Diamond Clarity
What is clarity?
Clarity indicates how "clean" the diamond is, or how many inclusions (i.e. scratches, trace minerals or other tiny characteristics) the diamond has. Inclusions are important to consider because they can detract from the pure beauty of a diamond.
Does clarity grade affect a diamond's sparkle and brilliance?
The clarity grade has little effect on a diamond's visible appearance except in larger diamonds. The larger a diamond is, the larger the facet; larger facets expand the visible clarity. Out of the 4 C's, clarity is considered the least important. It is primarily the precision of the cut that determines how brilliant and sparkling a diamond will be. The better the cut, the less likely you will be able to see a diamond's inclusions.
How is clarity grade determined?
The clarity grade is based on the number, size, color, and location of inclusions or blemishes in the stone. The Flawless (FL) grade is given to a stone in which no imperfections can be seen internally (inclusions) or externally (blemishes) when examined with 10x magnification. For clarity grading purposes, if an inclusion cannot be seen at 10x magnification, it doesn't exist.
Are there specific diamond shapes where higher clarity is more desirable?
Overall, you are less likely to see inclusions as the cut grade of your diamond increases. However, there are cuts when higher clarity is more desirable. For example, Asscher and Emerald shaped diamonds both have step facets, which means that the clarity may be more visible in these cuts than in others. Therefore, for these types of diamond shapes, we recommend choosing a VS1 or above to best ensure that there will be no visible inclusions on your diamond.
What does it mean if a diamond is "eye clean"?
An "eye clean" diamond is one that has no inclusions visible to the unaided eye when viewed from the top down, and at arm's length.
For a three-stone ring, should you keep the same color/cut/clarity parameters for the side diamonds?
For a three-stone ring, Blue Nile recommends that you choose the same cut grade for each of the diamonds, but color and/or clarity can differ. For color, there will not be a visible difference within three grades. For example, D, E, and F will each look the same. For clarity, anything VS2 or above will appear the same.
VVS1, VVS2: Very, Very Slightly Included: Very difficult to see inclusions under 10x magnification. An excellent quality diamond.
VS1, VS2: Very Slightly Included: Inclusions are not typically visible to the unaided eye. Less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades.
SI1, SI2: Slightly Included: Inclusions are visible under 10x magnification, and may be visible with the unaided eye. A good diamond value.
Carbon Spot
This is a false and misleading term. Correctly, a dark-appearing inclusion, is generally not uncrystallized carbon. Diamond is 99.95% pure carbon. Over 25 mineral inclusions have been found inside diamonds. Interestingly, the most common mineral inside diamonds is, in fact, minute diamond crystals within the "host" diamond.
This article was taken from: bluenile
Diamonds
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