Need an Opinion, Please (Long Term Value of Yehuda Enhanced Diamonds)

[richipat]

My husband wants to upgrade my diamond for our 10th wedding anv. I was discussing at work with co-workers and one girl told me about Yehuda enhanced diamonds. I gathered from their website that they use lazers to drill into the stone and zap the black spots out. They look really good, but I always thought this was something to stay away from. Doesn''t it affect the value long term?

Opnions?

I just recently discovered this site and I must say, I am getting very little work done reading the forums and looking at all the beautiful rings.

 

[pricescope]

Richipat, welcome to the forum.

Clarity enhancement is something that you personally should feel comfortable with.

On one hand, you are getting a cheaper or/and larger diamond that no-one would distinguish from all others without close inspection. On another hand, if you''re concerned about emotional or resale value, it might not be your choice.

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 4/18/2007 10:30:46 AM
Author: Pricescope
Richipat, welcome to the forum.

Clarity enhancement is something that you personally should feel comfortable with.

On one hand, you are getting a cheaper or/and larger diamond that no-one would distinguish from all others without close inspection. On another hand, if you're concerned about emotional or resale value, it might not be your choice.

Welcome to PS

Ditto all admin said, also apparently if you want to sell a CE diamond, not only are they harder to sell, but don't hold much value at all, less than that of a non enhanced and you are lucky if you can get 50% back on those anyway. However I do believe they serve a purpose, if you want a nice looking big rock on a budget and don't plan to resell, then they might be worth considering. Regarding the emotional point of view, some might consider an "imperfect" or treated diamond as not suitable for an engagement ring etc, but it all depends on how you feel.

Also there are various methods of enhancing a diamond. Lasering indeed can reduce the appearance of dark marks within the diamond, GIA does grade these I believe. An other method is fracture filling a visible feather, rather like filling in a crack in a windshield. GIA doesn't grade diamonds which have been treated in this manner.

Further reading for you. http://www.goodoldgold.com/4Cs/Clarity/ClarityEnhancedDiamonds/

 

[JohnQuixote]

What Yehuda does is known as clarity enhancement. The techniques include laser-drilling and fracture filling.

Laser drilling was developed in the 1980s. An infrared laser is used to bore fine holes into a diamond in order to selectively target and remove inclusions, or reduce their visibility. This improves the diamond’s apparent clarity grade. After the inclusion is reached by the boring laser the diamond is placed in sulfuric acid to dissolve the target crystal or staining. The diamond material removed during the drilling process is often replaced with glass infilling, using the technique described below.

Fracture filling was also developed in the 1980s - by Yehuda - but did not become common until the 1990s. In this process small cracks, or feathers, in a diamond are filled witha molten, glass-like resin that has the same optical properties as the diamond. This makes the cracks almost invisible to the eye and improves the diamond’s apparent clarity grade. The weight and color are not affected, but you can often see this type of treatment in what is called the "flash" effect: When the diamond is tilted back and forth there are unique color changes that occur in a flashing manner.

Clarity enhancement may allow a buyer to get a larger, cleaner diamond than he/she could normally afford. However there are durability issues: Repeated cleaning, re-polishing or repair procedures for jewelry that expose the diamond to heat might damage or remove the filling. There are companies other than Yehuda offering treatment, but Yehuda is best known and historically offers the strongest guarantee: If the treatment is damaged or falls out they will fix the diamond for free.

Value: Some labs, including the AGS and GIA, will not accept fracture-filled diamonds for grading (they will grade laser-drilled diamonds but note it on the grading report). Additionally, many sellers will not deal in clarity or color enhanced diamonds. This does not mean they are "bad," but the fact that they're avoided by certain companies and labs does impact their value; both in the short and long-term.

 

[pricescope]

John, thanks for the thorough post

 

[richipat]

Wow. Thanks everyone for answering my question.
This is a great site and a great service and I have already learned so much!!

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Yehuda clarity enhancement is generally referring to fracture filled stones (surface reaching fractures filled with a glass resin).

These stones are usually I1 to I2 clarities before being enhanced. Like most I1-I2 diamonds, they tend to appreciate at a much slower rate than higher clarities. I wouldn''t consider them much of an investment, but rather adornment priced fairly for what it is.

If you''re looking for the investment aspect tied in with your purchase, I would recommend non-enhanced SI1 clarity or better. They tend to fare better over time than the lower clarities.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Date: 4/18/2007 10:18:55 PM
Author: Richard Sherwood
Yehuda clarity enhancement is generally referring to fracture filled stones (surface reaching fractures filled with a glass resin).

These stones are usually I1 to I2 clarities before being enhanced. Like most I1-I2 diamonds, they tend to appreciate at a much slower rate than higher clarities. I wouldn''t consider them much of an investment, but rather adornment priced fairly for what it is.

If you''re looking for the investment aspect tied in with your purchase, I would recommend non-enhanced SI1 clarity or better. They tend to fare better over time than the lower clarities.

We agree on many things Rich - but not this one.
Over 20 years there has been no great changes in the RELATIVITY of price differences between different size ranges and colors and clarities according to the Rapaprt price guide which publishes such data in Jan issue each year.

The primary idea is that if you want an investment diamond then it should be one that is liquid.

For some people all their friends and associates and local area - a yehuda or Fract filled stone might be the most liquid, but they may need to get it refilled first.

D Flawless is probably the hardest for most privates to sell.

So in that sense - probably I-F SI1 is as good as it gets.

 

[WinkHPD]

As usual my friend John Quixote does a thurough and complete job of explaining things, saving me a LOT of typing time.

While I think the concept of drilling to and bleaching out the offending black looking inclusions is fantastic, it is not probably something that I would use to honor the tenth anniversary of your wedding unless size is more important to you than quality. I believe that it is a very useful technique and that it has a definite place in the diamond market, but me personally, I am sort of a sentimentalist at heart and believe that the wedding/engagement stone should be something that needs no explaination other than its outstanding beauty.

It is exceedingly rare to find an ideal cut stone that has been clarity enhanced or laser drilled, so they are not normally as beautiful as they could be, and thus rarely get my vote for such an important symbol. (The exception being when the fiance is demanding a stone of "x" size and the budget of the buyer can obtain this in no other way.)

On the other hand, as shown in my presentation today, using the laser drilling and clarity enhancement can result in a poor looking stone now looking beautiful and should not be turned down out of hand, but it is important to know both the pros and the cons when considering such a move. In the stone that we discussed today, it was a family heirloom, and making it much more beautiful than it was created true joy for our client.

Wink