Clarity
Clarity refers to the presence of inclusions in a diamond. Just as humans have fingerprints or birthmarks so do diamonds, in the form of inclusions. Inclusions are natural identifying characteristics such as minerals or fractures which appear while diamonds are being formed in the earth.
The number, size and location of inclusions can disrupt the flow of light through a diamond and as a result may diminish the brilliance or sparkle of a diamond. Therefore, the fewer the inclusions, the greater the clarity, the rarer and more valuable the diamond.
Diamonds are graded on a scale ranging from flawless to imperfect based on the inclusions in the diamond. Inclusions that are visible to the naked eye are graded I1 - I3. Rare diamonds with no inclusions are called flawless (FL) or internally flawless (IF). Those with very very small inclusions are graded VVS1 – VVS2, those with very small inclusions are graded VS1 – VS2, those with small inclusions are graded SI1 – SI2 and finally diamonds whose inclusions are visible to the naked eye are graded I1 – I3.
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