Detecting Clarity Enanced Diamonds: "The Flash Effect" The clarity enhancement process has its own signature on treated diamonds. This known as the "Flash Effect". It is the built-in signature of any CE diamond and the easiest way to detect CE. To find it, hold the diamond with a pair of tweezers by its girdle, under a 10x loupe with dark field or direct lighting, or under a high-power gem microscope. Tilt the diamond carefully back and forth and look perpendicular to the surface. Certain distinct subtle colors are seen. One should look for a flash with a purple, blue, violet-pink or yellow-orange colors. Other Diamond Enhancements Diamond enhancement relates to the sophisticated process that alters the appearance of a diamond, such as lasered, fracture filled, or irradiated. Lasered Diamond Lasered diamond is one that has been laser drilled into the diamond to a dark inclusions. This is a sophisticated method that to remove the dark substance (diamond graphite). "Soaking" or "Deep Boiling" needs to be applied in order to totally remove those dark inclusions. This leaves a white inclusion and a very small (microscopic) hole. The drill is a permanent change to the diamond, however it is accepted today within the trade and it is the only enhancement that most labs will certify. Irradiated Diamond Irradiation is a process in which a diamond is exposed to high amounts of radiation, which artificially alters or improves the color of the diamond. Once color treated with radiation the diamond alters its color and can appear blue or green. This is much less expensive then a natural dark colored diamond. Synthetic and Simulated Diamonds A synthetic gemstone is one that has the entire chemical and physical properties of its natural counterpart diamond, however those properties are man made in a laboratory environment. A simulant is a different gem that is cut to look like a diamond and is used as a diamond substitute. There are many stones that are cut to look like diamonds. The big scare back in the 1960's was fabulite, in the 70's it was cubic zirconia, but today we can all pick out these materials as non-diamonds with relative ease. Today there is a new material coming out on the market it is called synthetic moissanite. It is the hardest gem next to diamond. On the Mohs scale synthetic moissanite is rated 9.25 and a diamond is a 10. This is actually a big difference. Synthetic moissanite is not hard enough to polish sharp facet junctions as on a diamond. Moissanite, in its natural form, is usually too small to be cut into gemstones and is very dark in color usually dark green. The labs that grow synthetic moissanite have been able to lighten the color to be closer to the near colorless range and faceted to look much like a shallow cut diamond. Some other diamond simulants are White Sapphire, GGG, White Zircon, and Glass. Some signs and tales that indicate a non-diamond stone. Curved facet junctions. The girdle is not smooth it looks pitted and rough. The inclusions are brown instead of black The inclusions look unusual. The stone doesn't "sparkle" like a diamond. The color is unusual.		Laser Drilling Source: GIA Research Source: GIA Research