Diamond Polish

Polish is graded on a scale from Excellent to Poor based on the presence and visibility of polish features at 10x magnification. The following features are considered in the polish assessment.

Polish Feature Abbreviation Definition Example
Abrasion Abr An area of minute scratches or pits along a facet edge producing a fuzzy white line instead of a sharp facet junction
Burn Brn
Dop
Whitish haze caused by excessive heat during polishing or, occasionally, by a jeweler’s torch is listed as “Brn.”

A burn mark caused by excessive heat at the location where the dop touched the diamond is referred to more specifically as “Dop.”

Laser Manufacturing Remnant LMR A remnant of laser manufacturing that remains on the surface of the polished diamond; typically appears as a transparent or white groove; only considered polish when it does not penetrate into the diamond at 10x magnification.
Lizard Skin LS A transparent, uneven texture confined to one facet caused by polishing a facet off-grain
Nick Nck A small notch on a facet junction, usually along the girdle or at the culet
Pit Pit A tiny opening appearing as a white dot
Rough Girdle RG An irregular pitted or granular surface of a bruted girdle due to pits and nicks
Scratch Scr A surface mark, normally seen as a fine white line that may be curved or straight
Polish Lines Wht
TP
Drag line
Polish mark
Parallel lines left by the polishing process; may appear white (Wht) or transparent (TP). A heavy transparent polish line off a surface-reaching feature is referred to more specifically as a “drag line”.

A surface feature made during the polishing process that resembles an extra facet without a distinct or straight facet junction is referred to as a “polish mark”.


This information is courtesy of GIA