All About the Clarity of Diamonds

Clarity is an important aspect of a diamond,  and it is important to know how to grade the  clarity of a diamond before you buy one. It is  actually quite easy to learn how to grade the  clarity of a diamond. There are basically two  things that you must understand: Diamonds  with visual inclusions and blemishes, and  those that are ‘eye clean’ meaning that there  are no inclusions or blemishes that can be  seen with the naked eye. From there, the  clarity of a diamond is further broken down  into subcategories.

Many people mistakenly think that diamond  clarity refers to how clear it is. This isn’t so.  Clarity actually refers to the internal and  external imperfections of the diamond. The  best diamonds, of course get a grade of FL  or IF – Flawless or Internally Flawless –  meaning that it is perfect. A grade of I-1, I-2  or I-3 means that the diamond is imperfect,  with a grade of I-3 being the worst.

Other grades are VVS1 and VVS2, which  means that the diamond is very, very slightly  imperfect; VS1 and VS2, meaning the  diamond is very slightly imperfect; SI-1 and  SI-2, which means that the diamond is  slightly imperfect.