Diamond Clarity Education
When we speak of a diamond's clarity, we are talking about the amount of inclusions and blemishes a diamond contains. Inclusions refer to internal flaws; blemishes refer to surface flaws. Most flaws are created during natural formation of the diamond, while a few were the results of cutting process. The GIA and AGSL use a few major factors to determine the clarity of a diamond, including the size of the flaw, the number of the flaw, the type of the flaw, where the flaw positions, and how the flaw is visible to the eyes.
The diamonds below are under 10 x magnification
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| clarity - IF/FL | clarity - VVS1/VVS2 | clarity - VS1/VS2 |
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| clarity - SI1/SI2 | clarity - I1 | clarity - I2/I3 |
FL, IF stand for Flawless or Internally Flawless: These diamonds has no internal or external flaws. They are extremely rare and valuable diamonds.
VVS1, VVS2 stand for Very, Very Slightly Included (two grades): It is very difficult to see inclusions under 10x magnification in these type of diamonds. They are diamonds with excellent quality and beauty.
VS1, VS2 stand for Very Slightly Included (two grades): Inclusions are invisible to the unaided eye, and can be visible with difficulty under 10x magnification. These diamonds are less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades, but also have high quality.
SI1, SI2 stand for Slightly Included: Inclusions are visible under 10x magnification, and for some SI2 diamonds, flaws may be visible with the unaided eye. These diamonds have good value.
I1, I2, I3 stand for Included: Inclusions are visible to unaided eye, and may affect transparency and brilliance. They are not recommended for engagement rings.
Which diamond clarity should I choose?
If you are a value oriented shopper, you might want to shop for "eye-clean" diamonds, which means their inclusions or blemishes can not be seen with the unaided eye. In that way, you might want to choose diamonds with "VS2" or higher clarity. Diamonds which have the same clarity grade can still appear different. Depending on the type, size and location of the inclusion one may appear to be better than the other. You might want to ask the jewelers for the detail to ensure you receive a diamond that doesn't have any inclusions visible to the naked eye or if the inclusion can be covered during setting. It is a good idea to balance the clarity with color. If you want a diamond in D-H color range, choose clarity grades of VS2 or higher; if the diamonds you are going to buy are in the I-J color range, SI clarity stones can give you a good value. Also Diamond setters usually use the prong head of the diamond ring to hide the diamond inclusion, that's also one of the reasons we highly encourage you to pick certified loose diamond and design your own ring.