Diamond Clarity- The 1st
C of Diamond
Clarity of a diamond is just as what it
says... how clear the diamond is.
There are more specific and various definitions
of the clarity of diamond.
Clarity of a diamond signifies its property
of being free from any imperfections in its crystal structure and inclusions that make each diamond unique. Inclusions can
be crystals of other material or another diamond crystal.
Clarity is the evaluation of a diamond's
internal and external characteristics. The fewer inclusions or blemishes, the more desirable the diamond.
Clarity is a term used to describe the absence
or presence of flaws inside or on the surface of a diamond or other gemstone. A perfect stone with perfect clarity--clearness--is
rare, and most flaws that do exist in jewelry grade diamonds cannot be seen without looking at stones through a jeweler's
magnifying loupe.
Many organizations have developed systems
to grade clarity based on the inclusions and imperfections. Only a trained professional can view these imperfections viewed
by magnification of 10X. See the clarity chart on the right to understand the most commonly accepted diamond clarity grades.
What is Inclusions?
Inclusions are internal, that is, inside
the diamond. Two of the most common inclusions are crystals and feathers. Crystals are merely minerals trapped inside the diamond;
feathers are breaks in the diamond. Blemishes are usually very small and are only on the surface of diamonds.
Diamonds with visible inclusions can look
beautiful when framed smartly inside a piece of jewelry, so as to hide the visibility. They can also be improved by cutting
and polishing methods. Imperfections in the crystal structure can be tiny cracks which can lead to cloudy and whitish appearance.
The number, size, location, orientation and visibility of inclusions can affect the clarity of diamond.
What is Flawless? Is there Such
a Thing?
As opposed to the academic grades, the F
grade for diamond is the best grade for clarity. F means Flawless. Diamonds with higher clarity grades are more valued, with
the exceedingly rare "flawless" graded diamond fetching the highest price.
Minor inclusions or blemishes are useful,
as they can be used as unique identifying marks.
The common definition of 'Flawless' refers
to the fact that no inclusions can be seen under a standard 10x power jewelers loupe, as truly flawless diamonds are extremely
rare.
IF stands for internally flawless, and then
FL, which stands for flawless. In your everyday jewelry store, an internally flawless diamond is unusual. D, E, and F-color
diamonds are fairly common, especially smaller ones. A combination of D-color and Internally Flawless is rare, and therefore
more expensive.
Remember, diamonds are graded from FL Flawless
to I3. Flawless is a relative term and this grade can vary from one grading entity to another.
Diamond Clarity Grid
Many grading / rating reports confirm whether
or not a diamond has inclusions or blemishes, and if it does, the level of the effect - Flawless, Internally Flawless, Very,
Very Small Inclusions, Very Small Inclusions, Small Inclusions and Large Inclusions.
The different grades and levels of Diamond
Clarity are described in the following Diamond Clarity Scale by specific abbreviations.
