The Clarity of a Diamond

A diamond's clarity is determined in the jewelry industry with the use of a 10-power magnifying glass in combination with the trained eye of a diamond expert. Because they are formed in molten rock, diamonds rarely are pure carbon throughout. Most diamnods contain very tiny, internal specks of impurities know as inclusions, and/or blemishes on the face of the stone. All inclusions are trace minerals, fractures, and other imperfections that appear in the stone. An inclusion can interfere with the passage of light through the diamond. The fewer the number of inclusions, the more beautiful the diamond.

Diamonds have the capability of producing more brilliance than any other gemstone. A diamond that is free of inclusions and surface blemishes is very rare and, therefore, very valuable.

Gemologists from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) use grades of clarity to describe the numbers of inclusions that occur within a diamond. The grades are based on a scale that ranges from flawless (FL) through included (I3).

Any inclusion or blemish that can be seen with the naked eye, means that a diamond cannot be graded as any better that an I1. With ten power magnification, any black spots, cracks or inclusion larger than a grain of salt, means that a diamond cannot be graded better than an SI1. When using ten power magnification, only if nothing at all is wrong with a stone, can it be graded as a VS1 or VS2. If any yellow is visible in a diamond, the diamond can be graded no higher than a K.

Just as there are tradeoffs between the cost of a stone and the color grade, there are tradeoffs between cost and clarity. When you make your purchase, you must decide what level of clarity will match your budget. For fine jewelry, you will want to avoid inclusions that are visible to the naked eye. If you are on a tighter budget, if you care more about size than quality, or if you feel relatively comfortable with imperfections in your stone, then you will want to choose a lower clarity grade.

Allow us at Kingston Fine Jewelry to help you make an educated choice.