feathers,
bubbles, or included crystals; "carbon" and spots, off-color or cloudy
texture. There also are carbon pinpoints, knots on the surface, and
nicks in the girdle or on the surface. Other merchants consider the
absence of blemishes which are confined to the surface of a diamond to
be necessary also in a perfect diamond, or they call such a diamond
flawless instead of perfect. These blemishes may consist of cavities,
nicks, undesirable flat surfaces on the girdle. The others, such as
"naturals," we have discussed, but the same applies to shallow surface
scratches, which may easily be polished out without affecting the value
of the stone.
The
society, in a booklet on the care and protection of the diamond, offers
certain helps for the layman when comparing values. It points out that
although the terms "perfect" and "flawless" are, at best, indefinite
ones, depending upon the experience, integrity, and scientific
knowledge of the retailer, still the layman can, to some extent, judge
the comparative value of diamonds offered under these terms by making
the following inquiries of the salesman:
1. Does the diamond possess any imperfections within the stone?
2. Does it possess any external blemishes, and if so what is their nature?
3. Is it "perfect" according to the rules of the Federal Trade Commission?
4. Has it been examined under exacting lighting conditions or with authentic diamond-grading instruments especially designed to reveal imperfections otherwise sometimes overlooked?
5. What are the qualifications of the salesman who answers your query?
Both the American Gem Society and the National Asso-
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