Today I’m going to have a look at one of the “4 C’s” of how diamonds are graded.  In case you don’t know, diamonds are graded in 4 main categories – cut, color, carat and clarity.  Let’s take a close look at the last one – clarity.

The clarity grading scale goes from IF (the best) down to I3 (the worst).  In total, there are 10 grades that a diamond can fall into.

Clarity looks at how many “inclusions” that are found in the diamond.  Basically, inclusions are small blemishes or imperfections.  They occur naturally when the rock is forming in the earth and they can be found in almost all diamonds.

When grading the diamond, a gemologist inspects the diamond under intense magnification to look at the inclusions that are present.  The grading is then submitted based on how many inclusions, and also how apparent or large they are.

As an example, a diamond that is given an IF grading has no inclusions at all.  This is incredibly rare, and as you can imagine, this type of diamond will have a huge price premium attached to it.

A stone with a grading of VS2 will have “very slight” inclusions – these will only be noticeable when viewed under a microscope and aren’t noticeable with just the naked eye.  These diamonds sell for a lot less that an IF graded diamond.

It’s important to familiarize yourself with the different ways diamonds are graded.  Grab a diamond ring buying guide - this will make a huge difference in the end as you can save a lot of money on your purchase.  It can be the difference between finding an affordable engagement ring instead of overpaying and putting a huge smile on your jewelers face.

Obvious Things

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