2 Responses to “What do the letters and numbers in diamond clarity mean?”

1. ingrid g on January 13th, 2009 10:34 am

   CHERISE

   The Diamond Quality Pyramid is a framework to help you compare diamonds. While all diamonds are precious, those closest to the top of the pyramid — possessing the best combination of cut, clarity, carat weight and color — are the earth’s rarest, most valuable and most beautiful to the eye.
   CARAT The Larger a Diamond, the More Rare
   Larger diamonds are found relatively infrequently in nature, which places them at the rarest level of the Diamond Quality Pyramid. What also makes a bigger diamond so desirable is that it shows off a stone’s fine color and cut, and therefore its brilliance, to its best advantage. A diamond’s size is measured in carat weight, and each carat is equal to 100 points. A .75 carat diamond is the same as a 75-point diamond or a 3/4 carat stone. While larger diamonds are highly prized, diamonds of equal size may vary widely in value and brilliance, depending on their qualities of clarity, cut, and color.

   CLARITY The Purer a Diamond, the More Brilliant
   The greater a diamond’s clarity, the more brilliant, valuable and rare it is — and the higher it is on the Diamond Quality Pyramid. Virtually all natural diamonds contain identifying characteristics, yet many are invisible to the naked eye. Under the scrutiny of a jeweler’s 10x-magnifying loupe or microscope, natural phenomena — called inclusions — may be seen. These are nature’s birthmarks, and they may look like tiny crystals, clouds, or feathers. Diamonds categorized as internally flawless reveal no such inclusions. Flawless stones are at the peak of the Diamond Quality Pyramid and are treasured for their rarity and beauty. Diamonds with very, very small inclusions are graded as VVS1 or VVS2. The larger the inclusion, the lower the grade and the less rare the diamond. Inclusions that can be seen with the naked eye are graded I1 or I3. The number, color, type, size and position of surface and internal birthmarks affect a diamond’s value. Major inclusions can interfere with the path of light that travels

2. no_frills on January 15th, 2009 8:32 pm

   CHARLESTON

   Color grades start with the letter D, and that is the whitest.
   D E F is considered to be colorless, G-H-I-J is considered to be near colorless. H-I-J when set should look fine.

   For Clarity grading starts with FL and ends with I3 which means included.

   The I category is divided into three grades; I1 denotes a higher clarity grade than I2, which in turn is higher than I3. Inclusions in I1 diamonds often are seen to the unaided eye. I2 inclusions are easily seen, while I3 diamonds have large and extremely easy to see inclusions that typically impact the brilliance of the diamond, as well as having inclusions that are often likely to threaten the structure of the diamond.

   Personally I would not get a stone with I1-I2 clarity. Look for at least SI1-SI2.

   Diamond grading is also an opinion, GIA certificates are highly regarded. A certified diamond is usually better than a not certified one when graded identical.

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