Diamond Clarity – a key way that diamonds are assessed and certified
Appreciating the importance of a diamond’s clarity
Nearly all diamonds contain their own and utterly unique clarity characteristics
Diamond clarity is one of the areas that comprise what is known as the 4Cs, used together by the GIA to provide accurate and specific certification of individual diamonds. The others are diamond colour, the cut and its carat weight. To discover the detail of each of these, simply click on the term above. You can also find a detailed introduction to the GIA certification process by clicking here.
Diamonds, except for the few that are truly or virtually flawless, exhibit natural inclusions being the foreign substances found inside minerals. Low-quality diamonds will exhibit black carbon, offering a much less desirable level of clarity. The best quality diamonds, purchased directly from the wholesale market by our experienced Kush Diamonds specialists, will only ever show colourless inclusions invisible to the naked eye. This is what sets our diamonds at the highest clarity globally.
Key categories when assessing the clarity of a diamond.
Nearly all diamonds contain their own and utterly unique clarity characteristics. It’s important to know, with this better quality of the stone, that the inclusions are almost always completely invisible unless studied under magnification. The fewer the number of such inclusions, the higher the clarity grade the diamond will then achieve. This will, unsurprisingly, be reflected in its price.
The importance of clarity when choosing both your diamond and its setting.
Based on the above information, you can see how important clarity is to the presentation of a diamond in its chosen setting. The key factors in judging clarity are the size and number, position and nature, colour, and relief, of any inclusions. Your choice would always depend on both your budget and the specific cut of the diamond.
Taking time to discuss diamond clarity and more with you
If you’d like to know more about choosing a diamond for your engagement ring, then please call our Kush Diamonds experts on 03 9602 3337 where insights are highly professional and impartial advice is always complimentary.
Let’s take a moment, therefore, to understand the clarity grades we’re talking about:
FL: Flawless
Without any evidence of inclusions or blemishes when tested under a ten times magnification process.
IF: Internally Flawless
The only blemishes are small and visible on the diamond’s outer surface.
VVS: Very, Very Slightly included
Contains minute inclusions, difficult to see under 10x magnification even for a skilled grader. Divided into VVS1 and 2 categories.
VS: Very slightly included
Diamonds showing minor inclusions and seen by a grader under the same level of magnification.
SI: Slightly included
The penultimate category is SI: Slightly included – noticeable and easy to see under previously described testing conditions. At Kush SI and SI2 inclusions are not ever visible to the naked eye as we only sell the upper end of this category.
I: Included
The I grade options I1 I2 and I3 represent the lower category of stones visible to the naked eye. These stones show larger inclusions often impacting the brilliance and structure. Kush does not source these for our clients unless upon client request.
GIA 4Cs of Diamond Grading
carat weight, colour, clarity and cut
The definition of either cuts and shapes can often appear to be interchangeable when showcasing diamond shapes.
Diamond clarity is one of the areas that comprise what is known as the 4Cs, used together by the GIA to provide accurate and specific certification of individual diamonds.
The appreciation of diamond colour begins with the understanding that "colour" refers to a diamond's whiteness; less colour means a higher grade.
Carat is a term used to describe the weight of a diamond.
