09/05/2024
It’s a trigon party! Scientists love these unique, triangular etch marks common on natural diamonds for several reasons; trigons are a delicate overprinting feature that help document a diamond’s history inside the earth. Trigons form when fluids or magma etch or eat away at the outermost layers of the crystal. Most trigons are thought to develop within the magma that sweeps diamonds up to earth's surface.
Trigon shape can vary, for example, between flat-bottomed and point-bottomed. Laboratory experiments show that point-bottomed trigons are result from magmas with greater amounts of carbon dioxide. Seeing trigons on a gem can be a helpful sign that the gem is a natural diamond, although some other gems, such as spinel, can have similar triangular surface features. However, trigons are often cut and polished away. But here you can see this 1.01 carat natural diamond exhibits numerous trigons on its girdle and two lower facets.
What are your thoughts on these unique characteristics of natural diamonds?
Read more about trigons and natural diamonds on our website: https://bit.ly/3YArRfe
Photo courtesy: Isabelle Corvin
