Clarity
Most diamonds contain inclusions that may be visible with naked eye or only visible under 10x magnification. SI2 and higher is not visible with naked eye under normal grading rules. SI3 is a split, a diamond that was too good to be a I1 and not good enough to be a true SI2, however usually SI3 stones are graded either SI2 or I1 as most laboratories do not grade SI3.
The lowest Clarity we recommend is I1. (I2, I3 heavy inclusions) (I 4, I 5 - reject stones).
The highest Clarity is FL: Flawless, IF: Internally flawless with minor surface blemishes. (Other term used by some labs, LC: Loupe clean, meaning: Flawless or Internally Flawless)
| VVS |
VVS1, VVS2: |
very, very small inclusions, very difficult to see under 10x magnification. |
| VS |
VS1, VS2: |
very small inclusions, difficult to see under 10x magnification. |
| SI |
SI1, SI2: |
small inclusions, easily seen under 10 x magnification, not visible through the crown with naked eye. |
| I1 |
(also known as P1): |
inclusions can be seen easily under 10x magnification, but do not influence the brilliance. Inclusions are visible with naked eye through crown. |
| I2 |
also known as P2): |
large and/or numerous inclusions, which can be seen through the crown with naked eye and are damaging to brilliance. |
| I3 |
(also known as P3): |
larger and/or more numerous inclusions which are easily visible with naked eye and are very damaging to brilliance. |
There are other features in some diamond that have a role in the Clarity, good examples are cloud or graining in the diamond. Example: D IF with a faint cloud was downgraded to D VS2. As long as the Clarity is downgraded by the grading laboratory to VS2 then it's OK since it's sale value was a D VS2 which is much less valuable than a D IF.
Diamond grading certificates will indicate all internal features (inclusions, etc) with red markings and all external features with green markings. External features are usually not part of Clarity grading.
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| FL IF |
VVS1 VVS2 |
VS1 VS2 |
SI SI |
I1 |
I2 |
I3 |
Note: VVS1 is slightly higher clarity than VVS2, 1 is always higher than 2 in each clarity grade.
I = Imperfect P = Pique (*both terms are used but have the same meaning).
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