Clarity
Clarity refers to the presence of absence of internal inclusions or external blemishes on the diamond. GIA uses a clarity scale with 6 categories and 11 specific grades to classify the diamonds.
The presence of such flaws are almost inevitable as natural diamonds are the result of carbon exposed to tremendous heat and pressure in the earth. Therefore, “Flawless” and “Internally Flawless” graded diamonds are very rare and demand a higher value.
Diamond clarity is graded under 10x magnifications and GIA graders will reflect the number, size, relief, nature and positions of the inclusions or/and blemishes in the GIA report.
Many inclusions and blemishes are too tiny to be visible to the naked eye. Therefore, a diamond with grade VS2 and above are considered “eye-clean” diamonds. Even though VS1 and SI2 diamond can look similar, they are quite different in terms of Clarity quality.
The shape of a diamond can also affect the importance of the Clarity grade. The facet patterns of round brilliant and princess cut diamonds can hide certain imperfections while shapes such Emerald and Asscher that have larger open tables which make the imperfections more obvious.
For assurance that the diamond will display a clean and stunning brilliance, a Clarity grade of VVS2 or higher is recommended for all diamond shapes.