Today I'm going to have a look at one of the "4 C's" of how diamonds are graded. In case you don't know, diamonds are graded in 4 main categories or groupings - cut, color, carat and clarity. Today I want to take a close look at the last one - clarity.
The range for grading clarity ranges from IF (the best) down to I3 (the worst). In total, there are 10 different categories that a diamond can fall into.
Clarity refers to how many "inclusions" that are present in the stone. In a nut-shell, inclusions are small blemishes or imperfections. These form naturally when the rock is forming in the earth and they can be found in nearly all diamonds.
When grading the diamond, a gemologist looks at the diamond under intense magnification in order to look at any inclusions that are in the stone. The grading is then decided on the number of inclusions, and as well how noticeable or large they are. Keep in mind that the grading is given under intense magnification.
As an example, a diamond that is given an IF or flawless grading has no inclusions whatsoever. This is extremely rare, and understandably, this type of diamond carries a huge price premium attached to it.
A stone with a grading of VS2 will have "very slight" inclusions - these are only noticeable when viewed under a microscope and aren't noticeable with your human eye alone. These diamonds are priced for significantly less that an IF graded diamond.
Make sure to familiarize yourself with the different ways diamonds are graded. Grab a diamond ring buying guide - this will make a huge difference in the end and will make it possible to save a lot of money on your purchase. Just a little education will be the difference in finding an affordable engagement ring instead of overpaying and making your jeweler richer.
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