{"id":7747,"date":"2018-11-03T07:00:12","date_gmt":"2018-11-03T11:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=7747"},"modified":"2018-11-03T19:14:32","modified_gmt":"2018-11-03T23:14:32","slug":"are-inscriptions-man-made-flaws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/are-inscriptions-man-made-flaws\/","title":{"rendered":"ARE INSCRIPTIONS MAN-MADE FLAWS?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Are<\/div>\n

Does your diamond contain a man-made flaw?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We’ll find out… <\/h2>\n

\nBut, before we talk about diamond inscriptions and laser inscribing, we need to delve deeper into diamond quality and how it affects the value of your diamond<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nTo do so, we turn to the 4 C’s<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\nThe 4 C’s are cut<\/a>, color<\/a>, clarity<\/a> and carat weight<\/a>. All four categories weigh heavily on the value of a diamond. When people shop and compare diamond prices, they’re comparing the 4C’s.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

Comparing apples to apples:<\/h2>\n

Now 3 of these 4C’s determine the quality of the stone: cut, color and clarity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nThose 3C’s<\/strong> look at the perfection<\/strong> of the diamond, the color<\/strong> of the diamond, and the shape<\/strong> of the diamond. They grade how clean the diamond is. How pure white the diamond is, and how perfect the cut is (angles, proportions, percentages).<\/p>\n

\nBut the real focus is on…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Clarity<\/h2>\n

\nClarity is the only category that truly affects our topic today.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\nAll the others help define the diamond and it’s value, but clarity is the grade that tends to get a magnified look. <\/p>\n

\nClarity in particular, looks at every single dot, every microscopic pinpoint, every hairline inclusion and flaw<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nClarity looks at all the nooks and crannies with 10x magnification<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nClarity scopes the inside of the diamond and the surface of the diamond as well. Every fleck, every cloud, every feather is evaluated. Nothing is overlooked<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\n(Well, almost, that’s where we’re going…)<\/p>\n

\nAfter all is said and done, after the quality of the diamond is judged and the information for a detailed certification report<\/strong> obtained, we do a very ODD <\/strong>thing…<\/p>\n

We mMar the diamond.<\/h2>\n

\nWe actually laser burn numbers and letters into the stone<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nWe brand the certification report number<\/a> right onto the diamond (see picture).<\/p>\n

The branding act itself caused a lot of controversy<\/strong> when laser inscribed diamonds were first introduced many years ago. <\/p>\n

\nGemologists and Diamontologists (experts in the field of gems and diamonds<\/strong>) had heated battles over the value of these man-made flaws and inscriptions. Were they good or bad?<\/strong> How do they really affect the quality of the diamond? Will inscriptions stand up to the scrutiny or actually harm the value of the diamond in the future?<\/p>\n

\nWhere else would one judge a work of art for perfection<\/strong>, and then add flaws to it?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\nIt sounds funny, but that’s exactly what we’re doing with laser inscriptions. We’re digging into the diamond and removing some of the stone<\/strong> (Does this also make the diamond smaller in carat size? Yes, but not enough to make any difference). <\/p>\n

\nWe create indentations and grooves in the stone just like Egyptians did with Hieroglyphs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Does this make any sense?<\/h2>\n

\n When we talk about clarity, we’re talking about making opinions about microscopic inclusions (as seen with a microscope<\/a> or a 10x jeweler’s loupe<\/a>), flaws and surface blemishes<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nSo why aren’t these tiny nicks we engrave in the girdle considered a surface blemish? We grade little bitty naturals and trigons as blemishes???<\/p>\n

\nSo why aren’t grooves considered a flaw? <\/p>\n

\nAnd not only one flaw, but lots of them. Look at the GIA etching<\/strong> in the image. There’s almost a dozen flaws carved into it now. Aren’t we being a bit hypocritical to exclude these as an imperfections now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Flawless?<\/h2>\n

Let’s take a moment and think about a flawless diamond<\/a>. A flawless diamond has no flaws, inclusions, blemishes, feathers, clouds, trigons or naturals (surface nicks). <\/p>\n

\nFlawless, in every sense, is supposed to be flawless.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\nVoid of any marks, mars or microscopic characteristics. So by adding a laser inscription to this diamond, do we not dig up the side of the diamond? <\/p>\n

The branded girdle is not perfect anymore!<\/h2>\n

\nWhy doesn’t laser inscripting hurt the clarity? By all means it should. If a dot can cause a lower rating, wouldn’t lots of dots and letters be worse? <\/p>\n

It really makes you think now doesn’t it?<\/h2>\n

\nYou want to know WHY <\/strong>inscriptions aren’t taken into consideration for clarity grading?<\/a><\/p>\n

I’ll tell you…<\/h2>\n

\nCertification companies overlook<\/strong> inscriptions because… <\/p>\n

\nThey are the ones that are actually engraving and marring the diamond<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

BINGO!<\/h2>\n

\nBecause they inscribe the diamonds themselves, they have the ability to exclude them from the actual grading<\/strong> (plus, they are graded BEFORE <\/strong>they are marred).<\/p>\n

Very interesting indeed.<\/h2>\n

So as long as the certification companies do the etchings, they have no choice but to disregard their impact on the diamond’s quality<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nThey wouldn’t grade the stone lower for that. It’s like the engravings don’t even exist<\/strong>. Inscriptions are an entirely different entity when it comes to grading.<\/p>\n

So why laser inscribe?<\/h2>\n

Why do certification companies laser inscribe diamonds?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\nIf laser inscribing doesn’t hurt or harm the value of a diamond… Does it help?<\/p>\n

The answer is:<\/h2>\n

\nYes!<\/strong><\/p>\n

The easiest way for a consumer to identify a particular diamond is by looking at the laser inscription.<\/p>\n

\nGIA<\/a> (The Gemological Institute of America<\/strong>) knows this. They know a customer can look at the inscription on a diamond and compare it to the inscription number on the certificate report and make an exact match<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nThat report number etched forever into the girdle of the diamond proves that the diamond’s been graded by an independent appraiser (in this case GIA) and that a certification report has been created with it. <\/p>\n

\nThat report and inscription are there to help avoid confusion, and deter fraud in the diamond industry.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Overlooked man-made flaws…<\/h2>\n

Certification companies feel so strongly about laser inscribed diamonds that they are willing to overlook these man-made flaws<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nThey’ve determined that it doesn’t hurt the value of the diamond. But the truth is, laser inscribed diamonds can actually increase your diamond’s value.<\/strong> <\/p>\n

How so?<\/h2>\n

\nBecause a diamond that has a certificate and laser inscription are worth more because it’s solid proof of the quality<\/strong>. It’s factual and accurate and makes the diamond more valuable.<\/p>\n

Plus, it stops diamond switching!<\/h2>\n

Laser inscriptions are the number one way to stop diamond switching<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\nThey help protect the customer’s diamond from being stolen by dishonest jewelers.<\/p>\n

\nSo is it fair to disregard our man-made imperfections? If it helps stop theft and crime, if it helps the customer identify their diamond easily under a microscope, and if it doesn’t hurt the value of a diamond in the least, then I say YES!!! <\/strong><\/p>\n

\nYes, it is fair to turn the cheek on laser inscriptions. And jewelers need laser inscribed diamonds for our own protection too.<\/strong> You see, they help more than they hurt.<\/p>\n

\nI for one, would never ever buy a diamond that wasn’t laser inscribed<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

I feel that strongly for them.<\/h2>\n

\nI trust in them. I trust what they stand for. I like how they give customers peace of mind when buying a diamond. <\/p>\n

\nNo one is bothered by these little engravings. Those little etchings in the side of the diamond are so small, that even under a microscope they’re still hard to locate<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So I say, laser-away!<\/h2>\n

\nI like seeing those little letters on the girdle of my diamond. When I see them, I know I haven’t been ripped off! I have the actual diamond that I wanted to buy. The numbers and the report prove that.<\/p>\n

\nAnd if you do scope those report numbers under a microscope<\/a> or a 10x jeweler’s loupe<\/a> (which I highly advise doing so), you’ll see just how awesome they really are. Technology is grand.<\/strong> Just the fact that a machine can laser etch numbers and letters that small onto the very edge of a diamond is amazing. And the fact that those numbers and letters are always crisp, clean and perfect<\/strong>, are even more amazing (perfect with GIA, some other company’s inscriptions are not so pretty). <\/p>\n

\nShouldn’t everything in life be this perfect?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Engrave this:<\/h2>\n

Not only perfect, but personal <\/strong>as well. <\/p>\n

\nInstead of having some generic number<\/strong> engraved into a diamond, you can actually create your own personal engravings. Words, numbers, letters… Just think of what you could say.<\/p>\n

\nYou could engrave your “Wedding Date<\/strong>“. You could have “Lois + Clark” engraved. It could say “I Love You!” and so on. <\/p>\n

\nLaser inscriptions open the door to be a romantic at heart. It makes giving a diamond even more special<\/strong>. “Anniversary Date<\/a>” “Soul-Mates” “Hugs and Kisses” What will your diamond inscription say? “Together Forever”<\/p>\n

\nTogether forever is certainly not a flaw<\/strong>. In fact, that’s one etching that will endure the test of time forever and ever.<\/p>\n

\nSo can you take a flawless diamond, carve up the side of it with “Luv Ya Butt-Head<\/strong>” and still call it flawless? <\/p>\n

\nYes, you certainly can.<\/strong>
\nGet your GIA certified diamonds HERE!<\/a><\/p>\n

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

Does your diamond contain a man-made flaw? We’ll find out… But, before we talk about diamond inscriptions and laser inscribing, we need to delve deeper into diamond quality and how it affects the value of [Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":7748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,29,3,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7747","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clarity","category-diamond-guide","category-diamonds","category-guides"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7747"}],"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=7747"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7747\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7747"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7747"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7747"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}