center stone Archives - Knox Jewelers

A Guide to Diamond Inclusions and Blemishes

When carbon is exposed to extreme amounts of heat and pressure deep within the earth, the end result is the creation of a natural diamond. This strenuous process can leave a variety of characteristics upon a diamond crystal. Those features enclosed within the gemstone are referred to as inclusions and those left on the exterior are called blemishes. The Clarity Grade of a given diamond, one of the 4Cs, is determined by the presence or absence of these features.

Inclusions, or internal characteristics, will appear during the diamond’s formation. Inclusions will be unique for every single gemstones, essentially giving your diamond a fingerprint that allows you to recognize it apart from all others. There is a variety of inclusions, but the most common types we come across are clouds, feathers or mineral crystals enclosed within a gemstone.

Blemishes are characteristics confined to the exterior of a diamond. Blemishes can occur naturally, or be man-made resulting from the cutting process a faceted gemstone endures.

The severity of a stone’s inclusions and blemishes with determine its clarity grade. The number, size, relief, nature, and position of characteristics are taken into consideration when formulating a diamond’s clarity as it is recorded on its certification. No diamond will be perfectly pure, each gemstone will have some residue from its creations. However, the closer a diamond is to pure, the more rare and valuable it will become.

The GIA Diamond Clarity Scale has six categories, divided into a total of eleven specific grades.

Flawless (FL) – No inclusions and no blemished viable under 10x magnification.
Internally Flawless (IF) – No inclusions viable under 10x magnification.
Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2) – Inclusions so slight they are difficult for skilled grader to see under 10x magnification.
Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) – Inclusions are observed with effort under 10x magnification, but can be characterized as minor.
Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) – Inclusions are noticeable under 10x magnification.
Included (I1, I2, and I3) – Inclusions are obvious under 10x magnification which may affect transparency and brilliant.

Married to a Clarity Grade on a diamond grading report is a Plotting Diagram. This diagram displays important diamond characteristic information that was seen during the grading process. It is essential a map that tells a deeper story about your center stone. All of a diamond’s important inclusions and blemishes are documented and plotted. Since no two diamonds will have exactly the same diagram, this map will be important in identifying your gemstone if ever need be.

The plotting diagram will roughly resemble the shape and faceting pattern of your diamond. This helps you to understand where the marked characteristics are located on your gemstone. There will be two views shows of the diamond. Its crown view, or top, and pavilion view, or bottom.

In a plotting diagram, a certain color will correspond to each category of clarity characteristics. The colors and symbols used will help you understand the nature of each feature.

Red – Inclusions
Red and Green Combined – Inclusions that reach the surface of the diamond like; cavities, indented naturals, knots or laser drill holes.
Green – Natural Blemishes
Black – Extra Facets

The diagram below lists common characteristics as they would appear on a GIA plotting diagram. When characteristics are listed on a cert they will appear in order of importance to the clarity grade. If a large, centrally located feather is present in your stone, with few other impediments, it will be seen first in the list of inclusions. This feather most likely determined the final clarity grade of your diamond.

plotting-diagram-characteristics-321x1024 Unique Engagement Rings — GIA Plotting Diagram Key

Some clarity characteristics in a diamond may not be plotted on their certification if they are faint or are not important in determining the clarity grade of a gemstone. Featured that are not diagrammed will often be listed in the Comments section of the certification.

A GIA Plotting Diagram is an important tool in understanding the one-of-a-kind characteristics present in your perfect diamond. Keep in mind, that many characteristics are too small to be seen by anyone apart from a trained diamond grader. To your naked eye, two diamonds may look similar even though they drastically differ in grades. What is important is to choose a center stone that speaks to you with the quality standards you desire.

Here at Knox Jewelers, we want to assist you in finding your perfect center stone to feature in one of our custom created settings. You may not desire that gemstone to be a diamond, but if you do, we will walk you through the important features present in the diamond you choose. Contact us today to start the hunt for your perfect diamond, no matter the shape, size or color.

The Creation of Laboratory Diamonds

minneapolis-engagement-rings Unique Engagement Rings — Knox Jewelers Custom Engagement Rings

Knox Jewelers will now be carrying Lab Created Diamonds as center stone options to feature in our custom engagement rings. But before you decide if this natural diamond alternative is right for you, you may like a a brief explanation on how these man-made diamonds are created.

Created diamonds are grown in a laboratory and will have the same basic crystal structure and chemical composition as natural diamonds that were formed over millions of years, deep underground. In-depth research and development of a man-made diamond has been in progress for the past thirty years, but only recently has there been the successful creation of quality crystals, large enough for use in jewelry.

A laboratory created diamond is a gemstone produced by artificial means in a control process rather than natural diamonds, which are created by geological processes deep inside the earth. Lab created diamonds are often designated as either a High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) diamond or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) diamond, depending on which process was utilized in their formation. HPHT and CVD are the two most common production methods currently in practice for created diamonds. These laboratory gemstones are made from pure crystallized carbon, the same structural material as earth mined diamonds.

Ever since the early nineteenth century there has been interested and experimentation in producing a diamond, but the exact process of duplicating the extreme pressure and temperature which natural diamonds are formed under remained a mystery. General Electric, in 1955, took the first steps in technological development and created the first laboratory diamonds, though they were small and only usable in industrial settings. Ever since then, the distinct processes that create a lab diamond have only become more refined. The end result, a fully developed laboratory diamond, is now available to feature as the center stone in a one-of-kind Knox engagement ring.

High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) Lab Created Diamond

The HPHT process is used to recreate the conditions of a natural diamond’s birth, where they form close to 150-200 km below the Earth’s surface. This growth process is slow and well-controlled. This steady growth is essential for creating high quality laboratory diamonds. The creation of a gem-quality stone close to one carat will takes about three days to crystallize.

Most HPHT diamonds are created the same way, though there are three main press designs used to supply the pressure and temperature necessary to produce a crystal. Currently the belt press, the cubic press and the split-sphere (BARS) press are all actively producing gem-quality stones.

A diamond seed is placed at the bottom of a press. This seed may be of natural or synthetic origin, and will be close to the thickness of a fingernail. The internal part of press is heated by a tubular, graphite heater. This generates temperatures above 1400°C, replicating deep underground, and melts the solvent material that has been placed in the press. The molten material dissolves and mixes with a high level carbon source, which is then transported to the diamond seeds and grows, forming a large synthetic diamond.

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) Lab Created Diamond

Chemical vapor deposition is a growth method where a diamond can be created from only a hydrocarbon gas mixture. Unlike HPHT gemstones, CVD diamonds do not require high pressures to form. This process is comparatively more simple than HPHT, with less necessary equipment and materials.

The CVD process involves feeding varying amounts of gases into a chamber and energizing them. The gases always include a carbon source, typically methane, and hydrogen. Hydrogen is essential because it selectively etches off non-diamond carbon. The gases are ionized with heat into chemically active radicals that collect to form diamond crystals.

Both of these processes form beautiful man-made diamonds that are faceting and waiting to be selected.

If a lab created diamond option is in your interest, please contact us today to inquire on the available selection of gemstones. We can search our current collection for the perfect grown diamond option to become the finishing touch to your beautiful handcrafted piece.

Lab Created Diamonds

Knox Jewelers will now be offering Lab Created Diamond center stone options!

Lab created diamonds are natural diamond alternatives that are grown in highly controlled laboratory settings. These environments simulate earth’s natural gemstone growing conditions and produce real mineral diamonds. These lab created gemstones are physically, optically and chemically identical to their earth-mined counterparts.

These grown options are real diamonds. They hold the same chemical composition, pure carbon, and crystal growth pattern as their naturally formed mates. These gemstones will have the same face-up appearance and optical properties as a real diamond, because essential they are real diamonds. The only different between the two will be their origin of creations. The same skilled cutters who fashion earth mined diamond are also responsible for faceting their lab created twins.

Lab created diamonds are grown using one of two very different techniques. When complete, each growing process will produce pure carbon mineral diamond crystals. Which process is used to create diamonds will depend on the application of the completed stone. The High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) growing technique is the main process used to grow gemstone quality crystals, while Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) is most commonly used for the creation of industrial grade diamonds.

2336_1_image Unique Engagement Rings — Knox Jewelers' custom engagement ring design Jill Dianne featuring a lab created diamond center stone.

Benefits of Lab Created Diamonds

Aesthetic – Lab diamonds are chemically, physically and optically identical to earth-mined diamonds. Up until now beauty such as this has never been attainable in a lab created stone.
Value – Lab created diamonds offer excellent value, and are slightly more affordable than natural diamond of equivalent carat size and quality.
Environmentally Conscience – Lab created diamonds are ethically grown with minimal environmental impact.
Sustainable – The supply of grown diamonds will flow at a constant pace compared to earth mined diamonds that ebb-and-flow with availability, depending on the minable sources. Global demand for diamonds is on the rise, though a new sizable diamond mine has not been discovered in this decade.

Lab created diamonds will reflection a savings of 30 to 40 percent compared to their natural earth mined counterparts.

We now have a variety of lab created diamond center stone options available to be featured in one of our custom created engagement rings. Nearly every cut shape, carat weight, clarity grade and color grade is represented in our selection. Several fancy colored unique diamond options have also made their way into the pool of available center stones. If a lab created diamond option is in your interest, please contact us today to inquire on the available selection of gemstones. We can search our current collection for the perfect grown diamond option to become the finishing touch to your beautiful handcrafted piece.

Things to Know Before Custom Creating a Ring

Shopping for an engagement ring can be a daunting endeavor, especially today when there are hundreds of available ring designs and styles available. With so many options, the process of selection can seem overwhelming. If you have started to look for an engagement ring, you have probably seen what is available at the mall or your local chain store. If nothing has yet satisfied your desire for a unique ring design, Knox Jewelers can help!

Knox Jewelers’ custom creation process gives you the ability to personally design the one-of-a-kind ring of her dreams. Having a ring custom created from the ground up ensures that you will be satisfied with every element of the design. Your unique creation can reflect her personal style as well as be a lasting statement of your love.

Having an engagement ring custom made can be an incredibly rewarding experience. We are here to help with any questions you may have during the decision making process leading up to the creation of your piece. Once a ring has been put into production we also send you email updates showing your ring during every stage of the creation.

If you are interested in having a ring custom created through Knox Jewelers, below is an easy checklist of the things you will need to consider before your unique ring can be brought to life.

Creation Timelines

Custom creating a ring takes time. If you are planning a special proposal for a specific day, please give our jewelers a leading start to finish your ring in time. There are several steps your piece with need to travel through between conception to completion. The production time on a ring is usually several weeks and can vary depending on the time of year and the complexity of the project. Please contact us to inquire on the current production timelines.

Center Stone Preference

A major component in your final engagement ring design will be the selection of your center stone. There are numerous center stone options available on our online diamond and online gemstone lists. Any ring design can be custom tailored around the diamond or sapphire you are ultimately drawn to. Sapphires center stones are available in varying colors, cuts and sizes. A diamond’s size, shape and quality will need to be taken into a consideration. Diamond shapes include round, cushion, radiant, princess, oval, pear, emerald, asscher and marquise.

If you are not sure which shape diamond to select, take notice of other jewelry she wears or pieces she is drawn to. The round brilliant cut is the most popular diamond shape, but princess, cushion and oval cuts are growing in popularity.

Choosing a Ring Style

The options are endless when selecting an engagement ring style.

Inspiration for a custom piece can be taken from a sketch, photo or an idea on altering one our stock designs. Deciding on a ring design for your bride-to-be can be difficult. Think about her personal taste, is she classic, contemporary, vintage, colorful? Pinterest can be a useful tool to discover her preference in engagement rings. Remember things she has pointed out or mentioned in passing. The way your partner dresses and decorates could also tell you a lot about her jewelry style.

If you prefer to have her help in creating a forever custom ring after you have proposed, we do offer a temporary solitaire option as well. This could alleviate any worry about selecting the perfect ring design.

Choosing a Precious Metal

Any of our custom engagement rings can be created in either Platinum, 18 karat or 14 karat white, rose or yellow gold. Platinum is always recommended first to contribute to a ring’s heirloom quality. Warmer rose gold and yellow gold rings are starting to be requested for engagement rings more and more often.

Discovering Her Ring Size

All of our custom rings are engineered around her exact finger size. If you are unsure of her ring size, we do have an online tutorial to help you estimate a close fit.

Contact Knox Jewelers today with any questions on creating your heirloom quality custom engagement ring. Give her a one-of-a-kind piece specially designed by you for her. With our unique creation process we can help you create the ring of her dreams!