Warner Co. | Since 1867

Clarity is defined by a diamond's freedom from features professionally classified as blemishes or inclusions. Blemishes are surface irregularities such as scratches. Inclusions are essentially internal - for example, tiny crystals of other minerals within the diamond. The general term for both is clarity characteristics, and they result from various events in the "life" of a diamond. Some are natural byproducts of the carbon crystal's growth deep within the earth or the tremendous forces involved in the diamond's journey to the surface. Still others occur during mining, cutting, or other processing.

Virtually all diamonds have clarity characteristics, and in most cases they have little or no effect on the gem's beauty. In fact, these characteristics, like a person's fingerprint, make a diamond unique and identifiable. They help gemologists separate diamonds from imitations, as well.

To judge a diamond's clarity, a skilled grader examines it using 10-power magnification, assigning a clarity grade based on the number and visibility of inclusions and/or blemishes, and any influence they may have on appearance or durability. Clarity's affect on a diamond's value is directly related to rarity. The higher the clarity grade, the greater the rarity, and the more expensive a diamond may be. The most widely used grading scale in the United States was developed by the Gemological Institute of America, and uses descriptive terms and abbreviations to indicate the clarity grade.

FL|IF - Flawless stones contains no internal or external inclusions. Internally Flawless contains no internal inclusions, but may have some external imperfections.

VVS1|VVS2 - Very Very Slightly Included stones have an absolute minimum of internal inclusions which are very difficult to view under 10x magnification.

VS1|VS2 - Very Slightly Included stones contain some internal inclusions which are nearly impossible to see unless under 10x magnification.

SI1|SI2 - Slightly Included stones contain some inclusions which are visible under 10x magnification and may be visible to the naked eye.

I1|I2|I3 - Included stones contain inclusions that are clearly visible to the naked eye.


	Clarity is defined by a diamond's freedom from features professionally classified as blemishes or inclusions. Blemishes are surface irregularities such as scratches. Inclusions are essentially internal - for example, tiny crystals of other minerals within the diamond. The general term for both is clarity characteristics, and they result from various events in the "life" of a diamond. Some are natural byproducts of the carbon crystal's growth deep within the earth or the tremendous forces involved in the diamond's journey to the surface. Still others occur during mining, cutting, or other processing. Virtually all diamonds have clarity characteristics, and in most cases they have little or no effect on the gem's beauty. In fact, these characteristics, like a person's fingerprint, make a diamond unique and identifiable. They help gemologists separate diamonds from imitations, as well. To judge a diamond's clarity, a skilled grader examines it using 10-power magnification, assigning a clarity grade based on the number and visibility of inclusions and/or blemishes, and any influence they may have on appearance or durability. Clarity's affect on a diamond's value is directly related to rarity. The higher the clarity grade, the greater the rarity, and the more expensive a diamond may be. The most widely used grading scale in the United States was developed by the Gemological Institute of America, and uses descriptive terms and abbreviations to indicate the clarity grade. FL\|IF - Flawless stones contains no internal or external inclusions. Internally Flawless contains no internal inclusions, but may have some external imperfections. VVS1\|VVS2 - Very Very Slightly Included stones have an absolute minimum of internal inclusions which are very difficult to view under 10x magnification. VS1\|VS2 - Very Slightly Included stones contain some internal inclusions which are nearly impossible to see unless under 10x magnification. SI1\|SI2 - Slightly Included stones contain some inclusions which are visible under 10x magnification and may be visible to the naked eye. I1\|I2\|I3 - Included stones contain inclusions that are clearly visible to the naked eye.