What makes a diamond pretty? Is it the carat, color, cut or clarity? Although each of these attributes have a profound impact in the aesthetics and value of the stone, the most critical of them is clarity. A totally clear diamond is termed flawless in the diamond industry. It is the most expensive variety of diamonds found in nature. With that said, clarity makes the ultimate impact on the price of a diamond. Inclusions and blemishes are nothing but lack of clarity at some points of the stone.
Clarity in Diamonds Lesser Than a Carat
The greatest challenge in clarity determination is working with smaller stones that are under a carat in weight. Their small size makes it difficult to perceive the imperfections in them. For these stones, clarity is not a priority parameter of quality assessment. Because the imperfections are so minimally visible in these stone, even under magnification, you can easily pick one from the SI2 category and still get a pretty clear stone, only for a much smaller price. The inclusions in stones lesser than a carat are typically invisible to naked eyes.
Clarity in Diamond Higher Than a Carat
It is in diamonds higher than a carat that the blemishes start to show. The larger mass makes it easier to spot lines and cracks. It is when picking a stone above a carat, go a little higher up in the scale to choose something from the categories that have only the slightest inclusions. SI is a safe category to pick from. Higher up, the flaws are practically invisible to naked eyes. However, your choice of color and cut cast an effect on the final clarity of the stone. The better the cut is, the clearer and more brilliant the stone appears.
Clarity in Diamonds above 2 Carats
You are now in the pricey range of the gallery. There is no dodging the price from this point forth. For a diamond the size of 2 carats or above, you will need to stick to the VS1 category, at the least. The inclusions in diamonds from the VS1 category are minimal to non-existent, even under 10x magnification. So, that’s quality, both to the eyes, and on paper. VS1 diamonds appear as good as Flawless to the naked eye. The price of a VS1 diamond is however only a fraction of that of a flawless diamond.
