Definitions

Abrasion - Miniscule nicks along facet junctions, producing white hazy lines instead of sharp facet edges.

Bearding - Tiny feathers extending in from a bruted girdle.

Bruise - Surface crumbling, often accompanied by minute, root-like feathers.

Cavity - A large or deep perforation.

Chip - A small or shallow opening, usually on the girdle edge.

Cloud - A hazy or milky area made up of a number of very small inclusions.

Crown - The area above the girdle. The crown is made up of one octagonal shaped table, eight bezel facets, eight star facets, and sixteen upper girdle facets.

Culet -A small facet on the pavilion that usually finishes off what would otherwise be a sharp and brittle point.

Depth - The depth of a diamond is the area below the girdle

Extra Facet - A facet placed without regard to symmetry and that is not required by the shape of the diamond.

Feather - A separation or break due to either cleavage or fracture, often white an feathery in appearance.

Finish - The execution of the design, that precision of the cutting details and the quality of polish.

Girdle - The girdle outlines the shape of a diamond; it is sometimes faceted, and ranges from thin to thick.

Grain Center - A small area of concentrated crystal structure distortion, usually associated with pinpoints (rare).

Included Crystal - A mineral crystal contained in a diamond.

Indented Natural - A natural that penetrates that stone.

Internal Graining - Internal indications of irregular crystal growth; may appear milky, like faint lines or streaks, or may be colored or reflective.

Knot - An included diamond crystal that reaches the surface of a fashioned stone.

Laser Drill Hole - A tiny tube made by a laser; the surface opening may resemble a pit, while the tube usually resembles a needle.

Natural - Part of the original crystal structure which remains on the polished surface.

Needles - A long, thin, included crystal that looks like a tiny rod.

Nick - A small embrasure on the girdle or a facet edge.

Pavilion - The pavilion of a diamond is made up of 8 elongated, kite-shaped pavilion mains that radiate to the girdle's edge. Separating the mains are 16 elongated, triangular lower girdle facets arranged in pairs.

Pinpoint - A very small inclusion; under 10x, normally seen as a tiny dot, either singly or in groups or strings.

Pit - A perforation opening, often resembling a white dot.

Polish Lines - Diminutive parallel lines formed from polishing; fine parallel grooves confined to a single facet, caused by crystal structure irregularities; or minuscule, parallel, polished ridges produced by irregularities in the scaife surface.

Polish Mark - Surface clouding caused by excessive heat (also called burn mark or burned facet), or uneven polished surface resulting from structural irregularities.

Rough Girdle - A grainy or perforated girdle surface, often with nicks.

Scratch - A linear indentation normally seen as a fine white line, curved or straight.

Surface Graining - Surface indication of structural irregularity; may resemble faint facet junction lines, or cause a ridged or wavy surface; often crosses facet junctions.

Table - The table is the octagonal-shaped facet on the very top of the diamond.

Twinning Wisp - Cloudy area produced by crystal structure distortion, usually associated with twinning planes.