The 4 C's of Bling : Clarity

Every diamond is a miracle of time and place and chance. Just like snowflakes, no two are exactly alike. So, when you start looking for a diamond, you want to have all of the necessary information that is available to you, because the more you know, the better prepared you are to make decisions regarding your purchase.

      The creation of the Diamond 4 C's meant two very important things:

1.     Diamond quality could be communicated in a universal language and 

2.     Diamond customers could now know exactly what they were about to purchase. 

Clarity is only a measure of the number and size of the tiny imperfections that occur in almost all diamonds. It is the easiest to understand of all the 4 C’s in spite of all that’s made of it.

       It simply refers to the tiny, natural imperfections referred to as either blemishes or inclusions which occur in all but the finest diamonds. Diamonds with the least and smallest imperfections receive the highest clarity grades. Since these imperfections tend to be microscopic, they do not generally affect a diamond's beauty in any discernible way.

CLARITY BUYING TIPS

What most people are buying?

•    If you cannot tolerate imperfections, choose a VVS-2 or better diamond. About 10% of all diamonds sold fall into this category.
•    The most popular clarity is the VS-1/VS-2 diamond. These appear flawless to the naked eye and are a fraction of the price of a truly flawless diamond. Almost half of all diamonds purchased fall into this range.
•    The next most popular range is SI-1, where the inclusions are usually not significant enough to impact the appearance of the diamond. Often, customers will opt for this clarity range in exchange for a higher cut or colour grade. This combination often results in a beautiful, lively diamond with imperfections detectable only upon close inspection.
•    In diamonds under 1 carat, the same can be said for an SI-2 grade. In diamonds over 1 carat (where clarity is more important, and SI-2 inclusions are often easier to detect), an SI-2 is often half the price of a VS-1 diamond. About one third of diamonds sold fall into the SI range.
•    The larger the diamond, the easier imperfections are to detect; therefore Clarity becomes more important. For diamonds over 2 carats, a clarity grade of VS-2 or higher is the safest bet for avoiding any signs of visible inclusions.

    To learn more, visit the column regularly. The next part of " The 4 C's of Bling" would hold necessary information about Colour and Carat. Stay tuned.

                     At J D Diamond Jewellery, we apply the same high quality standards to all of our diamonds. We have an exceptional collection of traditional round diamonds and we also offer the finest non-round or fancy-shaped diamonds. All of our certified diamonds are graded by the GIA or IGI to have FL to SI-2 clarity, D to H color and Ideal, Very Good or Good cut.