inclusions

Looking for an alternative to diamonds? A moss agate engagement ring makes a beautiful, affordable, and unconventional choice.

Synthetic diamond with flaws and inclusions.

Blue topaz gemstones with inclusions. Photo by Humanfeather. Licensed under CC By 3.0.

Famous for its inclusions, amber can have materials such as ancient pollen, insects, and other organic debris trapped inside it. Photo by Upupa4me.…

Needle-like rutile inclusions in rose quartz can create a star effect. When cut as cabochons, like this huge 1,438.5-ct specimen, rose quartz…

Diaspore is difficult to facet because of its inclusions, crystal shape, and cleavage. The expertly cut large and relatively clear stones shown…

Emeralds almost always have inclusions. Some oil treatments try to make an emerald’s jardin (or “garden”) of inclusions more visually…

While asterism in other gemstones, like this sapphire, is caused by inclusions, the star effect in opals is caused by the diffraction of light from…

Sometimes, the best way to manage inclusions in transparent gems is to leave them be. For example, this rutilated quartz teardrop beautifully…