Clarity: The Second C in Diamond Education

The assessment of a diamond's clarity is done under 10-times magnification. Peering very closely inside a diamond's anatomy may reveal internal flaws or imperfections called inclusions, which affect the stone's beauty and value.

Diamond clarity grading is based on the presence or absence of blemishes, impurities or other identifying marks inside a diamond. The presence of flaws or inclusions dampens the brilliance of the diamond because less light is reflected from the diamond. In general, larger-sized inclusions or blemishes affect the stone's brilliance and fire greatly.

The scale of a diamond's clarity begins with Flawless diamonds (FL), which are rare, if not nearly impossible to find. These stones possess no flaws or inclusions of any kind or size. The next category comprises of Internally Flawless diamonds (IF). These stones have no presence of inclusions but have very minor blemishes on the diamond's surface. VVS1 and VVS2 diamonds are next on the list with stones that contain very small inclusions that are a challenge even for the most experienced graders to locate under 10-times magnification. Diamonds graded as VS1 or VS2 possess minor inclusions that include small crystals, distinct clouds, or feathers. These stones are still excellent in terms of quality but in some cases, the inclusions are visible to the human eye. Slightly Included diamonds (SI1 and SI2) offer a great value as they are priced significantly lower due to very visible inclusions within the stone. The last in the scale of diamond clarity grading are those that are Included (I1, I2, or I3). These stones possess significant inclusions.