Diamond Clarity refers to the absence of inclusions and blemishes. As a product of nature diamonds may bear traces of the pressure...
Diamond
Clarity refers to the absence of inclusions and blemishes.
As a
product of nature diamonds may bear traces of the pressure and processes
involved in their formation. These traces may appear on the diamond either externally
or internally and are referred to as Inclusions.
Where appearing internally on the diamond these inclusions may include air
bubbles, cracks and non-diamond mineral deposits.
Inclusions appearing externally may include
scratches, pits and chips. Not all diamonds have inclusions, and those without,
are rare and often the most expensive. Diamonds with inclusions are graded
according to the amount of inclusions detected.
Diamonds
are graded for clarity under 10 x magnifications. Grading is allocated to a
range of diamonds from "Flawless" to "Included-3" according
to the following the following grades:
CLARITY GRADE DESCRIPTIONS
FL Grade (Flawless)
The term FL
or flawless is used for diamonds in which a qualified observer, under favorable
lighting conditions, cannot find internal characteristics and/or faults by
thorough examination with a 10X loupe.
IF Grade (Internally Flawless)
A diamond
which has no internal characteristics but which, due to minor finish faults, is
not flawless and therefore cannot be designated FL or flawless, may be called
IF or internally flawless provided the finish faults are so minute that they
can be removed by a gentle polishing with only an insignificant loss of weight
VVS Grades (Very, Very Small
Inclusions)
The term
VVS is used for diamonds with internal characteristics very, very difficult for
a qualified observer to find under observation conditions as described.
Further, there may only be insignificant finish faults.
VS Grades (Very Small Inclusions)
The term VS
is used for diamonds in which it is difficult for a qualified observer,
SI Grades (Small Inclusions)
The term SI
is used for diamonds in which a qualified observer may, without difficulty,
under observation conditions as described, find internal characteristics.
Further, there may only occur single finish faults of an insignificant kind.
I Grades (Imperfect)
The term I
or imperfect is used for diamonds in which a qualified observer, with the naked
eye, can see internal characteristics and/or in which such major faults occur,
which substantially reduce the value of the stone.
Only about
2% of the world's diamonds are actually flawless. Most retail stores carry VVS
as their highest grade. VS or SI are considered by most to be "fine
quality" diamonds.
Many inclusions
and blemishes are too tiny to be seen by anyone other than a trained diamond
grader. To the naked eye, a VS1 and an SI2 diamond may look exactly the same,
but these diamonds are quite different in terms of overall quality. This is why
expert and accurate assessment of diamond clarity is extremely important.
