Image credit: GSI
Upon closer examination, the “laser drill channel” was found to be a typical HTHP inclusion that was cut open from top and pavilion. After this, the content of the inclusion was acid bleached out, while some residue was still present.
The remnants of the inclusion have a strong resemblance to a laser drill treatment – this treatment is generally used to “clean out” black inclusions and enhance the appearance of a diamond.
It is a common misconception that a diamond can be identified as natural or lab-grown based on inclusions as the claim was made recently on Good Morning America Investigates. In this specific case, a hasty and inaccurate conclusion could have been made that the diamond is natural, with the appearance of what seems to be a laser drill channel, since there are no recorded cases of lab-grown diamonds with this treatment, GSI reported.
Alex Shishlo, Editor of the Rough&Polished European Bureau
