All About the Clarity of Diamonds

Clarity is an important aspect of a diamond, 
and it is important to know how to grade the 
clarity of a diamond before you buy one. It is 
actually quite easy to learn how to grade the 
clarity of a diamond. There are basically two 
things that you must understand: Diamonds 
with visual inclusions and blemishes, and 
those that are ‘eye clean’ meaning that there 
are no inclusions or blemishes that can be 
seen with the naked eye. From there, the 
clarity of a diamond is further broken down 
into subcategories. 

Many people mistakenly think that diamond 
clarity refers to how clear it is. This isn’t so. 
Clarity actually refers to the internal and 
external imperfections of the diamond. The 
best diamonds, of course get a grade of FL 
or IF – Flawless or Internally Flawless – 
meaning that it is perfect. A grade of I-1, I-2 
or I-3 means that the diamond is imperfect, 
with a grade of I-3 being the worst.

Other grades are VVS1 and VVS2, which 
means that the diamond is very, very slightly 
imperfect; VS1 and VS2, meaning the 
diamond is very slightly imperfect; SI-1 and 
SI-2, which means that the diamond is 
slightly imperfect.

(word count 198)

PPPPP