice ultrasonic cleaner<\/a>, that’ll do the trick!<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

    If you don’t want flaws, buy a better clarity!<\/h2>\n

    \nIf you get an SI1 clarity diamond or higher<\/strong>, you won’t ever see feathers, flaws or fractures (unless you hit your stone hard enough to break it).<\/p>\n

    The point is; scope all your diamonds!<\/h2>\n

    \nView them now!<\/strong> Scope new ones before you purchase them<\/strong>. Get yourself a loupe<\/a> or a microscope<\/a> and see them at 10x magnification<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

    \nThat way, you’ll have peace of mind<\/strong>, and a beautiful looking stone (And also know if the flaws were already there<\/strong>, or if you caused them<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

    \nNo matter what, get your diamonds insured!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Just in case.<\/h2>\n

    \nInsurance will cover damage, loss or theft<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \nBecause in life, you never truly know!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nP.S.<\/strong> And… If you buy a GIA certified diamond with a diamond plot<\/a>, that plot will mark all the flaws and inclusions<\/strong> on a map so you know exactly what’s inside your stone at the time of purchase!<\/p>\n

    \nCheers! :)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Cracked? Possibly. Inclusion! More than likely… You see, a crack or a fracture is literally an inclusion itself. So you can’t really say is it cracked or included… It’s both! But what most people want [Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clarity","category-diamond-guide"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24284"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}