Guide to Diamond Clarity
By Woro Swasti
diamonds clarity
There are 4 Cs in the diamond grading, and one of them is diamond clarity. The other Cs are diamond color, cut and carat weight. Diamond clarity is a measure of diamond quality relating to diamond inclusions and blemishes.
Inclusions in diamond may be foreign material or tiny cracks that makes appearance cloudy. These clouds can reduce a diamond’s ability to scatter light or transmit it.
Flawless graded diamonds are extremely rare and have the highest price. However, minor inclusions or blemishes are unique in every diamond, so they are useful for identifying the diamond, same idea as fingerprints in human. These marks also proof that the diamond is natural origin.
Off all the diamonds mined in the world, only about 20 percent which have high clarity grade and can be used as gemstones. The other 80 percent are for industrial use.
Diamond clarity grade is measured in ten times magnification when observing the diamond stone. One of the organizations which use the diamond clarity grading system is The Gemological Institute of America (GIA). According to GIA, diamond clarity have different categories.
FL (Flawless) & IL (Internally Flawless) are considered flawless categories. VVS1 & VVS2 (Very Very Slightly Included) have excellent qualities. VS1 & VS2 (Very Slightly Included) have flaws more than VVS categories. SI1 & SI2 (Slightly Included) are slightly imperfect diamonds. I1, I2 & I3 (Included) have many flaws which might be visible with the naked eye.
Inclusions in a diamond can be clouds, feathers, included crystals or minerals, knots, cavities, cleavage, bearding, or internal graining. Blemishes can be polish lines, grain boundaries, naturals, scratches, nicks, pits, or chips.
People developed technique to enhance the clarity of a diamond. Diamond with little blemishes can be removed by this clarity enhancing procedure. However, clarity enhanced diamonds are not as durable as the pure diamond.
Please also check out my other guide on Diamonds Jewelry