As Nature Intended

At L'École, School of Jewelry Arts, jewellery enthusiasts learn that there is more than one way to view inclusions in gemstones

- Celine Yap

WHEN IT COMES to diamonds and other precious gemstones, most are well aware of the four Cs: cut, carat, colour and clarity. Of the four, cut and carat are the least ambiguous. Cut refers to how the stone is faceted and carat refers to its weight. Wellcut stones are always symmetrical and balanced with good proportions. Colour, on the other hand, depends very much on the type of stone in question. Diamonds should ideally be completely devoid of colour, while the best emeralds, rubies, sapphires and coloured diamonds are fancy intense or fancy vivid in hue.

This brings us to the final C, clarity. Although this sounds straightforward enough—after all, the best stones are supposed to be crystal clear— oftentimes, the presence of foreign elements such as trapped crystals, liquids, gas bubbles and even fractures (known as ‘inclusions’ or ‘jardin’ in emeralds) can lend a poetic quality to an otherwise cut-and-dried stone. But what are inclusions, really? Why do we dread them and, indeed, should we dread them? These questions were asked—and answered—by L’École, School of Jewelry Arts at its recent Bangkok stopover.

L’École is an institute supported by French