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What does a feather look like?

rwillya

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jun 24, 2014
Messages
21
Hi everyone,

I am sorry for the silly question but would anyone be willing to describe what a feather inclusion inside a stone looks like? Is there an easy way to tell if there are any feathers when looking at a stone with a loupe? I have tried using the PS search feature with little success so I apologize if there is already a thread with this information!
 

FrekeChild

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
19,456
You can see on this round stone, the angle of the light is hitting the feathers just right, so you can see them very well.

Also, a different view on the cushion, set stone - it's the curved line just to the right of the center of the stone. If I took a picture from the side, instead of the top, it would look like the round stone above.

Typically you don't really see feathers clearly unless they are really big or the light hits them just right. I had to go through a lot of pictures to find these pics!

_23152.jpg

_23153.jpg
 

Starzin

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Sep 26, 2011
Messages
1,850
Fantastic pictures Freke, thank you so much!
 

kenny

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Apr 30, 2005
Messages
33,225
Rwillya, feather is the industry's non-alarming term for a crack.

Many are not much cause for concern.
If a gem survived the heat and pressure of the cutting wheel it will likely survive life on your finger.

But a crack is a crack.
Personally, I'd rather not buy a cracked gem ... though I have when I wanted something very very rare and one with a feather was all that was available.
But I do stick to gems graded by GIA or AGS and stick to VS2 or above clarity.
So the feathered diamonds I have bought are likely relatively durable compared to those with I1 or I2 grades or gems with low clarity grades from flakey gem labs.
When I have a choice I prefer to chose a gem with other kinds of inclusions and no feathers.

Obviously people vary and many, if not most, are much more comfortable with feathers than I am.
 

T L

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Sep 20, 2008
Messages
25,160
I have a one carat champagne diamond, gorgeous sparkle, very clean, except for one large feather. It had a price on it that was too good to pass up, because of the feather. I think this is a really good example of a large feather, so I thought I'd post it.

The brown color, and the bezel I put it in, mask it most of the time. I could see this feather being a major deterrent in an e-ring stone, or a white diamond, which doesn't mask large inclusions that easily.

file.jpg
 

pyramid

Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Nov 10, 2002
Messages
4,607
I look at it that a feather is a flaw but a crystal is an impurity. Clear crystals in diamond can be Olivine/Peridot and they can also be negative meaning they are hollow inside or are a hollow etch in the diamond. Dark crystals can be garnet. Crystals in diamond also show up easier than feathers under magnification and look dark on one side or reflect. Although feathers can extend on the cutting wheel, crystals can explode on the cutting wheel. I remember one cutter writing they had a vvs2 crystal make a diamond become si2. Also most crystals have tiny stress feathers around them which you can't see at 10x magnification.
 

LoversKites

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 16, 2013
Messages
1,733
Pyramid|1413145454|3766172 said:
I look at it that a feather is a flaw but a crystal is an impurity. Clear crystals in diamond can be Olivine/Peridot and they can also be negative meaning they are hollow inside or are a hollow etch in the diamond. Dark crystals can be garnet. Crystals in diamond also show up easier than feathers under magnification and look dark on one side or reflect. Although feathers can extend on the cutting wheel, crystals can explode on the cutting wheel. I remember one cutter writing they had a vvs2 crystal make a diamond become si2. Also most crystals have tiny stress feathers around them which you can't see at 10x magnification.

Thanks Pyramid, that's interesting.
 
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