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The smart consumer's diamond buying guide.... |
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Diamond Buying Made Easier > Diamond ClarityDiamond ClarityDiamond clarity is one of the "4Cs" that are used in setting the price of a diamond. When you are shopping for a diamond engagement ring, a diamond pendant, some diamond earrings, or any piece of diamond jewelry; one important factor is the "Clarity" of the diamonds that you choose. Does a higher diamond clarity equal a more beautiful diamond? Good question! Some people feel that diamond clarity is everything, some others feel it is not as important. As for me, I'd place diamond clarity as being number 3... just behind diamond color and just ahead of diamond carat weight. What is diamond clarity? Diamond clarity refers to the presence of extra little goodies on the inside and on the outside of a diamond. The definition of clarity is "the quality or state of being clear". Having a diamond without anything inside of it is extremely rare, especially in larger diamonds. Because of this rarity factor, as a diamond becomes "cleaner" it also becomes more expensive. Of all the diamonds that are mined every year, only about 20% are "clean enough" (have a high enough diamond clarity) to be used in diamond jewelry with the other 80% of the diamonds being used for industrial purposes. So if you have a diamond with the highest possible diamond clarity grade then it really is one in a million, making it even that much more special! How can we communicate how "clear" a diamond is or isn't? In the world of colored stones (gemstones other than diamonds), there are "word terms" which are used to describe the clarity of a gem. Terms like "clean", "eye clean", almost eye clean", etc. Can we do the same thing with describing diamond clarity? It was commonly done for many years but it did cause many problems. One person could give a diamond clarity of "almost eye clean" and another person would give a diamond clarity of "eye clean"..... who's right? More than 50 years ago that was the problem... a better diamond clarity grading system was needed! The Diamond Clarity Grading System... The Diamond Clarity Grading System was developed by GIA (Gemological Institute of America) in 1953 and is now the common international language when we talk about diamond clarity. The following is from GIA's website and is their definition of diamond clarity- "Diamonds have internal features, called inclusions, and surface irregularities, called blemishes. Together, they're called clarity characteristics. A diamond clarity grade is determined by the relative absence of clarity characteristics." The following are the diamond clarity grades that are assigned when a diamond is examined by a trained observer using 10X magnification under a controlled lighting environment- Flawless (FL): no blemishes or inclusions when examined by a skilled grader under 10X magnification. Internally Flawless (IF): no inclusions when examined by a skilled grader, and only insignificant blemishes under 10X. Very Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2): contain minute inclusions that are difficult for even a skilled grader to locate under 10X. VVS1: extremely difficult to see, visible only from the pavilion or small and shallow enough to be removed by minor repolishing. VVS2: very difficult to see. Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2): contain minor inclusions ranging from difficult (VS1) to somewhat easy (VS2) for a trained grader to see under 10X. Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2): contain noticeable inclusions which are easy (SI1) or very easy (SI2) to see under 10X. In some SIs, inclusions can be seen with the unaided eye. Included (I1, I2, I3): contain inclusions which are obvious to a trained grader under 10X, can often be easily seen face-up with the unaided eye, seriously affect the stone's potential durability, or are so numerous they affect transparency and brilliance.  Diamond Clarity grading performed using 10X magnification. - Important Take Away Points - |
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