What are all the different types of flaws that can exist in a diamond?

There are two major categories for flaws in a diamond. The external flaw and the internal flaw. External flaws are superficial and can usually be removed by polishing or by boiling the diamond gemstone in a specific acidic liquid. Internal flaws or also known as "inclusions", are cracks, clouds and crystals existent within the gemstone itself. External flaws have the potential to become internal flaws if they penetrate the superficial exterior of the diamond.

There are 11 different types of external flaws in a diamond:
Abrasions are the result of multiple diamonds being placed in the same packaging and rubbing up against each other. It is well known that one of the few things that can scratch a diamond is in fact another diamond. These abrasions will appear as a white stripe.
Cavities are small holes on the exterior of the diamond. On some occasions they can be wider holes which are the result of inclusions that have been torn from the face of the diamond during the polishing process.
Scratches are very similar to abrasions, the only difference being that the scratches actually damage the uniformity of the diamond and the light reflected from it.
A pit occurs when the sharp part of one diamond is forcefully applied to the surface of another diamond it will create a tiny indentation which will appear as a little white spot when examining the diamond.
A nick is a tiny chip that exists on the girdle or facet junction.
Bearding are small cracks that bear a resemblance to the hairs of a beard and they usually appear on the girdle. Bearding is usually limited to the exterior of a diamond but sometimes the cracks can penetrate the interior. Bearding is considered one of the more serious flaws and can affect the grade of the gemstone according to the proportionality of the damage. Bearding is most often the result of girdling too quickly or with insufficient skill.
External graining appears when the crystalline structure of the diamond is not homogeneous. This type of flaw can often not be remedied by even the most skilled polishing and indeed affect the quality of the gemstone. External graining has an appearance that resembles grains of wood.
Polishing marks occur when the polishing of a diamond is done in a hurried or unprofessional fashion. Polishing that is done against the grain will increase the opacity and coarsen the surface of a diamond. In addition, if a polisher does his work with too much intensity and speed than he will create heat which will burn the surface of a diamond and give it a cloudy appearance.
Chips are very similar to nicks in that they are small cracks that do not infiltrate the interior of the stone. The only difference between chips and nicks are that chips are larger than nicks.
Extra facets are created by diamond polishers who wish to remove a small flaw close to the surface of the gemstone. When the facet is on the underside of the diamond and can not be seen when viewed from the top than it is not considered a flaw and will not affect the grade of the diamond.
Naturals are remnants of the uncut rough diamond exterior features which have survived the cut and polishing process. Naturals wills sometimes be included in a cut and polished diamond in order to increase its weight. This is a trade off between quality and weight in order to allow for the diamond to surpass a certain critical minimum weight. If the natural happens to be small and can not be seen when looking at the crown of the diamond then it is not considered a flaw.



There are 8 different types of internal flaws in a diamond:
Included crystals are the most widely found inclusions and are the result of various types of crystals that get trapped within the diamond during the crystallization process. These included crystals harm the integrity and the strength of the diamond. The effect the included crystals have on the grading of the diamond depend on the size and color of the inclusion.
Internal graining happens when the crystalline structure of the diamond is not homogeneous and layers of carbon crystals exist which are not in line with the structure of the rest of the diamond or are colored differently from the homogeneous crystals that make up the diamond.
Feathers are small cracks present in the interior of the diamond where the crack is not congruous with the cleavage planes and often resemble a feather.
Cleavages are cracks that are congruous with the diamond's direction of cleaving. Often times these cleavages can be connected with cracks.
A knot occurs when an inclusion is exposed at the surface during polishing and it will be visibly different from the polished facets.
Clouds are comprised of a large number of extremely minute crystals that will absorb light and consequently affect the brilliance of the diamond.
Carbon spots are dark dots within the diamond that are very easily spotted and are regarded as a more serious flaw that will have a greater affect on the grade of the diamond gemstone.
Pinpoints are minute flaws that are usually only visible through a 10x microscope or loupe. Pinpoints can either appear by themselves or in symmetrical groups.

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