Diamond Guide 6 C's - Diamond Clarity | The Diamond Ring Review

Diamond Clarity

Diamond Guide 6 C’s – Diamond Clarity

Diamond clarity is referred as the clearness of the diamond. Most diamonds have what are called “inclusions”. Inclusions are small particles, bubbles, imperfections or scratches that are visible inside or on the surface of the diamond itself. Obviously the cleaner the diamond the more valuable it will be. I have included the grading scale for clarity.

Since Diamond Clarity is the measurement of a diamond’s impurities or internal flaws the lesser quantity of internal or external flaws on a diamond the higher the grade it will receive. The obvious reasoning behind this is that a diamond with less flaws will allow more light to go through and reflect light from the facets. Hence more fire and brilliance you see when you look into the diamond under light.

Please note that diamonds graded from ‘diamond clarity F ‘ all the way down to ‘diamond clarity SI’ have inclusions that are not visible to the naked eye. This means that only magnified can a trained eye find the flaws. You can really dazzle her with any of these. On the diamond chart clarity is measured in the following way:

F : flawless; Diamond Clarity F would not have any flaws and are extremely rare and high in value
IF : internally flawless; Diamond Clarity IF have no internal flaws but will have some external flaws and are very rare
VVS1 – VVS2 : very very slightly included. In this grade there are two levels. The inclusions in Diamond Clarity VVS1 and Diamond Clarity VVS2 can only be seen under 10x magnification and by the trained eye of a gemologist. These are still very high quality diamonds
VS1 – VS2 : Diamond clarity VS1 and VS2 are considered Very Slightly Included. VS1 is slightly superior to a VS2 diamond clarity
SI1 – SI2 : slightly included. In this grade there are also two levels. These inclusions can also only be seen with 10X magnification but doesn’t necessarily have to be a trained eye.
I1 – I2 – I3 : Inclusions are now visible to the naked eye. In the case of a loose diamond with Diamond Clarity I1 one would really need to be peering in from inches away to catch the inclusions not to mention have very good eye sight and be purposely looking for them. If you do choose one of these make sure that the inclusion is very difficult to find as inclusions in this grade can sometimes be very obvious.

Diamond Clarity Scale

Let me help you digest some of the information I have just thrown at you. Which diamond should you actually buy and would diamond grade be more worthwhile than the other. The gradings that have inclusions visible only with magnification are all great investments. The question lies in how much do you have to spend on a diamond engagement ring and where your pride and ego lies. An F or IF diamond is absolutely spectacular and incredibly rare! Kudos to the man who is willing to give one of these. If you can really help it do your best to invest in a loose diamond that has as few inclusions that can only be seen with a 10X magnifying loupe.

Let me go ahead and share with you the various types of flaws that you can encounter.

There are many different types of flaws. The best way to become acquainted with them is to look at a lot of diamonds. Use the resources at JamesAllen.com, Mondera, or Blue Nile.com to save yourself the buying pressure, time and trips to the mall or local jewelery store and view as many diamonds as you like from home. Some are more obvious than others and can affect the value of the diamond that you are buying. The more common ones are as follows:

Pinpoint: The most common of all, a very small white dot on the surface of the stone.
Carbons: Less common, a very small black dot on the surface of the stone.
Feathers: Small cracks within the stone. Other than lowering the clarity of the diamond small ones are harmless. However larger one can pose a problem because the crack can grow with time.
Clouds: Hazy areas within the diamond that are actually made up of many tiny crystals.
Crystal Growth: A Small crystalline growth with in the diamond. Looks like a diamond within the diamond.