What does Clarity mean?
When shopping for a diamond engagement ring, diamond pendant, diamond earrings, or any piece of diamond jewelry; an important factor is the “Clarity” of the diamonds you choose. Clarity is one of the 4Cs used to price diamonds. The definition of clarity is “the quality or state of being clear.” Having a diamond with nothing in it is extremely rare, especially in larger diamonds. Due to this rarity factor, as a diamond becomes “cleaner” it also becomes more expensive.
Of all the diamonds that are mined each year, only about 20% are “clean enough” to be used in diamond jewelry and the other 80% of diamonds are used for industrial purposes. So if you have a diamond with the highest clarity grade possible, then it truly is one in a million, which makes it even more special!
What constitutes the clarity of a diamond?
The two factors that will determine a diamond’s clarity are things on the outside, called blemishes, and things on the inside of the diamond, called inclusions. A diamond will almost always have some other stuff that got trapped inside of it while it was growing below the surface of the earth. Because diamonds have an average age of 3.3 billion years, they have grown very slowly. As they grew, the diamond found other materials in its neighborhood where they formed. The process of having something “included” within a diamond crystal took millions, thousands or millions of years. So when you see inclusions within a diamond, it’s like looking back in time for millions or even billions of years. Diamonds commonly have other diamonds captured within them… that’s great, you get more than one diamond with your purchase!
Common inclusions are as follows–
* Clouds
* Feathers
* Crystals or minerals included
* Cavities
* Clue
* Bearing
* Internal granulate
* needles
* Twin Wisps
The blemishes are the things on the outside of the diamond. Most of these are the result of the diamond cutting process and could be removed with a diamond cutter. These are not all that serious elements and usually do not play a large role in determining a diamond’s clarity grade.
Common imperfections are as follows–
* Polish lines
* External grain
*Natural
*Knots
* scratches
* nicks
* holes
* French fries
* Fracture
* Additional facets
* cavity
The degrees of clarity are as follows–
Florida (Flawless) – No inclusions or blemishes of any kind at 10x magnification when viewed by an experienced grader.
YEAH (Internally Flawless) – Has no inclusions when examined by an experienced grader at 10x magnification, but will still have some minor blemishes.
VSV1 and VSV2 (Very, Very Little Included) – Contains minute inclusions that are difficult to see even for experienced graders at 10x magnification.
VS1 and VS2 (Very Little Included) – Contains minute inclusions such as small crystals, clouds, or feathers when viewed with effort at 10x magnification.
SI1 and SI2 (Slightly Included) – Contains inclusions (clouds, included crystals, knots, cavities, and feathers) that are perceptible to an experienced grader at 10x magnification.
I1, I2, I3 (Included)- Contains inclusions (possibly large feathers or large crystals included) which are apparent at 10x magnification and may affect transparency and gloss.
It is the combination of inclusions and blemishes along with their size, number, position, nature, and color that will determine the clarity of a diamond. There are many variables involved in getting a diamond to a certain clarity…it’s because diamonds are like snowflakes, where each one is different.
A little history about the Clarity system.
We currently have a diamond clarity grading system that everyone understands and has worked well for many years…it wasn’t always like that. Years ago, if someone described the clarity of a diamond and said it was a “clean,” “piqué,” or “loupe clean” diamond, would you know what they meant?
Richard T. Liddicoat of the Gemological Institute of America introduced the current system in 1953 and it was immediately adopted as the universal system for grading diamond clarity. The eleven different clarity grades communicate the clarity quality of a diamond regardless of the consumer’s geographic location or language.
Along with defining these eleven degrees of clarity, the GIA also states that clarity grading should be performed by a trained person using a controlled “dark field” lighting environment and 10X magnification corrected for spherical and chromatic aberration. Wow! That sounds pretty technical! however, it is relatively easy to understand this system.
How can you know the Clarity of a diamond?
You, a person who is not fully trained in this system, probably cannot accurately determine the clarity grade of a diamond. A gemologist who has been trained in all the variables involved will be able to determine the clarity grade and can also show you why a diamond has a certain clarity.
The best way to be sure of a diamond’s clarity will be to have a diamond grading report issued by a credible gemological laboratory. The best reports will be from GIA, AGSL or GCAL. These nationally known and respected labs use a series of appraisers who must agree on all qualities of the diamond before issuing a report.
What is the best diamond clarity for me?
The price of diamonds will change, up or down, depending on how clarity goes up or down. For diamonds in the most common color, cut, and weight range, as a general rule of thumb, look for a 15-20% price change for each change in clarity. A diamond with a clarity grade FL (flawless) is no more beautiful than a diamond with a clarity grade SI1 (slightly included 1), but an FL clarity can cost more than twice the price of an SI1 diamond.
From FL to SI1 clarity grades, any inclusions and/or blemishes are only visible when viewed at 10X magnification. I don’t know anyone who walks around with a 10X magnifying glass in their pocket to look at people’s diamonds…sorry let me correct that, I don’t know anyone except jewelers and gemologists (myself included) who walk around with a magnifying glass 10X in the pocket.
You’ll have to see for yourself what these different degrees of clarity really look like. I know many people who have looked at the clarity rating chart and see that VVS2 or VS1 is “in the middle” of the chart, so they think that is what they would like to consider when buying a diamond.
There are only a few diamonds that can fit into the almost impossible FL and IF grades and only a few more diamonds that can fit into the extremely tight VVS1 and VVS2 grades…a single tiny, microscopic, pinpoint inclusion will easily move a diamond out of these degrees. As you progress to the VS, SI, and I grades, it broadens and many movement diamonds will fit into these grades. SI1 is more “in the middle” than VVS2 or VS1.
Find a good gemologist to teach you or research diamond clarity grades online, it’s really not too complicated. When shopping for larger diamonds, make sure they come with a diamond grading report that you trust.
