In case you want to buy any kind of jewelry that contains diamonds, like diamond rings or diamond earrings, you should learn more about the four Cs – color, carat weight, cut and clarity. In this article, we will focus on diamond clarity as one of the most important characteristics of diamonds.
The basics of diamond clarity
As we already said, diamond clarity is one of the 4 Cs of diamonds. There are many different ways to describe this feature of diamonds, but the simplest one definition describes it as the state or quality of being clear. Buyers should be aware of the fact that finding a diamond that doesn’t have anything inside is very rare and this is especially true when it comes to large diamonds. So, this uniqueness makes diamonds that have fewer flaws inside them more attractive and obviously, more expensive too.
According to some statistics, 2 out of 10 newly mined diamonds have clarity that satisfies minimal standards so they can be utilized in jewelry. The rest of the diamonds are utilized for industrial purposes. In other words, in case you’ve got a diamond with the best clarity rating, then you’ve got a gemstone that occurs once in a few million.
The science behind diamond clarity
There are two things that have a direct impact on the clarity of diamonds. One of these factors is present on the diamond’s exterior and it is known as blemishes, and the other is found in the diamond’s internal structure and it is known as inclusions.
Inclusions
Generally speaking, almost all diamonds have some other compounds that were practically trapped while the diamond was growing underground. It’s interesting that diamonds are between 3 and 4 billion years old which means that their process of growing is quite slow. Over all these millions of years, it is quite natural that they have been in touch with other natural materials. The small inclusions you see can be thousands or even millions of years old. That’s why you can look at diamonds as some sort of timelines.
While we are talking about inclusions it is worth mentioning that there are some inclusions that seem to appear more frequently than others. These inclusions include cavities, clouds, needles, different minerals and/or crystals, feathers, wisps, cleavage, graining, and bearding.
Blemishes
As we said before, blemishes are the formations that we can find on the diamond’s exterior. The vast majority of these blemishes are formed during the cutting process. Experienced diamond cutters are able to eliminate these blemishes. Although they have an impact on diamond clarity, they don’t affect the rating as much as inclusions.
Just like in the case of inclusions, there are some blemishes that appear more frequently and these blemishes include graining, knots, polish lines, cavities, pits, dents, scratches, naturals, fractures, chips, and additional facets.
Diamond clarity ratings/grades
About 65 years ago, the Gemological Institute of America has introduced a diamond clarity system which includes a few different grades.
I1, I2, I3 (also known as included diamonds) – they have inclusions (most likely large crystals and/or large feathers) that are easy to spot under 10x magnifying glass. They usually have an impact on the brilliance and transparency of diamonds.
SI1, SI2 (also known as Slightly Included diamonds) – these diamonds come with inclusions like knots, clouds, feathers, cavities and included crystals that can be detected by an experienced diamond grader with the help of a 10x magnifying glass.
VS1 and VS2 (also known as Very Slightly included) – these diamonds contain smaller inclusions like small feathers, small clouds or small crystals and they can be seen under 10x magnifying glass, but it will probably take some time to spot them.
VVS1 and VVS2 (an abbreviation for Very, Very Slightly Included diamonds) – they come with so-called minute inclusions that are hard to spot even if you are an experienced diamond grader using a 10x magnifying glass.
IF (or Internally Flawless) – these diamonds don’t have any inclusions visible under 10x magnification. Of course, they have some small blemishes.
FL (or Flawless) – they don’t have any inclusions and blemishes visible under 10x magnifying glass.
So, diamond clarity is determined by checking the combination of the number, size, nature, and color of the blemishes and inclusions. There are many different combinations which is why it is considered that every diamond is unique.
Diamond clarity grades: the beginnings
In the past, diamond clarity was usually described with the words like loupe clean, pique or clean. But, back in 1953, the GIA (Gemological Institute of America), or its member Richard Liddicoat to be more precise, revealed a unique system which was adopted around the globe. The system has 11 unique clarity grades which make determining diamond clarity easier than ever. These abbreviations we’ve mentioned before allows buyers from around the world to check the clarity of diamonds right away.
A Few other things you should know about diamond clarity
An ordinary person that has no experience in this field, will probably have a difficult time to determine diamond clarity even if they have a magnifying glass. So, when buying a diamond, it is highly recommended to use a seller that has certified diamonds in its offer. Diamonds like this have labels where you can check the clarity grade. In addition, you can always use the help of a reputable gemological lab that issues diamond grading reports.
If you are prepared to invest in diamonds, you should know that the price of diamonds is volatile. However, the price of these gemstones is always affected by clarity. For example, if two diamonds have the same cut, color, and carat weight, but different clarity (for one level) the one with better clarity rating will be up to 20% more expensive. When it comes to the beauty of these stones, there is no change regardless of the diamond clarity grade. It takes a 10x magnifying glass to notice the difference although in most cases, these differences can be noticed only by experienced diamond graders.