Why Do You Need To Care About Diamond Clarity?

By Author: Jennifer Barkati
Total Articles: 31
Comment this article

You may not know this, but the vast majority of polished diamonds include flaws. In fact, flawless diamonds i.e diamonds with FL clarity are so uncommon that even many industry professionals have never seen one. Although diamond clarity is important, the debate is whether it has to be flawless. Should you invest in a flawless stone? And on top of that, it can be very confusing for a person. Especially one, who doesn't know much about diamonds, let alone the whole grading system of clarity. So let us break down the meaning of diamond clarity. And how much should you care about it when you are about to buy diamond jewelry? For example, a gorgeous pre engagement ring made with twinkling diamonds. Or a charming diamond bangle for your lady love.

Understanding Diamond Clarity

Diamond clarity refers to how "perfectly clear" a diamond is on a clarity scale. This clearness is the factor that decides if the diamonds will have shine and flare. Or if it will be drab and unattractive, like foggy ice. The clarity helps with the light entering the diamond and bouncing off the planes of the facets creating a flash. When the clarity ...
... is less due to inclusions and blemishes the light is stopped from passing. Further impairing the refractions and reflections.

Understanding Inclusions and Blemishes

Blemishes - These imperfections are a little piece of the original rough diamond left on the polished stone after the cutting process. Blemishes exist on the diamond's surface and include scratches, nicks, cavities, etc.

Inclusions - Inclusions are minute flaws that emerge inside practically every diamond as it forms deep down under extreme heat and pressure. Mineral fragments to stress fractures known as feathers are among them. Under magnification, a group of inclusions can make a diamond look murky.

Can You See These Irregularities?

Truth be told, most of these are not really visible to the naked eye. The shine of the diamonds will be vastly affected only when there are too many of these irregularities. Most of the other time they all will look somewhat the same unless you put them under a microscope. So, if you're dead set on finding the stone with the fewest flaws feasible within your budget, ask the jeweler to examine it under a gemological microscope. And show you the minute flaws.

Understanding the Factors That determine Clarity:
When assessing clarity, the size of the inclusions or imperfections matters. The bigger the size the lower the grade and value of clarity.
The same goes for numbers. The lower the clarity grading, the more of them there are.

When peering at a diamond from the top down, the position of inclusions impacts how easily noticeable they are. When viewed under magnification, a single fault can appear to be several. This is why internal flaws are positioned under the crown facets or near the girdle by diamond cutters. It tends to reduce their impact on the clarity grade.
The amount of internal and external irregularities can affect the durability of the diamond. Hence how much of one or the other is also taken into account while grading.

Understanding the Grading System of Clarity

1. FL Grade in Diamonds
They are basically flawless. Even under 10X magnification, they have no flaws or defects.

2. IF Grade in Diamonds
This grade is given when there are only blemishes but no inclusions.

3. VVS1 and VVS2 Grades in Diamonds
These gems feature "very very small" inclusions that even a professional gemologist would struggle to see under a microscope.

4. VS1 and VS2 Grades in Diamonds
These gems also feature tiny inclusions, but they are slightly more visible than in the above category. However, they are still visible only under a microscope.

5. SI1 and SI2 Grades in Diamonds
The imperfections in these are perfectly visible under a microscope.

6. I1, I2, I3 Grades in Diamonds
Finally, the diamonds that fall under these grades are at the bottom of the list and value. The imperfections on them are even visible without the help of a microscope.

Should You Buy Diamonds With FL or IF Grade?

No! You shouldn't! Unless you are uber rich like Jeff Bezos. And have millions and billions of money to throw around. You should aim for the diamonds in the middle of the grading scale. That is somewhere between VS1 and S12. They are stunning to look at and appear almost flawless. Their imperfection only comes up when placed under a microscope. And, no one carries around a microscope to show people the clarity of their diamond jewelry. So suffice to say, you can easily make do with medium-grade diamonds while saving a lot of money.

Always be a smart diamond buyer when you go out to hunt a blazing pre engagement ring or a diamond bangle. Be informed and evaluate every aspect before you spend your hard-earned money on diamond jewelry.