All diamonds have inclusions — it's just a matter of how noticeable they are. Does it require 10X magnification to see them? 20X? 100X? The position of the inclusion is also important: Depending on where it is, a single inclusion can be reflected many times inside the diamond and actually look like eight inclusions. When Zed Mervis buys our diamonds, he looks for stones that have less-visible inclusions off to the side.

This diamond has a dark inclusion in its center and a cloudy inclusion at its edge. Both can be seen without magnification; both detract from the stone’s performance.

Verdict: Zed Mervis would never present this stone as a Mervis diamond!