Micro-World Gems & Gemology, Winter 2022, Vol. 58, No. 4

A “Galaxy” within a Diamond

Aprisara Semapongpan

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Figure 1. This particle cloud, a typical inclusion in diamond, shows an iridescent appearance and is grouped in a triangular shape viewed in fiber-optic illumination. Photomicrograph by Aprisara Semapongpan; field of view 2.8 mm.
 
Figure 1. This particle cloud, a typical inclusion in diamond, shows an iridescent appearance and is grouped in a triangular shape viewed in fiber-optic illumination. Photomicrograph by Aprisara Semapongpan; field of view 2.8 mm.

The 2.01 ct, D-color, I1-clarity type IaB diamond in figure 1 reveals an intriguing cloud of particles grouped in a triangular shape. These tiny crystal and particle cloud inclusions resemble a galaxy, as if seeing the Milky Way at night.

Figure 2. DiamondView imaging of the type IaB diamond reveals a fibrous pattern and a hazy triangular cloud area with blue fluorescence. Image by Aprisara Semapongpan.
 
Figure 2. DiamondView imaging of the type IaB diamond reveals a fibrous pattern and a hazy triangular cloud area with blue fluorescence. Image by Aprisara Semapongpan.

The DiamondView image in figure 2 reveals blue fluorescence with a hazy triangular glowing area that matches perfectly with the position of the particle cloud in figure 1. Furthermore, this type IaB natural diamond displays a fibrous pattern in the DiamondView instead of the tree-ring pattern that is typical in type Ia diamond. This fibrous pattern is related to a weak B-aggregated (B-center; 4N+V) signal in Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy.

Finding and analyzing inclusions in diamonds is fascinating, as you never know where the next diamond will lead you—perhaps you will even discover your own galaxy.

Aprisara Semapongpan is a gemologist trainee at GIA in Bangkok.