Fracture Filling

Diamonds undergoing natural processes deep beneath the surface of the Earth often capture or trap other elements during their development. One of the most common trapped elements is air. This trapped air makes a diamond unappealing even after it has been cut and polished because the air pockets may appear like tiny cracks inside the diamond. The trapped air is visible to the naked eye through the refraction of light in the diamond that looks different compared to when light passes through the air pocket.

In the mid 1970s, an Israeli scientist developed a treatment method to fill this pocket of air. Using a vacuum process, he inserted into the pocket of air through its natural surface opening a filler material designed to have almost the same exact refractive index or optical properties as the diamond. With the process, the light that entered was now refracted evenly throughout the diamond that improved its appearance as seen by the naked eye and sometimes even under magnification.

The presence of the filler material inside the diamond and even the process used do not alter the diamond’s carat weight, shape or color. Instead, the perceived clarity of the diamond is improved by one or two grades. The possible highest perceived clarity that can be attained via this process is a VS2.

The process of fracture filling is not considered permanent although normal wear and tear does not affect the filler which remains intact. But under certain circumstances, such as the diamond’s exposure to extreme heat from a jeweler’s torch as when fixing or cleaning jewelry, the filler material may evaporate or may sometimes darken its color and the diamond is back to its original “cracked” or imperfect look. There are guarantees though offered by most treatment labs for free reprocessing in case such an event happens.

A fracture filled diamond, or what is also popularly called as clarity-enhanced diamond, can be detected by most professional jewelers particularly because as light enters the filler material it creates a “flash” of light that can be seen under their magnification. This “flash effect” can generally be seen not face up but from the underside of the diamond.

The introduction of enhanced diamonds in the US happened in the late 1980’s where they were met with much controversy, especially since there were some unscrupulous diamond traders who were selling them without disclosing that these diamonds were in fact enhanced. There was a widely publicized case in Saint Louis, MO about a jeweler who committed suicide after receiving some negative publicity after he unknowingly bought a parcel of enhanced diamonds and sold them as non-enhanced.

Enhanced diamonds today are widely accepted by consumers and they play a major role in the diamond industry. When sold openly as enhanced diamond, the buyer is provided the benefit of a good bargain for such a precious stone. What is most important is that enhanced diamonds gives buyers the opportunity to get their dream diamond at an affordable price.


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