Diamond Clarity
Diamond Clarity is a qualitative metric that grades the visual appearance of each diamond. The less inclusions and blemishes, the better the clarity grade. While the clarity can significantly impact a diamond’s value, for the most part the imperfections can’t be recognized by a naked eye.
It is important to select a diamond that does not have any inclusions that will affect the overall beauty and durability of the diamond. If you want to be 100% sure that your diamond will be completely clean of "eye-visible" inclusions, stick with diamonds graded "VS2" or higher. Shopping for SI quality diamonds can be very rewarding, but it's best to have those diamonds reviewed by Illuma Diamond's expert staff before finalising your order. This will ensure you receive a diamond that does not have any inclusions visible to the naked eye.
Natural Formation
Natural diamonds are formed in the earth’s mantle layer, at a depth ranging between 80-120 miles and they face extreme heat up to 2,200 degrees Fahrenheit. While their growth takes between one billion to three billion years, only the rarest diamonds emerge in perfect condition. Most often they are imperfect and contain varying amounts of internal inclusions and surface blemishes.
The Gemological Institute of America
The scale of Diamond Clarity graded by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) goes like this (from best to worst):
- Internally Flawless (IF)
- Very Very Small Inclusions 1 (VVS1)
- Very Very Small Inclusions 2 (VVS2)
- Very Small Inclusions 1 (VS1)
- Very Small Inclusions 2 (VS2)
- Small Inclusions 1 (SI1)
- Small Inclusions 2 (SI2)
- Inclusions 1 (I1)
- Inclusions 2 (I2)