The 4 C's: Clarity
What does Clarity mean?
In the basic form, clarity refers to how clear the diamond is. As with many of the diamond qualities, there is a grading system, ranging from Flawless to Included. This is a diagram I got from google images which, I think, describes these categories quite well.
The gradings are divided into five subcategories:
F - IF: Flawless and Internally Flawless
VVS1 - VVS2: Very Very Slightly Included
VS1 - VS2: Very Slightly Included
SI1 - SI2: Slightly Included
I1 - I3: Included
Ok, so we have the categories, but what do they mean?
F and IF are the highest grade diamonds; Flawless means it is a perfect diamond while Internally Flawless means that the inside of the diamond is perfect but there may be imperfections on the external surface. Purchase speaking, unless you are an expert expert looking at the diamond under a microscope, you would not be able to tell the difference between them.
VVS1 - VVS2: Diamonds in these categories will have very slight inclusions (imperfections) that are only visible to an expert under 10x magnification.
VS1 - VS2: These diamonds will have slight inclusions visible to an untrained eye under a microscope.
SI1 - SI2: These diamonds may have inclusions visible to the naked eye without magnification
I1 - I3: The lowest grading, sometimes referred to as P1 - P3. These diamonds have notable inclusions to the naked eye.
In each of the four lower categories, the diamonds are split into sub-categories; 1,2 and 3 (in the Included diamonds). These distinguish how visible the inclusions are within the broad descriptions above. For example, a VS1 diamond may have difficult to see minor inclusions but a VS2 diamond will have a few more difficult to see minor inclusions.
To show the difference in price, this is an example search using the Blue Nile website. We set the carat to '0.4'., the cut to 'Very Good' and the colour to 'F'. The lowest grading they sell is SI2. In each case we have selected the lowest price diamond.
SI2: £560
SI1: £590
VS2: £667
VS1: £681
VVS2: £756 VVS1: £780
IF: £865
F: No Results (We had to increase to a 0.55 Ct diamond and an Ideal cut to get a result of £2,150)
From these results, you can see that within each category the price does not increase dramatically but there is ~£100 jump between categories. So what grade is worth the money? This will depend on if you are buying the diamond online or if you can actually see the diamond before buying. Depending on the type of inclusion, the naked eye will not distinguish between an F diamond and a SI1 diamond. Therefore, if you are viewing the diamond before buying, you may be able to save money and go for a lower clarity diamond as you can see for yourself how shiny it is!
However, if you are buying online or not viewing the diamond before purchase, a higher grade diamond may be worth the money. This is due to the fact you cannot see where the inclusion is within the diamond or how visible it is. For example, if there is slightly visible imperfection in the centre of the diamond or if there is a slightly visible imperfection at the edge of the diamond that can be hidden by the setting.
How can you tell what imperfections are contained within the diamond without seeing it? Every certified diamond has a GIA report, described in detail in the 'Certifications' article, but I will briefly mention a relevant part now. On the report, they note any inclusions in the diamond and what they are. There are multiple types of inclusion but I will touch on the most commonly occurring ones here.
Cloud: a cluster of inclusion which appear close together. Depending on the location and severity, these could affect the diamonds appearance and sparkle.
Feather: a small fracture within the diamond. If the fracture is buried deep within the diamond, this may not cause an issue, but if it runs to the diamond's surface, it could cause the diamond to crack.
Needle: a long, thin rod within the diamond that can be white or transparent. Depending on location and size, this could affect the diamond's clarity.
Pinpoint: Small white or black crystals within the diamond, usually invisible to the naked eye.
As mentioned above, if you can view the diamond in person, then you will be able to determine how much of an affect the inclusions have on the diamond's appearance. If not, we would recommend only choosing diamonds with pinpoint inclusions and at least a VVS2 rating. The cost may be more, but there is less risk that you will end up with a sub-par diamond.
