why not buy a clarity enhanced diamond?

[themagazinescene]

I will be visiting a wholesaler that works out of his home this upcoming weekend. He is a big fan of clarity enhanced stones. I had never even considered buying one until now. What are the advantages and disadvantages of clarity enhanced? I know I will save money, but that is about all I know.


Thanks,

Ben

 

[valeria101]

Good question ! If you want one, why on Earth not... Not sure if these can get upgraded/sold at least as easily as the non-doctored version but since no knod seems to hold value all that well, perhaps even that is not a strong argument.

From what I know, there is a rather wide range of "clarity enhancement" - and the overall looks (= price, and quality) of the finished product goes from some visibly included pieces with rather uncertain shape to very desirable, no excuse eye clean pieces. Regardless, GIA would not grade anything but laser drilled diamonds - those with filler get moe exotic and perhaps less reliable IDs. And that definitely has something to do with price.

You might want to look over the (candide) page about clarity enhancement at NiceIce for a bit more detail (link).

Have you seen the Yehuda site ? Some of their examples look pretty sobering, I think. If it's been enhanced, that doesn't men it's clean, aparently:

This one is labeled "SI3" allright... but there are VS-s as well.

On Pricescope's database there are a few CE ("clarity enhanced") stones. I remember to have found them listed by Abazias, but other sellers might list them as well. GoodOldGold has a favorable mention of the species hidden in the depth of their website... and this one below appears at another PS posting seller, DiamondsByLauren:

Couldn't find a better example of how inclusions show at just the right angle...

If the enhanced stone look good and you are really sure that the non-enhanced alternative fitting the same budget is nowhere close to your taste, why on Earth not.

Jus my 0.2, of course. Can't wait to hear your hands-on account

 

[FireGoddess]

The overwhelming majority of opinions I''ve heard are to stay away from CE diamonds. They do give you more "bang" for the buck, but there are concerns.

I believe these stones must be kept away from high heat and corrosive materials (not that you''re going to dip your hands into those on a regular basis...)

These things may cause the fracture-filling material to deteriorate, and you''re back to square one, with a very noticeable defect in the stone. I cannot comment as to whether these stones have any weakening of structural integrity as compared to a non-CE stone. I might think they would, but I''m not sure.

I''ve also heard laser drilled stones are preferable to fracture filled stones, if you''re going to go this route.

I personally wouldn''t get one for an e-ring, but might consider it for earrings.

Just my humble opinion.