Treatment Status
Diamond enhancements are specific treatments, performed on natural and sometimes synthetic diamonds (usually those already cut and polished into gems), which are designed to improve the gemological characteristics — and therefore the value — of the stone. These include clarity treatments such as laser drilling to remove inclusions, application of sealants to fill cracks, color treatments to improve a white diamond's color grade, and treatments to give fancy color to a white or off-color diamond.
The CIBJO and government agencies such as the United States Federal Trade Commission explicitly require the disclosure of most diamond treatments at the time of sale. Some treatments, particularly those applied to clarity, remain highly controversial within the industry. This arises from the traditional notion that diamonds hold a unique or "sacred" place among the gemstones and should not be radically treated, if for no other reason than a fear of damaging consumer confidence.
Treated diamonds usually trade at a significant discount to untreated diamonds. This is due to several factors, including the potential impermanence of various treatments and relative scarcity – since a much larger number of stones can be treated to reach gem quality than the number of stones that can be found in nature in a gem quality state. High temperature heat treatment has made some gemstones more brittle and susceptible to chipping and abrasions. The long-term impact this treatment has on the durability of a diamond is still unknown. Therefore, it is unusual to see a diamond with good overall gemological characteristics undergo treatment. Diamonds that are chosen for treatment are usually those that would be otherwise difficult to sell as gem diamonds, where even to the casual observer, inclusions or fractures noticeably detract from the beauty of the diamond. In these cases, the loss in value due to treating the diamond is more than overcome by the value added by mitigating obvious flaws. None of Vered Mor’s diamonds are treated – we only work with natural stones of the highest quality.