Diamond girdle bearding is a term that is used by gemologists to denote man-made inclusions in a
diamond during the girdling and polishing of rough
diamonds. Usually, this type of inclusion affects the 1 and a half carat
diamond ring price only when you go for higher
clarity grades, but it cannot be overlooked when evaluating the worth of any
diamond.
During the cutting and polishing phase, the
diamond is mounted on a lathe-like machine. This machine has an industrial grade
diamond at the end of the girdling stick, which is pressed onto the rough
stone, spinning rapidly to shape it as per the desired design. Sometimes, this “pressing” is rushed by the
diamond cutter, which in turn, exerts more pressure to the rough
stone and causes the bearding.
To check if the
diamond is bearded,
gemologists use a 10x magnification loupe, and look for small feather-like inclusions between the girdle and the facets. These inclusions will look like moving into the heart of the
diamond, typically imparting a beard-like appearance to the
gemstone. Although this is inside the
stone, the
diamond girdle bearding makes it appear rough instead of having a smooth finish. Even faceting the girdle does not work to cover the bearding.
As said, the inclusion looks more dominant in higher clarity stones, in turn affecting the 1 and a half carat
diamond ring price. However, it is much less likely in case of SI or lower clarity grade
diamonds.