Diamond Clarity

Clarity is another important issue to consider when buying a diamond. A diamond's clarity can be affected by two types of flaws:

EXTERNAL FLAWS:

These are any of the impurities that are on the surface of the diamond. External flaws are the result of wear and tear on the diamond or from damage caused during cutting.

INTERNAL FLAWS:

These are any of the many impurities that reside solely in the interior of the diamond. There are many kinds of internal flaws. A few important ones that you should familiarize yourself with are:

• Black or dark spots: Carbon or other dark spots.
• Clouds:Clouds are microscopic inclusions that lower transparency.
• Fracture (feather): The majority of imperfections in diamonds are the result of breakage or fractures, in the diamond chemical structure.

CLARITY GRADING:

The common scale used is based on 10-power magnification (hand held loupe or microscope). This means that for all practical purposes, any imperfection that is too small to be seen with x10 magnification does not "exist" when grading a diamond.

The purer a diamond, the greater its value.

The GIA defines the qualifications for each group in the scale as follows:

Internally flawless (and flawless) group: FL-IF
The highest clarity grade given. “The diamond in question will be without imperfections
visible with x10 magnification. Some blemishes may be permitted externally bringing the stone to a clarity of “IF” or Internally Flawless”.

Very very slightly included group: VVS1 and VVS2
The VVS group is divided into two, VVS1 and VVS2: “The VVS inclusion in question will be very hard to detect, even for an experienced examiner using x10 power magnification”.

Very slight included group: VS1 and VS2
The definition of this group is as follows: “The VS inclusion in question will be hard to detect, even for an experienced examiner using x10 power magnification”.

Slightly included group: SI1, SI2 and SI3
The majority of engagement diamonds bought today are of the SI range: “Inclusions and imperfections in this group may be visible easily with the aid of x10 magnification”. SI3, a relatively new grade added by some laboratories to bridge the very wide gap between SI2 and I1 (imperfect).

• SI1: Can be seen easily with x10 magnification. Cannot be viewed with the naked eye.
• SI2: Can be seen easily with x10 magnification. Rarely can be viewed with the naked eye.
• SI3:Can be seen very easily with x10 magnification. In most cases (stones above 3/4 of a carat) can be viewed with the naked eye.

LEARN MORE:

Diamond Color | Diamond Clarity | Diamond Cut | Diamond Carat | Beyond the 4Cs | Diamond Brilliance | Ideal Cut Diamonds | Diamond Grading Systems