CLARITY
Clarity
Clarity is the main element to dermine the value of a diamond.
Perfect diamonds
Stones that do not show any inclusion or imperfection, clearly visible ten times under a lens, are extremely rare. Most of the mined diamonds show imperfections that are extremely difficult to find out if you are not an expert.
During its formation, a diamond is affected by high heat and pressure, that is why almost every diamond can present external or internal imperfections. These characteristics help the gemmologists to identify the gems, in the internal part they are called inclusions. Inclusions are included crystals, craks or cleavages, strains and cavities. They influence the clarity grade of the stone and also the beauty and the brilliance of a diamond.
Blamishes Grade
Here is an explanatory table to let you understand the difference between a pure diamond and an included one.
- FL (Flawless) = Highest clarity grade inside and outside also under 10x magnification. Used for collections and unique jewels.
- IF (Internally Flawless) = Very high clarity grade with no inclusions visible under a goldsmith’s lens or not easily visible under 10x magnification.
- VVS1- VVS2 (Very Very Small Inclusion) = High clarity grade, very small inclusions extremely difficult to detect under a goldsmith’s lens and absolutely not visible to the naked eye.
- VS1 – VS2 (Very Small Inclusion) = Medium clarity grade, minute inclusions visible under a goldsmith’s lens, but not to the naked eye. This is the commonly used clarity grade in high jewellery.
- SI1 – SI2 (Small inclusion) = Low clarity grade, lower than the common jewellery. Inclusions can easily be detected under a goldsmith’s lens and sometimes are also visible to the naked eye.
- I1 – I2 –I3 (Included) = Last clarity grade: inclusions are obvious and clearly visible to the naked eye.
Carat
The word carat comes from the carob seeds used to weigh stones in the past. The diamond weight determines its size and its diameter. Find out more.
Color
The colour is a very important characteristic for a diamond and it is also the main element that influences our appreciation of a gem, especially when mounted on a jewel.
Cut
The cut can be described as the man’s contibution to the beauty of a diamond, it is the way a stone or a diamond is cut.
Fluorescence
Fluorescence is the visible light which is released from some diamonds when exposed to the ultraviolet light, invisible to the naked eye.