Enhanced Diamonds

Hello fellow jewelers. If you have had any dealings with the
enhanced diamonds, in a retail situation, I would appreciate your
input on this subject. I was approached by an enhanced diamond
representative to possibly carry the line in my business. I am
apprehensive towards this field. I would appreciate anyones
insight pertaining to entering into this area. Thanks

Cecena’s Jewelry
Antonio Cecena

Dear Tony, Our store started offering enhanced diamonds about
three years ago, and they now make up about 5% of our annual
diamond sales. Naturally, educating the sales people on how to
sell the product, and at the same time giving the customer full
disclosure, is the key to make it all work. Most are sold for
earrings and pendent use, where size and “flash” are more of a
concern than quality. We explain in detail what would happen
should the customer have repair work done on the piece without
letting the business know that the diamond is enhanced, but I’m
sure this will occur more and more as these are given to others
in the family, or resold to friends. It points out the need to
use extreem caution in your take in procedures. Mike

Tony: I cary the Yehuda brand enhanced diamonds. I am AGS and
have no problem with them. My staff is well versed on the
disclosure issues and every treated diamond goes out with the
info card and the sales reciept is very clear as to the fact that
the diamond is enhanced. We only sell them for or in earrings
and necks. NO RINGS! If the stone is ever re-tipped, it will
probably get pretty ugly, (both the diamond and the customer).
If I can be of any further help, call. Jeff

I am really concerned about clarity enhanced diamonds having a
problematic effect on the jewelry industry in general. From the
goldsmiths standpoint it doesn’t take much to miss an enhanced
diamond that is not identified as such. It also doesn’t take
much to damage the enhancing material. Now you have to tell your
customer, by the way that stone was filled. You are faced with a
problem that you just don’t need. And from the standpoint of the
retail jeweler, a customer may buy an enhanced diamond, wear it
for years, give it to her daughter, she brings it back to the
family jeweler who tells her its enhanced (if they notice), the
daughter says ‘My Mother would NEVER have bought that kind of
thing’! Now you look like you ripped off her poor dead mother,
that can’t be good for business.

Mark P.
WI

G’day. Having never worked with diamonds (can’t afford ‘em) I
am very curious as to what is meant by the term ‘enhanced
diamond.’ Is it a sort of ‘salesman jargon’ ( bit similar to
’pre-loved cars’ ?) for diamonds containing a flaw and which have
had the visibility of the flaw reduced ? What would be the
price difference between an enhanced diamond and another diamond
of a similar apparent quality (colour, size, clarity) but not
’enhanced? Cheers,

        /\
       / /
      / /      Johnb@ts.co.nz
     / /__|\
    (_______)  In sunny temperate Mapua NZ -

Autumn’s here and the innumerable imported trees look beautiful.

Mike, Thanks for your input concerning enhanced diamonds. I
understand the key to being successful at this type of sale is
making the customer understand what they are getting. However, I
am a bit apprehensive about selling to someone who does not
disclose what they have purchased when they are giving this as a
gift. Will the receiver understand? Will the buyer tell the
recipient? That is a concern I have. I know it is important to
know your customer. Thanks again.

Cecena’s Jewelry
Antonio Cecena

Hi Mark, I can’t help but agree with you about the long term
effect enhanced diamonds will have on our industry. Perhaps it
might be a contributing factor in De Beers’ extraordinary 28%
slump in trading. One couldn’t blame both jewellers and their
clients for feeling some loss of confidence in diamonds. None of
us can rely on an ideal of 100% disclosure. Regards, Rex from Oz.

John,

Enhanced is a bit vauge…I prefer the more specific terms
myself. I believe everyone means fracture filled or laser
drilled and bleached diamnds. With fracture filled, a diamond
with a surface reaching fracture has a glass substance (such as
Opticon) forced into the fracture under pressure. It improves
the apparent clarity of the diamond, though the true clarity
remains what it was before. There is some disagreement about
how to “grade” these diamonds – some say it can’t be done. As
you may know, this glass leaks out under a jeweler’s torch.
Yehuda (sp?) co., which fracture fills, will repair all their
diamonds that are damaged this way for free.

Laser drilled diamonds – they take a diamond with a dark
inclusion, drill into it, insert a bleaching agent, and whamm-o,
you’ve got a light inclusion, and again the apparent clarity
has been enhanced.

Most people either sell 'em or don’t. I haven’t seen many
middle of the road policies. Lots of people are afraid of them.
Both treatments are very easy to detect with a microscope or
loupe. Once you’ve seen the “flash of color” of a fracture
filled diamond, you’ll never doubt yourself. It’s very clear.

-Elaine
Chicago
US

The drop in diamond sales by De Beers has nothing whatsoever to
do with the sale of enhanced diamonds. It has to do with the
change in the Asian marketplace, specifically Japan, and the
general downturn of the economy in the developing nations that
DeBeers has become so dependent on in recent years… All
gemstones have been treated for thousands of years and it hasn’t
stopped anyone from selling, using and enjoying them.

Enhanced diamonds are stones that are usually lower clarity
grade stones (I1-I3 although also sometimes SI2) that have had a
filling inserted into the major fractures and breaks in a diamond
in order to increase the apparent clarity grade. While I won’t
sell these stones there is a market for such material and as
long as there is proper disclosure it should not be percieved as
any more of a problem than fracture filled emeralds. The big
problem is recognizing when the stones have been treated and not
using a torch on them. The reputable companies that do this
process usually make sure that there is an identifiable color
flash in the filler that can be seen under a microscope. I t
does however necessitate the need to look closely at all stones
in for repairs.

John:

Enhanced diamonds are those of a distinctly poor clarity which
have been treated to “enhance” their appearence. I understand
they lazer drill holes, heat and burn out carbon spots. Then
treat them with an optical product which does not actually fill
the flaw but changes the internal surfaces of the flaws in a way
which makes them appear to vanish. These stones are usually
guarenteed not to change in appearence for as long as the
origional retail purchaser owns them. They sell for
considerably less than the natural product of simular size, color
and appearence. Of course, as with all treatments, resale is
another matter.

Hope this helps;
Steve

Mark/all:

Like you, I had a defininate dislike for these "unnatural"
stones. However, after working with a retail jeweler who
features Yahuda enhanced diamonds, I can say that there is a
definate place in the industry for the product. If you look
carefully at the stone, you’ll see a distinct purple "flash"
especially when viewed upside down and know to take the proper
precautions. Personally, I would never buy one but for the mass
market, some of which value size over quality, they offer a good
alternetive. I’ve worked with many of these stones and had only
one cause problems. After a simple sizing on a tiffany solitare
with approx. 1/2ct. rbc with everything seeming to be fine, the
customer brought the piece back complaining of a now visable
flaw. They were told the treatment would be redone at no cost
however, they decided to buy a natural diamond of comparable
appearence instead thus increasing the value of the sale. We
were told by Yahuda that this should not have happened at all
and it was simply a stone who’s treatment had not taken properly.
This was the one and only time any problem occured in the sale
of many stones and the stone was taken back by Yahuda at no
charge. When dealing with a large diamond for any work involving
heat at or near it, question the cuatomer and examine it
throughly. If in doubt, pull it out! If that’s difficult, simply
charge extra for a new bezel, ect.

Best;
Steve