Category: Diamond 101

The Moussaieff Red Diamond is a breathtaking Fancy Red gem, widely regarded as one of the world’s largest and finest red diamonds with an iconic legendary standing across gemology and the global jewelry trade.

Unearthed as a 13.9-carat rough stone from a Brazilian mine in the 1990s, the raw crystal was meticulously cut and polished by William Goldberg Diamond Corp., refined down to a finished 5.11-carat gem originally named the Red Shield Diamond before being acquired by London-based luxury jeweler Moussaieff Jewellers and renamed after the brand. Certified by GIA, it boasts top-tier specifications: a coveted Fancy Red color grade—the highest ranking for red diamonds on GIA’s color scale, Internally Flawless (IF) clarity which is exceptionally scarce for colored stones, and a unique modified cushion triangular brilliant cut that optimizes fire and light performance. Pure red is the rarest hue among all fancy colored diamonds, with nearly all natural red specimens weighing under one carat; the Moussaieff Red remains the only known Fancy Red diamond above five carats, its unmatched pairing of Fancy Red and IF clarity a geological miracle linked to extreme mantle pressure and lattice plastic deformation deep within the Earth, whose exact color-forming mechanism is still actively researched by gemologists. Never listed for public auction or open market sale and lacking an official fixed price, gem experts value it well above tens of millions of US dollars (valued at roughly $8 million in the early 2000s, with its worth surging alongside the booming colored diamond market in subsequent years), and it has made rare public display appearances at prestigious institutions including the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington D.C. and London’s Natural History Museum. More than a precious jewelry piece, this exceptional diamond is an irreplicable masterpiece forged by rare geological forces and masterful human lapidary craftsmanship, standing as an ultimate holy-grail collectible coveted by elite gem collectors worldwide.

Needle inclusions are common features found inside natural diamonds. They get their name for a simple reason. They are thin, elongated crystal formations that look just like tiny sewing needles. These fine, thread-like inclusions form naturally during a diamond’s growth cycle. Minor stress and subtle distortions in the diamond’s crystal lattice create these slender structures.

Some needles are tiny stretched diamond crystals. Others contain trace minerals like rutile. They may also hold small mineral residues left over from the stone’s formation. You cannot spot them with the naked eye. They only become visible under 10x magnification. Under magnification, they show up as thin straight lines, soft curved streaks, or gentle wispy lines. Most needle inclusions are white or transparent. Dark-colored needles do exist, but they are less common.

These inclusions do not affect all diamonds the same way. Their impact depends on four key factors: size, color, quantity, and placement. A single, small, faint needle causes almost no trouble. It is subtle and unnoticeable. It impacts clarity grade, appearance, and light performance very little. It is far less distracting than regular crystal inclusions or dark spots. It barely disrupts the diamond’s light transmission, brilliance, and fire.

The situation changes when needles are large, dark, or grouped together. Dark needles stand out sharply against clear diamond. They create strong visual contrast. Dense clusters of needles can even merge into cloud inclusions or twinning wisps. This noticeably lowers the diamond’s clarity rating. It scatters incoming light unevenly. The stone loses sparkle and visual brightness, which lowers its overall value. Location also matters a lot.

Needles sitting right below the table facet are highly visible. They catch the eye instantly. Needles near the diamond’s girdle stay hidden and unobtrusive.

Overall, needle inclusions are minor natural flaws in most cases. Scattered, tiny needles are harmless to diamond quality. They cannot be seen without tools. Interestingly, these unique internal marks are not always a downside. They give every diamond one-of-a-kind character. They act as natural proof of the stone’s genuine, unlab-grown formation.

Diamonds are the hardest natural substance on Earth. Still, they are rarely perfect. Completely flawless diamonds are extremely rare. Nearly all natural diamonds carry some kind of imperfections. These flaws fall into two main groups: internal features called inclusions, and surface marks known as blemishes. Learning about them is essential to understand diamond clarity grading. Collectively, they are referred to as clarity characteristics, which serve as the core standard to judge a diamond’s clarity grade.

Inclusions vs Blemishes

Inclusions are flaws inside a diamond. They formed deep underground under extreme heat and pressure while the diamond was crystallizing. These natural traces act like unique fingerprints, proving a diamond is naturally mined.

Blemishes refer to imperfections on the diamond’s surface. Most of them happen during cutting, polishing or daily wear.

Common Inclusions

Most inclusions can only be seen under 10x magnification. Here are the most typical types.

Crystal

They are tiny mineral crystals trapped inside the diamond. Crystals can be colorless, dark, red or green. Their color, size and position decide their impact. Dark crystals stand out more and hurt clarity and appearance more than pale ones.

Cloud

A cloud is made of countless tiny pinpoint inclusions clustered together. It looks hazy and foggy inside the stone. Large or dense clouds will reduce transparency and lower the clarity grade. Severe clouds can make a diamond look milky.

Feather

A feather is an internal crack with a feather-like shape. Small feathers rarely affect durability. But large feathers, those near the girdle or reaching the surface, may cause the diamond to chip or crack if hit.

Pinpoint

Pinpoints are tiny white crystal dots. They are one of the most common inclusions. Single or scattered pinpoints barely affect clarity. A large group of pinpoints will form a cloud.

Needle

Needles are long, thin and transparent crystal inclusions. Most are colorless. They seldom downgrade clarity unless they are big or numerous.

Twinning Wisp

It is a mix of pinpoints, clouds and small crystals, caused by distorted crystal structure during growth. It often appears as wavy or thread-like lines. Noticeable twinning wisps will bring down the clarity grade.

Common Blemishes

Most surface blemishes can be removed by repolishing. Sometimes a light polish is worthwhile to improve clarity. Yet experts may choose to leave them untouched, to avoid cutting down the diamond’s carat weight.

Extra Facet

It is an extra polished facet, usually made to remove a small inclusion near the edge. It is tiny and does not ruin look or durability.

Polish Lines

These are fine lines left on facets during polishing. On diamonds with excellent or very good polish, they are only visible under magnification. Poor polish lines will weaken a diamond’s luster.

Scratch

Scratches are thin marks on the surface. Minor scratches have little effect on clarity. Deep scratches can be fixed by repolishing.

Natural

A natural is a piece of the original rough diamond skin, mostly kept on or around the girdle. It is seen as proof of natural origin and is not considered a defect.

Chip

A chip is a small nick on the girdle or facet edges. It is caused by impact during cutting or wearing. Big chips will threaten the diamond’s durability.

Cavity

A cavity is an opening on the surface, left after removing a surface inclusion during polishing. Large cavities hurt clarity and easily collect dirt.

Why Clarity Matters

Clarity is one of the 4Cs that define a diamond’s quality, along with color, cut and carat weight. Graders evaluate clarity based on each flaw’s size, quantity, location, type and visibility.

Location matters greatly. Inclusions right below the table are much easier to spot than those near the girdle. The type of flaw tells its nature and potential risk to the diamond structure. Relief means the contrast between an inclusion and the surrounding diamond. Dark inclusions always show more clearly.

Authorities like GIA examine diamonds strictly under 10x magnification. They assign grades ranging from Flawless (FL) to Included (I3).

Inclusions and blemishes record a diamond’s long formation history underground. They are not always drawbacks. They are natural marks of a genuine diamond. It is not practical to chase a totally flawless diamond, for they are extremely rare and costly. A wise choice is to pick an eye-clean diamond — flaws cannot be seen by naked eyes, and will not harm beauty or structure. Always check official certificates such as GIA reports and consult reliable jewelers. In this way, you can fully know a diamond’s clarity features and make a smart purchase.

Not all diamond flaws are created equal. Some inclusions and surface blemishes are completely harmless. They do not affect the diamond’s beauty, brilliance, durability or daily wear. These minor imperfections are totally acceptable and worth buying, allowing you to get a high-quality, eye-clean diamond at a more reasonable price. However, certain critical flaws should never be overlooked. Some inclusions and cracks can impact the diamond’s structural stability, light performance and overall appearance. They may even lower the stone’s long-term value and durability. Many customers feel confused when selecting diamonds. It can be tricky to tell which imperfections are safe and which ones will cause future problems. If you have any doubts or questions during your diamond selection process, do not hesitate to reach out to us. Our professional team is always here to provide you with reliable, expert guidance to help you pick the perfect diamond for your budget and needs.

When people talk about diamonds, most of them will first think of classic colorless diamonds. But nature creates many stunning colored stones too. They are widely know as fancy color diamonds. These colored diamonds are extremely rare and one of a kind. Their value mostly depends on how rare their color is. So which fancy color diamonds are the hardest to find in the world?

First, let’s learn why diamonds get their color. Pure colorless diamonds are made of only carbon. Fancy color diamonds get their hues from small changes during their formation deep underground. There are three main reasons.

First is chemical impurities. For example, nitrogen turns diamonds yellow, and boron creates blue color. Second is structure defects. Twisted crystal lattice can make diamonds pink, red or brown. Third is natural radiation. This special effect forms green diamonds.

The rarest natural fancy color diamond in the world is red diamond. Below is the ranking of top rare colored diamonds, sorted by rarity, with simple explainations.

Extremely Rare：

Red Diamond

Red diamond is the king of all rare diamonds. It is no doubt the rarest one on earth. People still not fully understand how it gets its vivid red color. Most experts believe it is caused by plastic deformation during crystal growth. This tiny defect at atomic level absorbs certain light, and finally shows bright red.

Almost no pure red diamonds exist. Most red stones come with secondary tones, like purple, orange or brown. Only a few pure red diamonds have ever appeared on the open market. The most famous one is the Moussaieff Red, which weights 5.11 carats.

Blue Diamond

We are talking about vivid fancy blue diamonds here. Its color comes from the trace element boron. Boron hardly combines with carbon deep in the earth’s mantle. That is why natural blue diamonds form under very harsh conditions. Two world-famous examples are the Hope Diamond and the 14.62-carat Oppenheimer Blue.

Pink Diamond

Pink diamonds are beautiful and incredibly rare. Different from blue diamonds, their color does not come from impurities. Extreme pressure twists the carbon lattice and causes plastic deformation. This changes how light is absorbed and creates soft pink tones. The Argyle Mine in Australia was once the main source of pink diamonds. It closed in 2020, so pink diamonds become even harder to find today. The 59.60-carat CTF Pink Star is the most iconic pink diamond, and it sold for an amazing price at auction.

Moderately Rare：

Green Diamond

Natural green diamonds get their color from long time exposure to natural radiation. Real fancy vivid green diamonds are super rare. Most green color only stays on the stone’s surface. If cutters remove the colored part during polishing, the diamond will lost most of its value. The 41-carat Dresden Green is the most well-known green diamond.

Purple Diamond

Purple diamonds are unusual and rare. Their color is a mix of plastic deformation and hydrogen impurities. Pure purple diamonds are hard to find. Most have pink or grey overtones.

Orange Diamond

Pure bright orange is also called flame color. It is extremely scarce. The color is formed by both nitrogen and crystal structure flaws. Pure orange diamonds are even rarer than pink ones. Most orange diamonds on market carry brown or yellow shades. The 5.54-carat Pumpkin Diamond is its top representative.

Relatively Rare：

Yellow Diamond

Yellow diamonds are the most common fancy color diamonds. Even so, Fancy Vivid Yellow stones are still rare and valuable. Nitrogen is what gives them yellow color. Pale yellow or brownish yellow diamonds are easy to see. But saturated, bright canary yellow diamonds are worth a fortune. The 128.54-carat Tiffany Yellow Diamond is a world-famous treasure.

The world of diamonds is more than just colorless stones. From deep red to bright blue, every fancy color diamond is a unique miracle made by nature. Leibish is a professional supplier of fancy color diamonds. You can visit there official website to view all kinds of fancy colored diamonds, more review about leibish vist here…