{"id":27868,"date":"2019-04-17T10:06:04","date_gmt":"2019-04-17T14:06:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=27868"},"modified":"2019-04-17T10:06:04","modified_gmt":"2019-04-17T14:06:04","slug":"5-quick-ways-to-grade-clarity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/5-quick-ways-to-grade-clarity\/","title":{"rendered":"5 QUICK WAYS TO GRADE CLARITY"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"5<\/div>\n

Buying diamonds?<\/h2>\n

\nDo you want to quickly access the clarity<\/strong> of a diamond?<\/p>\n

\nKnowing instantly what the clarity of a diamond is, could help you decide if it’s the right diamond for you, and double checking the clarity<\/strong> the seller tells you (which is very helpful, especially if the stone is not certified<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\nThis will work best if the stone is loose<\/strong> (as a mounting can hide flaws and chips from view).<\/p>\n

\nHere are the steps:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1) I Clarity<\/h2>\n

\nWithout a jeweler’s loupe<\/a> or a microscope<\/a>, look at the diamond from all angles<\/strong>, sides<\/strong>, and even upside down<\/strong> (using diamond tweezers<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\nDo you see any flaws?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nIf you see black spots<\/strong> (the most common inclusion), lines<\/strong>, fractures, cracks<\/strong>, there’s a 99% chance it’s an I clarity diamond<\/strong>. I clarity means ‘included<\/strong>‘, and all of the flaws are eye-visible<\/strong> to the unaided eye.<\/p>\n

\nI clarity is the lowest range<\/strong> there is on the market, and it’s made up of I1, I2, and I3<\/strong>, as seen below:<\/p>\n

\n\"I1<\/p>\n

\nSeeing flaws will rapidly tell you that it’s not a great quality. But the good thing is these diamonds will be much cheaper<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nNow, if you can’t see anything with the bare eye, then the clarity is higher than an I1… It’s probably an SI clarity diamond<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

See the diamond clarity chart below:<\/h2>\n

\n\"Diamond<\/p>\n

\nCharts like this are pretty common in the industry, but they don’t make it easy to see what real diamonds would look like<\/strong>… So I’ve taken real diamonds to fill the chart<\/strong>, to show you exactly what to expect.<\/p>\n

See the diamond clarity chart below with real diamonds:<\/h2>\n

\n\"Real<\/p>\n

\nNow you can see how difficult<\/strong> it truly is to separate the different clarities. Most of them will look the same (unless you microscope them<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

2) SI Clarity<\/h2>\n

\nIf you don’t see anything in the stone with your eye, grab a 10x loupe or a microscope<\/strong>. View the diamond under magnification. If you can easily see some flaws<\/strong>, black spots, feathers<\/strong>, pinpoints… Chances are good it’s an SI clarity diamond<\/strong>. SI means ‘slightly included<\/strong>‘, and the flaws are small, but quickly noticeable<\/strong> under 10x. SI could be an SI1 or an SI2 (there is no SI3<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\nSI2 flaws are generally bigger and more towards the center<\/strong> of the stone. SI1 are usually smaller and spread around the stone, a good portion of them hiding underneath the facets<\/strong>. As so…<\/p>\n

\n\"SI1<\/p>\n

\nIf you don’t see any black spots, just small minute flaws, it’s probably a higher clarity.<\/p>\n

3) VS Clarity<\/h2>\n

\nIf the diamond looks really clean<\/strong>, with just a few lines<\/strong>, dots, needles<\/strong>, feathers, then it’s probably a VS clarity diamond<\/strong>. VS means ‘very slightly included<\/strong>‘, and can be either a VS1 or a VS2. VS has some tiny characteristic marks, but nothing huge<\/strong>, and most are hard to spot<\/strong>. Like so…<\/p>\n

\n\"VS1<\/p>\n

\nVS is my favorite clarity<\/strong> (like these diamonds here<\/a>), because they are so clean, but still has a few minor flaws that makes identifying them easy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

4) VVS Clarity<\/h2>\n

\nIf you see nothing but one or two small lines or dots<\/strong>, and that’s it (and even those will be difficult to see), then it’s probably a VVS clarity diamond<\/strong>. VVS means ‘very very slightly included<\/strong>‘. As seen in the diamonds below:<\/p>\n

\n\"VVS1<\/p>\n

\nVVS is made up of VVS1 and VVS2<\/strong> (the 1’s are always the best). They are ultra-clean<\/strong>, and most would view them as flawless<\/strong> because the flaws are so hard to locate.<\/p>\n

5) Flawless Clarity<\/h2>\n

\nNow, if you don’t see anything<\/strong> in the stone under magnification, no lines<\/strong>, no carbon<\/strong>, no clouds <\/strong>or cracks<\/strong>, then it could be a flawless diamond. Flawless diamonds are the FL category (Flawless <\/strong>– the highest clarity there is), and IF (Internally Flawless<\/strong> – second best, with just a tiny flaw on the surface of the stone). These are very rare<\/strong>, and very expensive<\/strong>. See flawless diamonds below:<\/p>\n

\n\"Flawless<\/p>\n

Disclaimer:<\/h2>\n

\nMost people have untrained eyes<\/strong>, so they don’t really know what to look for. It takes practice and experience<\/strong> to get good at it. Plus, most have never used a loupe before, and haven’t touched a microscope since the 6th grade<\/strong>, so what they see may be misunderstood. Focal points could also play a big role in inclusions showing up or not (where you’re focused inside the diamond<\/strong>, since you can only focus on one area at a time; top, middle, bottom – macro does that).<\/p>\n

\nAnd some inclusions are impossible to see<\/strong> from the top view. Some only show up when you view the diamond from the side or the bottom (hence the top and bottom view of a diamond plot<\/strong> on a diamond report, as shown below):<\/p>\n

\n\"VS1<\/p>\n

\nThere are other things that could play a part in grading clarity as well:<\/p>\n