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Laser drilled diamonds have been around since the 1970's. Throughout the existence of this treatment, controversy has followed. Like most new treatments in our industry, this too was not met with great enthusiasm. Today, laser drilling is common and while not entirely acceptable, it is generally not an issue when it is disclosed properly at the time of sale. Laser drilling offers an alternative for buying a diamond that looks "better" at a lower price. After all, that is the concept behind all diamond treatments including fracture filling and the new HTHP process from GE with Lazar Kaplan. Laser drilling as we know is designed to remove any black or colored inclusions. The laser is aimed at the inclusion, leaving a microscopic hole. An acid bleaching process is then done to remove the colored inclusion, leaving a white void in its place. While the resulting inclusion is still visible, the thought process is that a white void is better than a dark crystal. The GIA Gem Trade Laboratory will grade a laser drilled diamond. They will grade the diamond considering the same criteria as an undrilled diamond, i.e., size, location, number, color, nature of the inclusions. They grade these because the treatment is stable and does not change over time. The treatment is clearly noted on the report. The clarity grade may be the same after treatment because what was once a dark crystal is now a white void of the same size. Sometimes however, the grade is improved by one grade because the color of the inclusion is part of the grading criteria and now the color is white.
Disclosure is critical for laser drilling and before we value the diamond, the process must first be identified and properly disclosed. Since the early days of laser drilling, the Federal Trade Commission Guides for the Jewelry Industry has not required disclosure of laser drilling. This has always been considered a mistake among the diamond community as it opens the door for misleading a consumer. When the original Guides were written, strong lobbying by some diamond manufacturer's groups persuaded the FTC to omit lasering as one of the required treatments to be disclosed. They claimed that it would create a great burden to check melee that is routinely laser drilled. The cost would be too great to check every diamond relative to the low cost of the small diamonds. However, this is easy to control during the manufacturing process. Furthermore, the original FTC Guides stated that a consumer would be able to see laser drill holes easily with magnification. We all know that a consumer would not be able to identify lasering unless they knew what to look for. Furthermore, many drill holes are difficult for even a trained grader to locate if they are small and in a difficult location. And the new technique for lasering described below, is making identification even more difficult. Although the FTC has not required disclosure, the diamond bourses have required members to do so. The new revised Guidelines expected out later this year will require disclosure of laser drilling.
Laser Drilling-A New Technique
Professional Gem Sciences, Inc., Chicago, Illinois (Tom Tashey, owner), reports that several diamonds containing unusual and suspicious internal features have recently been submitted to their laboratory. "After careful inspection, we suspected that these features were not natural in origin. We consulted two different gentlemen that are professionals in laser drilling treatments along with members of the senior staff at GIA's Gem Trade Laboratory. All of them have confirmed our suspicions that we are dealing with a new method of laser drilling."
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Pricing Laser Drilled Diamonds
Pricing is still debated in the industry. Some dealers will not sell a laser drilled diamond and that is certainly their right. Likewise, some consumers, given the choice, also would not buy a laser drilled diamond. Others routinely buy and sell these treated diamonds. Because it is possible to improve the clarity grade by one grade, some immediately price the diamond as if it were one grade lower. However, this may be too harsh for pricing. Laser drilling is done to improve the appearance and make the diamond more saleable. While many will still argue this point, why would any diamond manufacturer laser drill a diamond if it would lower the value or make it less saleable?
Let's say that on a particular diamond the grade is improved from SI2 to SI1. Pricing this as an SI1 is too high but pricing it as an SI2 is too low. The SI2 grade has been improved upon at a cost (although lasering is not expensive). A price somewhere between seems appropriate but there is often a wide range between prices for these grades. To grade a laser drilled diamond accurately, one must consider the overall appearance. I have seen lasered diamonds with one very tiny drill hole in an inconspicuous place within the diamond. For these, the grade may not have changed. I have also seen diamonds with several noticeable drill holes throughout the stone. These would be priced differently. The small drill hole would require a small deduction. The "Swiss cheese" diamond as they are sometimes called would require a definite deduction, and lowering the grade by one full grade for pricing might be prudent.
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