Clarity Enhanced Diamonds?

When a diamond’s clarity is enhanced, it means that the diamond’s imperfections—its inclusions and blemishes—are removed or corrected using mechanical or chemical processes. Experts commonly use one of two methods: laser drilling and fracture filling.

NOTE: a certificate of a CE diamond will show memtion "Clarity Enhancement", which will refer to one or both out of Laser Drilling and Fracture Filling 

Laser drilling is a process used to correct dark inclusions within a diamond. As the name implies, a laser is used to drill a microscopic tunnel from the surface of the diamond to the target inclusion. How is the inclusion removed? Either the laser itself will burn the inclusion, or the tunnel will be used to funnel acids that would dissolve the inclusion. The tunnels themselves are permanent, but they are not visible to the naked eye and do not affect the brilliance of the now-enhanced diamond. The clarity rating of a diamond that has undergone this process may improve by one or two grades. 

Fracture filling, on the other hand, is a process used to correct minute fractures in the diamond called feathers. As the name implies, fractures in the diamond are filled with molten glass in order to make them less visible. The clarity rating of a diamond that has undergone this procedure may improve by one up to three(!) grades.

Clarity Enhanced Diamonds

We now return to our original question: What are clarity enhanced diamonds? Clarity enhanced diamonds are diamonds whose clarity was previously affected by inclusions or blemishes that have since been corrected using processes like laser drilling or fracture filling. Because of these processes, the brilliance of the diamonds is improved, and the rating of the stone in clarity grading systems may even increase.

Clarity enhanced diamonds are excellent options for buyers because these diamonds tend to be more affordable. And yet, because of the enhancement process, buyers end up acquiring a product whose quality exceeds its prescribed price. Furthermore, clarity enhanced diamonds are natural and not synthetic. A buyer, therefore, is getting the real thing at a more accessible price point.

And lastly, some numbers: 

• Approx. 92-98% of all the diamonds in the world possess a clarity grade of SI and less.
• Approx. 98% of all SI diamonds are 100% clean to the naked eye.
• Approx. 60% of all I diamonds are 100% clean to the naked eye.
• Clarity Enhanced diamonds can cause an improvement by a factor of 3 in the clarity grade, while the price is lower by a factor of 2 relative to a non-enhanced identical diamond.
• Each year, 6-7 figures in USD worth of jewelry set with clarity enhanced diamonds are sold. This figure grows by the year.