---
title: "Grain center: meaning in gemology"
description: "A grain center is a small, concentrated area of crystal distortion inside a diamond. It can be white or dark and can look like a thread or a pinpoint."
url: https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/grain-center
image: https://digitalgemology.com/img/og-digital-gemology.png?v=d224fb01
---

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[Glossary](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary) · Clarity characteristics

# Grain center

A grain center is a small, concentrated area of crystal distortion inside a diamond. It can be white or dark and can look like a thread or a pinpoint.

## In more detail

It comes from distortion in the crystal, not from a foreign mineral. GIA counts it as an inclusion.

## On a grading report

Drawn in red on the clarity plot of a full GIA report and named in the key to symbols. A Dossier has no plot but can name it in its list of up to four.

## Related terms

- [Internal graining](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/internal-graining): Internal graining is lines, angles or curves inside a diamond caused by irregular crystal growth. At 10x they can look whitish, colored or reflective, or lower the transparency.
- [Pinpoint](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/pinpoint): A pinpoint is a very small crystal inside a diamond that looks like a tiny dot at 10x.
- [Inclusion](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary/inclusion): An inclusion is a clarity characteristic inside a diamond, or one that reaches the surface from inside.

[All 328 terms](https://digitalgemology.com/learn/glossary)