A diamond is born - Diamantschleiferei Michael Bonke

There is a problem with German names, since these are not 100% in sync with the Scandinaviannomenclature. The term leicht getöntes weiß (slightly tinted white) is not exactly the same asTopcrystal when translated into letters. The DPL Institute (Diamant Prüflabor GmbH (DiamondTesting Laboratory)) uses the term, “leicht getöntes weiß” for the colour specified under Wesselton.In DPL, this includes the letters “I” and “J”. The term top crystal is based only on the letter I; theletter J falls under crystal.The grading as per clarity is far more expensive than colour grading. Here, we classify the stonesin 7 clarity groups.The exact definition of the terms is as follows:fl (flawless) or if (internally flawless): if an average skilled expert cannot ascertain any blemishesunder 10x magnification, i.e. when the stone is free of any inclusions.vvs (very very small inclusions): when an average skilled expert finds inclusions under 10xmagnification, which are extremely difficult to see.vs (very small inclusions): when an average skilled expert finds inclusions under 10xmagnification, which are difficult to see.si (small inclusions): when an average skilled expert finds inclusions under 10x magnification,which are easy to see, but are not visible to the naked eye through the crown and which, moreover,do not affect the brilliance of the stone.p1 (pique 1) or i1 (inclusions 1): when an average skilled expert immediately finds severalinclusions under 10x magnification, or when inclusions are visible to the naked eye on seeingthrough the crown, but are very difficult to find. These inclusions must not affect the brilliance ofthe stone.p2 (pique 2) or i2 (inclusions 2): inclusions, which are easily visible to the naked eye throughthe crown and which reduce the brilliance of the stone to a small extent.p3 (pique 3) or i3 (inclusions 3): large or numerous inclusions, which are easily visible onseeing the crown or are many in number. The inclusions considerably reduce the brilliance.There is a problem with the term flawless with respect to evaluation by different institutes. InUSA, this concept is sub-divided into flawless and internally flawless. This is not the case inEurope: Flawless (Fl) means that the stone has neither inclusions nor any external marks suchas damages, rough spots, grinding grooves, etc. The term IF (internally flawless) means that thestone is internally flawless; however, it can have external signs such as twin lines etc. In Europe,both these terms together are recognised as one.In many cases, a stone that exhibits external signs would no longer get an IF or Fl grading inGermany or Belgium. While demarcating between SI and P1 for bigger stones, the definitioncannot be applied so strictly. Right from a size starting from two-carats, an SI2 can often berecognised with the naked eye. In case of bigger stones, finding flaws becomes even easier.For stones bigger than three carats, an SI1 can often be identified with the naked eye. Despitethe definition of clarity grading that is based on the 10x magnification and despite the fact thatthe specialized trade all over the world exclusively uses the 10x magnification, our graders gradeonly under 20x magnification. Thus the grading for VVS and VS categories is more precise andsomewhat stricter in general.