This time I’m going to take a look at one of the “4 C’s” of diamonds. For those that aren’t aware, diamonds are graded in 4 main categories or groupings - cut, color, carat and clarity. Let’s have a close look at the last one – clarity.

The clarity grading scale ranges from IF (the best) down to I3 (the worst). As a whole, there are ten different categories that a diamond can fall into.

Clarity refers to the number of “inclusions” that are found in the diamond. In a nut-shell, inclusions are small blemishes or imperfections. These occur naturally when the rock is forming in the earth and inclusions are found in almost all diamonds.

In order to place a grade on the diamond, a gemologist inspects the diamond under intense magnification in order to look at any inclusions that are present. The grading is then decided on the number of inclusions, and as well how noticeable or large they are.  Remember that this is done under strong magnification.

As an example, a diamond that has an IF or flawless grading has no inclusions whatsoever. This is incredibly rare, and understandably, this type of diamond will have a huge bump in price.

A diamond graded VS2 will have “very slight” inclusions – these will only be noticeable when viewed under a microscope and aren’t typically noticeable with your human eye alone. These diamonds sell for significantly less that an IF graded diamond.

It’s important to familiarize yourself with the different ways diamonds are graded. Grab a diamond buying guide – you will be pleased you did in the end as you can save some huge cash on your purchase. It can be the difference between finding an affordable engagement ring instead of shelling out big bucks and making your jeweler richer.