What is a Yehuda Diamond?

When shopping for LA diamonds, you may have come across the term “Yehuda” diamond. Yehuda is a brand name given to natural diamonds that are mechanically enhanced to eliminate flaws. Eliminating flaws that can be seen by the naked eye allows jewelers to use diamonds that they would not otherwise be able to use. It’s a win-win: Jewelers can charge more for these diamonds and buyers can get a better diamond for their money. They are real diamonds that simply undergo an enhancement procedure that improves the diamond’s clarity. The process was invented by Zvi Yehuda, who is the son of a renowned Israeli diamond trader. Having grown up around diamonds, Yehuda created his first invention when he was only 16; he developed a way to recycle diamond dust. In 1982, this inventor created the Yehuda Clarity Enhancement—a process which greatly eliminates imperfections that would otherwise make an LA diamond less desirable.

Yehuda Diamonds in The Los Angeles Jewelry District

Most people shopping for diamond engagement rings in the Los Angeles Jewelry District have some basic knowledge of these gems. They are priced based on rarity of features, including color, clarity, carat, and cut—otherwise known as the four c’s. Each of these features determines the price of the ring. The better the color, the larger the diamond, the more brilliantly it’s cut, the higher the price. Clarity is another characteristic of pricing diamonds. For the diamond buyer, clarity may be the least important feature of a ring because most times you cannot see imperfections with the naked eye. However, clarity is one factor that goes into pricing a diamond. Diamonds enhanced using the Yehuda Clarity Enhancement method can be as much as 30 percent less than an unenhanced diamond that is visually identical. That means when shopping in the Los Angeles Jewelry District you can get more diamond for your dollar.

What Goes Into A Yehuda Diamond In The LA Jewelry District?

When shopping in the LA jewelry district, jewelers should disclose that the diamond they are selling has been enhanced using the Yehuda method. That’s because not everyone wants to buy a diamond that’s been altered by a mechanical process. How is this process done? It all has to do with how light travels through diamonds. A well-cut diamond bounces light back—that creates the brilliance and sparkle. But a diamond with poor clarity does not reflect light ideally, making the imperfection visible. In the Yehuda process, a microscopic amount of material is inserted into the diamond under high pressure, filling the “feathering” and allowing light to reflect back properly. The amount of material used is extremely small and adds no weight to the diamond. Only highly-trained gemologists are able to detect whether a diamond has been enhanced using the Yehuda method. Only a handful of stores in the LA jewelry district carry Yehuda diamonds.

The Best Method Available in Jewelry Stores in Downtown Los Angeles

The Yehuda Clarity Enhancement Method is considered the best enhancement method currently available in jewelry stores in downtown Los Angeles. Consumers should be aware that other methods are being used and touted as “enhancements” but in reality, they are not nearly of the same quality. According to the Gemological Institute of America, the premier diamond-rating laboratory in North America, other enhancement methods cause the diamond to darken or turn gray when exposed to sunlight. Many other enhancement methods use bromine, which is unstable when exposed to ultraviolet light. Yehuda diamonds, which come with a laser-imprinted, microscopic signature, do not use bromine as part of the treatment. A true Yehuda diamond comes with a lifetime guarantee. That means any diamond you purchase from authorized jewelry stores in downtown Los Angeles will be guaranteed to maintain its enhancement or the Yehuda Diamond Company will re-enhance the diamond for free.

More Information About LA Diamonds

Looking for a Yehuda diamond, or shopping around LA for any other kinds of diamonds? Stop in and check out family owned and operated Icing on the Ring. If you’re looking for something more specific, give us a call at 888-565-6150 to speak with one of several experts who call our store home.