Micro-World Gems & Gemology, Fall 2023, Vol. 59, No. 3

Inclusion Resembling a Gada in Diamond

Rujal Kapadia, Bhavya Maniar, and Sally Eaton-Magaña

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This etch channel seen in the crown facets of a 1.00 ct diamond with SI<sub>1</sub> clarity (left) resembled a <em>gada</em> (right), a mace-like weapon wielded by the Hindu god Hanuman. Photomicrograph (left) by Deepak Raj; field of view 0.80 mm. Photo (right) courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
 
This etch channel seen in the crown facets of a 1.00 ct diamond with SI1 clarity (left) resembled a gada (right), a mace-like weapon wielded by the Hindu god Hanuman. Photomicrograph (left) by Deepak Raj; field of view 0.80 mm. Photo (right) courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Recently, the authors observed an interesting etch channel (see above) in a 1.00 ct L-color type Ia round brilliant diamond with SI1 clarity. It resembled a gada, a mace-like weapon belonging to the Hindu god Hanuman. This etch channel was the only one observed in the diamond; these features are often created by dissolution processes (T. Lu et al., “Observation of etch channels in several natural diamonds,” Diamond and Related Materials, Vol. 10, No. 1, 2001, pp. 68–75).

This unusual clarity characteristic showcases the variety that is possible within the natural world.

Rujal Kapadia is a diamond grader specialist, and Bhavya Maniar is a diamond grader, at GIA in Surat, India. Sally Eaton-Magaña is senior manager of diamond identification at GIA in Carlsbad, California.