The 4C’s – Clarity

A diamond doesn’t have to be flawless to be stunning!

Much is made of a diamond’s clarity, but of The Four Cs, it is the easiest to understand, and, according to many experts, generally has the least impact on a diamond’s appearance.

Clarity essentially refers to the tiny natural imperfections that occur in all but the rarest diamonds. The technical term for these imperfections is inclusions (or flaws), and the more inclusions a diamond has, the lower it’s clarity grading.

However, keep in mind that most inclusions are so small they cannot be seen with a naked eye, and therefore do not affect a diamond’s beauty in any discernible way.

FL, IF – Flawless, Internally Flawless

No internal or external imperfections. Internally Flawless: No internal imperfections. These are very rare, and therefore the most expensive.

VVS1, VVS2 – Very, Very Slightly Included

Very difficult to see imperfections under 10x magnification. These are excellent quality diamonds.

VS1, VS2 – Very Slightly Included

Imperfections are not typically visible to the unaided eye. These are less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades.

 SI1, SI2 – Slightly Included

Imperfections are visible under 10x magnification, and may be visible with the unaided eye. They still represent a good diamond value.

 I1, I2, I3 – Included

Inclusions visible under 10x magnification AS WELL AS to the human eye. We do not recommend buying diamonds in any of these grades.

So how will you know which clarity grade is best for you?

We advise that if you want an “eye-clean” diamond – one that has no imperfections visible to the naked eye, you should choose a VVS or a VS. They can be very competitively priced and represent excellent value.

Diamonds of this clarity are much less expensive than flawless (FL) or internally flawless (IF) diamonds, which are extremely rare and therefore expensive.

You often find that imperfections in diamonds graded as slightly included (SI) are not visible to the naked eye, again making them excellent value.

Whichever diamond you choose, our principles of full transparency means we are more than happy to let you view your choice of diamond through our Jeweller’s eye glass, to make sure it’s clarity perfectly matches your diamond aspirations.

We hope that you now have a better understanding of what clarity means when choosing your perfect diamond, so we’d now like to tell you about the last ‘C’, carat weight.

Please also take a look at our Engagement & Wedding rings page to view a selection of our range, and to see how we help and support you when you’re making this important decision.

Or if you feel you’ve read enough and would prefer to see what we’re talking about with your own eyes, please call into our showroom in Leeds city centre, at 1 Lands Lane to view our range of loose diamonds. Or contact us with your questions.