What is Diamond Clarity

If you are getting ready to purchase diamonds in the dear future, you are probably interested to learn just what diamond clarity is and how it can affect the value of the stone you purchase. Diamond clarity is a measure of how clear the stone is of internal flaws.

What is Diamond Clarity?

In every stone, there are blemishes on the surface of the diamonds, and these flaws are usually removed during the process of cutting and polishing a diamond. Therefore, when grading diamonds, blemishes are the flaws on diamonds that are assessed. These inclusions or flaws include cracks in the diamond, places where the non-diamond material may be caught within the diamond as it grows, mineral deposits within the diamond, and air bubbles within the diamond.

When it comes to grading a diamond for assessing its value, appraisers and jewelers only consider what are known as “inclusions” – the internal flaws of a stone. These flaws inside of the diamond can be assessed to give proof of a diamond’s particular identity: since no two diamonds with flaws are exactly alike, the flaws can serve as a fingerprint for an individual diamond. This means you can be sure that a diamond has not been replaced by a jeweler without warning by obtaining what is known as a GIA certificate, which maps these flaws and captures the diamond’s individual identity.

When an appraiser or jeweler assesses how clear a diamond is, they place the diamond under 10x loupe magnification. The grading scale ranges from “Flawless,” in which absolutely no inclusions are present and thus the diamond is incredibly clear, to “Included 3,” which means that the flaws are often visible to the human eye without the aid of magnification. Often, diamonds that are grown in a lab do not have many internal flaws, and thus have a very high clarity rating.

For the values that range from “Flawless” to “Slightly Included,” the diamond’s clarity grade has no impact on the appearance of the diamond without the use of magnification. However, it is important to consider that, no matter the appearance to the naked eye, the lower grades will still have an effect on the value of the diamond.

Real diamonds with a very high clarity grade are very rare and thus are very valuable. Just because flawless diamonds are rare, however, does not mean that they necessarily look better than diamonds with a few small flaws. Some flaws might not even show up based on the cut, color, size and setting of the diamond. Overall, though, the diamond clarity of your jewelry purchase can directly affect how brilliant your stone appears.