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hopping for diamonds can be scary. Lots of new terms to try and uderstand. One of these new terms is clarity. What does clarity mean and how is it measured and what effect does it have on price? we will attempt to answer these questions for you in this blog.
Diamonds were formed thousands of years ago under the earth's crust. When these diamonds form sometimes objects such as dirt, feathers or nails may get trapped in the crystal. These are called inclusions. Blemishes may also occur externally and together these blemishes and inclusions are referred to as the clarity of the diamond.
Clarity is graded according to a scale. To grade for Clarity the diamond is viewed under 10x magnification.
F Flawless: No internal or external flaws.
IF Internally Flawless: no internal flaws, but some surface blemishes.
VVS1-VVS2 Very Very Slightly Included, diamonds have minute inclusions.
VS1-VS2 Very Slightly Included, diamonds have minor inclusions. These inclusions are typically not invisible without any magnification. However, sometimes some VS inclusions may still be visible to the naked eye depending on the diamond’s cut and where the inclusion is located.
SI1-SI2 Slightly Included, minute inclusions that are easy to locate and see when viewed under 10x magnification. These may or may not be noticeable to the naked eye.
I1-I2-I3 Included, obvious inclusions that are visible to a trained grader under 10x magnification. These can be noticeable with the naked eye.
Diamonds that are flawless are the most desirable and also extremely rare so these diamonds are the most expensive. From the above grading chart diamonds from FL to SI can appear flawless with the naked eye. This should be remembered when purchasing a diamond.
Now you know what Clarity means and how to choose a diamond based on clarity. Subscribe to our blogs if you like what we have to say. You can also follow us on FB, Instagram and Pinterest.
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