Diamond Clarity

All About the Clarity of Diamonds

Clarity is an important aspect of a diamond, and it is important to know how to grade the clarity of a diamond before you buy one. It is actually quite easy to learn how to grade diamond clarity.

Two diamond clarity categories

There are basically two things that you must understand about diamond clarity: Diamonds with visual inclusions and blemishes, and those that are ‘eye clean’ meaning that there are no inclusions or blemishes that can be seen with the naked eye. From there, diamond clarity is further broken down into subcategories.

Diamond clarity grades

Many people mistakenly think that diamond clarity refers to how clear it is. This isn’t so. Diamond clarity actually refers to the internal and external imperfections of the diamond.

The best diamonds, of course get a grade of FL or IF – Flawless or Internally Flawless. This means that diamond clarity is perfect. A grade of I-1, I-2 or I-3 means that the diamond clarity is imperfect, with a grade of I-3 being the worst.

Other diamond clarity grades are:

• VVS1 and VVS2, which means that the diamond is very, very slightly imperfect;
• VS1 and VS2, meaning the diamond is very slightly imperfect;
• SI-1 and SI-2, which means that the diamond is slightly imperfect.