The Education Center
Master the essentials of fine jewelry — from the 4 C’s and diamond anatomy to precious metals and bespoke ring settings.
Everything You Need to Know About Diamond Clarity
A diamond with outstanding clarity has few to no inclusions and blemishes. This doesn’t mean you must only shop for flawless stones and nothing else. It’s still possible to get a large, sparkly, eye-clean rock in lower clarity grades.
What exactly is diamond clarity?
Clarity refers to the presence of inclusions or imperfections within a diamond. Inclusions materialize within a diamond when tiny particles of gas, metal and dust are caught inside the structure as it grows.
Diamonds with large inclusions and blemishes have poor clarity. Diamonds with small (or no) inclusions or blemishes have good clarity. The position, size and visibility of inclusions can have a huge impact on its clarity and price.
How does clarity affect cost?
Clarity can impact the price of a diamond, which tends to be a top consideration for most diamond buyers. Only the most rare and expensive diamonds have no inclusions.
Diamond Clarity Grades
| Clarity Grade | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Flawless (FL) | No inclusions visible at 10x mag. |
| Internally Flawless (IF) | No inclusions, only blemishes visible at 10x mag. |
| VVS1 & VVS2 | Inclusions barely visible at 10x mag. |
| VS1 & VS2 | Inclusions minor but visible at 10x mag. |
| SI1 & SI2 | Inclusions noticeable at 10x mag. |
| Included (I1, I2, I3) | Inclusions obvious at 10x mag, may affect transparency. |
Conclusion
The good news is you don’t need to spend a fortune to find a high quality diamond with superb clarity and sparkle. You just need to consider the 4C’s: Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat Weight.
Everything You Need to Know About Carat Weight
Carat weight is a universal unit of measurement in the jewelry industry. Contrary to what most people think, it doesn't refer to diamond size. It refers to diamond mass (i.e. weight).
Carats measure a stone’s weight. The higher the carat weight, the heavier and bigger a center stone.
Conclusion
Carat weight is just one of many factors. If it's the size and sparkle you're after, keep in mind that cut and diamond shape is what you should focus on.
Everything You Need to Know About Diamond Color
Diamonds are graded on a scale that goes from “colorless” to “light yellow or brown.” Colorless diamonds are the most valuable, but near-colorless diamonds can offer great value.
D: Colorless. Highest grade, extremely rare.
Conclusion
Diamonds exist in a range of color hues. Color grades in the 'G', 'H', and 'I' range look great in the right diamond shape and setting material.
Everything You Need to Know About Diamond Cut
Cut is often considered the most important of the 4 C's because it has the greatest influence on a diamond's sparkle.
| Grade | Description |
|---|---|
| Excellent | Superior brilliance, fire, and scintillation. |
| Very good | Exceptionally bright, very close to excellent. |
| Good | Still bright but with slightly less sparkle. |
| Fair | Little brilliance. |
| Poor | Poor proportions, lifeless. |
Conclusion
Cut can make or break the beauty of your diamond. The better the cut, the more brilliance, fire, and sparkle you’ll enjoy.
