What is Clarity?

When light passes through a diamond, it bounces back making the diamond sparkle! Some diamonds have imperfections in the form of spots and blemishes. The more the imperfections, the more difficult it is for light to pass through, thereby reducing the sparkle. If you’re lost, here’s all you need to remember: Lesser imperfection and inclusions = Better clarity. A clarity grade is assigned based on the overall appearance of the stone under 10x magnification.

DIAMOND CLARITY

 

FL, IF

Flawless, Internally Flawless: No internal or external imperfections. Internally Flawless: No internal imperfections. Very rare.

 

VVS1, VVS2

Very, Very Slightly Included: Very difficult to see imperfections under 10x magnification. An excellent quality diamond.

 

VS1, VS2

Very Slightly Included: Imperfections are not typically visible to the unaided eye. Considered to be less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades.

 

SI1, SI2

Slightly Included: Imperfections are visible under 10x magnification, and may be visible with the unaided eye. A good diamond value.

 

I1

Included:  This grade of diamonds will have minor inclusions that may be visible to the unaided eye.

 

 I2, I3

I2 or I3 are the lowest grade clarity.