About Clarity

When you begin shopping for a loose diamond, you will need to consider all of the Four Cs in order to choose just the right stone. It is those four Cs (cut, color, clarity, carat) that will work together in order to create the most beautiful diamond possible. The level of each of those Cs that you are able to achieve can depend on your budget, so you will need to learn about all of them. One thing that many people overlook would be the Diamond 's Clarity Grade. They do not know what to look for or how to determine if they have chosen the right clarity.

In order to understand all about clarity, you will need to understand the levels set forth by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), or any other reputable Diamond Grading Laboratory such as IGL (International Gemological Laboratory) or EGL. When a gemologist looks at a loose diamond with a 10x magnification device, he will be able to see if there are any small flaws(Inclusion) in the stone. The vast majority of loose diamonds do have some level of flaws. In essence, the more flaws that there are, the less rare the diamond, and the less it will cost.

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has created six main levels of diamond clarity. You will need to learn more about them so that you can successfully search for and choose form loose diamonds. To start with, a diamond that does not include any flaws will be rated F- Short for Flawless. The next level is called IF- Short for Internally Flawless. This means that there are no flaws within the diamond but it might have small surface flaws. The third level is VVS1 (-Very Very Small) and VVS2 . This refers to small inclusions within the diamond. They are not viewable to the naked eye. VS1 (-Very Small) or VS2 will refer to loose diamonds that have small inclusions. They will not be viewable without magnification either. The fourth grade is SI1 (-Slightly Included), SI2 and sometimes SI3 . This refers to small inclusions. These small flaws may be viewable to the eye if someone looks at them very carefully. Finally, the lowest Clarity Grade for a diamond would be called I1 (-Included), I2, or I3. Also referred to as P1, P2, P3. This would refer to Imperfect. These diamonds include somewhat noticeable inclusions and the wearer might be able to see them.

Generally, if you wish to shop for loose diamonds, you will want to look for something in the range of flawless to Slightly Included, if your budget will allow it. Anything lower than this will have viewable flaws that may affect the beauty of the loose diamonds. Needless to say, the smaller a diamond you are purchasing, the less visible any imperfection would be. As the fire and sparkle of a smaller diamond will completely hide any inclusion present in the diamond. At Superlight Diamonds, we work very hard to find the best looking diamonds. So even our I1 diamonds (Which we rarely purchase for resale), will usually appear eye clean from an arm's length. We have a lot of experience in selling loose diamonds, and we pride ourselves by understanding that a customer would like a clean appearance in his stone. Whatever the price she paid for it.