Diamond Terminology
For example, shapes such as pears, marquises or hearts may be cut with extremely thick girdles at their points (and at the cleft, in the case of a heart) in order to protect these delicates corners from damage. Most diamonds have smooth girdles that are fashioned by a “bruter” (a diamond cutter who is responsible for shaping the diamond’s basic outline) early on in the cutting process. In some cases, cutters go a step further and do additional cutting on the girdle. In these cases, they may decide to create a “polished” girdle or a “faceted” girdle. In both cases, the difference between these and a regular, smooth girdle is generally not distinguishable to the eye. A polished or faceted girdle doesn’t improve a diamond’s grade. Most labs grade a girdle’s thickness, not its appearance.
Since diamonds are resistant to acids, the solution actually dissolves the included crystal while leaving the diamond completely unharmed. The end result is a more transparent diamond. The structural stability of the diamond is not compromised in any way by this hole, and the process is permanent.
Another type of natural is the Indented Natural; in this case, the portion of the original rough diamond’s surface which is left on the polished diamond dips slightly inward, creating an indentation. Usually, the cutter makes an effort to cut the polished diamond so that the indented natural will be confined to either the girdle or the pavilion (making it undetectable to the naked eye in the face-up position).