Diamond Clarity - What You Need to Know

Some might say perfection is unattainable. We think diamonds come extremely close to achieving the unattainable. Exceeding amounts of heat and pressure form an outstandingly transparent diamond.  This transparency is one of the reasons it illuminates light so beautifully.

Let's say you had a 10x magnifying glass in hand and took a closer look at a diamond. You'd notice the uniqueness of that diamond compared to the one formed right next to it. And this goes for every single diamond produced in the world. Each one has its own internal landscape with imprints like crystals and feathers. Similar to how each human has their unique fingerprint - each diamond has its own authentication. Its internal landscape is one of the ways a gemologist can tell if a diamond was created naturally, or not.

Diamonds that have no visible flaws under 10x magnification are extremely rare and it is quite possible that no jeweler has ever seen one. Diamonds with a few tiny flaws are also quite rare. This is why there are so many clarity grades for diamonds.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) created six main clarity grades for diamonds: flawless, internally flawless, very very slightly included, very slightly included, slightly included, and included. At the start of the scale, the variances are more subtle. Diamond graders take into consideration where the inclusions are located along with the number of inclusions.

Variations in diamonds might be hard to catch with the naked eye, but they do play a role in how valuable a diamond is considered.

Popular grades for engagement ring diamonds are Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) and Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2).  Very Slightly Included means the inclusions in a diamond can only be picked up under 10x magnification and with a lot of effort. Slightly Included diamond inclusions are a little easier to pick up than Very Slighty Included diamonds, still only under 10x magnification.

Here at RockHer.com, you can use our digital diamond gemologist to find out what diamond grades work best with your budget. ROSI is extremely easy to use and can have your perfect diamond ready to ship in a matter of a minute. We want your experience to be as exceptional as our diamonds.