Feather vs. Indented natural. Which one is worse?

[ekhj]

Hello everyone,

I am looking for 1 carat, E, SI1 diamond.
Today I received these two reports and wondering which one I should get or just look for new ones.
First one has feathers (and other inclusions) and I think one of it is touching the girdle (not sure that one touching the girdle is feather or needle).
Second one has only 3 inclusions but lots of indented natural...
I heard both feather that touches the girdle and indented natural affect durability.
Please share your thoughts about these diamonds.

Thanks!!


1.

2.

 

[KKJohnson]

I think feathers are worse, I can spot a feather before I can an indent


ETA: the crystal would give me more pause on the #2, is it white or black?

 

[ekhj]

I think feathers are worse, I can spot a feather before I can an indent


ETA: the crystal would give me more pause on the #2, is it white or black?

Thank you for your reply!
Crystals are white.
Will indented natural be visible?

 

[mission1]

I'm not an expert, but I think the issue with indented natural is that they're prone to picking up dirt, and then can look dark. Feathers ok if not too big and not near the girdle.

 

[KKJohnson]

Here are some references to help

Diamond Inclusion Types | Taylor & Hart

While diamonds are formed, they develop natural birthmarks known as inclusions - we explore how each of these affects a diamond's appearance.

taylorandhart.com

https://www.rarecarat.com/blog/indented-natural-diamond-inclusions

 

[AV_]

Agreed re feathers. I can talk myself into one, but not often or many - the small & contained in the diamond mass, smudged by crystal growth ... The nicest thing aboutthem: feathers are reflective planes - not unlike factes, & if placed nearly perpendicular to external facets, they dissapear - perhaps more so than anything else. There is a little magic in 'internal facets' [a few cutters do this - but, in much, much less expensive material - search 'Munsteiner aquamarine' ]


2p


... it might sound as if I am arguing for junk; this is my taste, for better or worse - I do not know what it means to anyone else, so here i am, writing.

 

[Rockdiamond]

I understand the reason for the question, but no answer given will necessarily apply to any specific diamond.
It's like asking " Which is more fattening, cake or steak?" It depends on the cake and the steak we're comparing.
If the diamond is SI2 or better, graded by GIA, we can assume safely that neither will be a durability issue.
Besides that, with SI diamonds in particular, you really want to see how either impacts the visuals ( for example, can you see the feather?)

 

[WinkHPD]

Rockdiamond and I often disagree with each other, however, I think he is correct here. There is no right or wrong answer, well except for the cake part. Any cake with lots of sugar and frosting will be more fattening that even the best USDA prime (read fatty) rib eye steak, at least for me.

An open feather is not going to be a desirable diamond feature to most. (An open feather may look like an arroyo or a grand canyon under the microscope, unlike a closed feather.) Neither will deep indented naturals. However, you may have a well cut diamond with both closed feathers and small indented naturals and they may be incredible to the eye. The cut will be far more important to the viewer than the inclusions.

It is important to actually see the diamonds you are talking about with YOUR EYES rather than looking for a rule of thumb that isn't really a rule, but rather an opinion based on unrealistic looking images on the screen of a diamond grading report diagram. For some reason the diagrams that come with the actual diamond are often much less threatening in real life than on screen. (The former Gypsy wrote a blog article about this which can be seen here: https://www.hpdiamonds.com/en-us/blog/blog-article/34/diamond-mug-shots.htm)

If a feather or an indented natural is large enough to be seen easily, the clarity grade is likely to be SI2 or lower. Without the ability to look and keep or return, it may be wise not to buy those diamonds sight unseen. This is why your better vendors will always have a generous return policy.

Wink