Cleavage (Cl) is defined as ...

Cleavage (Cl) is defined as ...

• A. A method to cut diamonds by water jet.
• B. A fracture that runs randomly across a crystal.
• C. Only a natural inclusion.
• D. Large, severe, straight break along a plane of atomic weakness; considered an inclusion.

Answer: (D)

Cleavage describes a fracture that occurs along specific planes of weakness in a crystal, producing flat, straight surfaces that follow the crystal lattice. In diamonds, this means the stone can split cleanly along predefined planes, rather than cracking in a jagged, random way. The description that best fits this behavior is a large, severe, straight break along a plane of atomic weakness, which highlights the planar, directional nature of cleavage. The other statements don’t fit: water jet is just a cutting method, a random fracture isn’t cleavage, and an inclusion refers to foreign material inside the stone rather than a crystal-plane fracture.

Cleavage describes a fracture that occurs along specific planes of weakness in a crystal, producing flat, straight surfaces that follow the crystal lattice. In diamonds, this means the stone can split cleanly along predefined planes, rather than cracking in a jagged, random way. The description that best fits this behavior is a large, severe, straight break along a plane of atomic weakness, which highlights the planar, directional nature of cleavage. The other statements don’t fit: water jet is just a cutting method, a random fracture isn’t cleavage, and an inclusion refers to foreign material inside the stone rather than a crystal-plane fracture.