Red Heart Inclusion in Diamond
Diamonds, like colored gemstones, contain a variety of interesting inclusions. Although some would call them flaws, I prefer to think of them as Mother Nature’s artwork or fingerprint. I have seen inclusions resembling angels and animals of all sorts, some requiring more imagination than others. It is fascinating to think of what might have been captured inside a diamond more than two billion years ago.
The 2.00 ct round brilliant diamond shown in figure 2 has I color, I1 clarity, and a wonderful cut. But its most remarkable feature is a red heart-shaped inclusion, identified as pyrope garnet based on microscopic examination by GIA’s Carlsbad laboratory. The inclusion is not visible to the eye but jumps out at 10× magnification. It measures approximately 140 microns across where it is exposed at the table facet. The inclusion is much larger and extends along almost half of the image frame, but the reflective interface makes it difficult to see the underlying garnet. We only see the pink color where the inclusion breaks the surface and the mirror-like interface has been removed.
With the combination of the red heart and diamond, both universal symbols of love, this is a one-of-a-kind gem. We have named it the Forsythe diamond and plan to auction it around Valentine’s Day 2016, in keeping with the theme of romance, and part of the proceeds will go toward a local charity. How lucky are we to be able to work with beautiful gemstones containing hidden secrets just waiting to be unlocked every day.
