Why Do Natural Gemstones Have Imperfections?

Why Do Natural Gemstones Have Imperfections?

Raw gemstones are created by nature, and it is perfect in itself. In this blog, I will answer,” why do natural gemstones have imperfections? ” Natural or raw gemstones are imperfect because of some degree angles.

The imperfections of a gem also make it more valuable and attractive. Raw gems have external and internal imperfections are called inclusions.

1. External imperfections such as minor chips, scratches, and blemishes.
2. Internal imperfections, such as a fingerprint of a gem.

Many gemstones are formed with internal cavities contains water, saline, liquid co2, or natural hydrocarbon compounds. Gasses can make cavities inside a gemstone, which may look like a bubbling or hazing effect.

These imperfections in the natural gemstones created over the years. One of the best example of gemstones imperfection is optical illusions (color shades) which is visible from one angle but not from others.

The worthiness of a gem mainly depends on its rarity and not on its “imperfections”. Practically speaking, we have seen that the imperfections of a gemstone makes it more rare and attractive that increase the value of it.

What Are Flaws In Gemstones?

Imperfection can also be regarded as the “birthmarks” of the gemstones. So, here are 5 flaws in gemstones.

• Crystal

Crystal imperfections cannot be seen with the naked eye, but are possible with a 10x magnification microscope.

Crystal flaws or imperfections are removed by the heat treatment process.

• Bearded Girdle

This flaw comes due to gem cutting. It happens when the angle of cut on gemstones is too close to the girdle.

Bearding is responsible for reducing the brightness & deep colors of gemstones.

Dyeing and polishing is an effective way to remove this gemstone imperfection.

• Cavity

The cavity flaw appears because of cracks running parallel to the crystallographic planes.

These fault lines can be removed by the force applied to the gemstones. This work should be done by a gem expert.

• Needles & Cloud

When inside a crystal, a pair or group of needles occur close to each other to form a cloud-like haze. These types of natural imperfect gemstones are avoided.

• Carbons

We know that hydrocarbons are found in the earth’s crust, and the gemstones acquire the impurities of carbon inside them.

This flaw can be seen with naked eyes and removed when the gemstone is heated artificially.

If you find this blog helped you? Please share the blog with your friends, family, and all gemstone lovers. If I have missed something in the blog, do let me know by leaving a comment. Thanks for reading…