Shopping BasketWhat is a Flawless Diamond?
When choosing your diamond you should be guided firstly by your budget, next by the size of the diamond you want, and then by your required quality.
Quality involves several factors: How well the diamond is cut and, therefore, how beautifully it sparkles; the colour of the diamond, from sparkling bright white, to dull yellow; and how perfect the diamond is, from flawless through to having small defects.
Clarity
Let's consider the issue of clarity. Diamonds of the same size will vary dramatically in price if they are of differing quality. A perfectly flawless diamond is extremely rare and therefore very expensive.The diamond industry grades the clarity of each stone individually. The scale at the bottom of the page shows the terms the experts use, but a simple guide is as follows:
FL-IF grades refer to flawless stones. No defects can be seen even with a 10x magnifying glass.
VVS-VS grades refer to diamonds that have flaws but can only be seen with a 10x magnifying glass.
SI grades refer to diamonds that have either fewer but more obvious flaws or many small blemishes.
The images below will give you an idea of each clarity grade.
If you would like to know about other factors that affect a diamond's quality then follow these links: diamond cut, diamond colour.
If you are happy to start shopping why not choose from our designer range or design your own ring.
Expert Terms
- FL - IF Flawless/Loupe Clean. This top clarity grade includes diamonds in which inclusions can not be seen with a loupe at 10x magnification. If a diamond has no apparent flaws under 10x magnification, then graders may use stronger magnification to detect inclusions and, if positive, assign it to a lower grade such as VVS1 for example.
- VVS (Very, Very Slightly Included). The VVS Grade is a grade where even experienced graders have extreme difficulty in finding or locating inclusions at 10x magnification. Tiny pinpoints, hair line feathers or sometimes a cluster of minute pinpoints creating a faint cloud are characteristics that would make a diamond VVS. In stones larger than 0.47ct sub grades VVS1 and VVS2 are used to differentiate between the higher and lower ends of the VVS grade.
- VS (Very Slightly Included). This grade refers to stones with inclusions that are considered minor or small in appearance. At this level, experienced graders may still have difficulty locating the inclusions, but once found they would be easily found again. In stones larger than 0.47ct, sub grades VS1 and VS2 are used to differentiate between the higher and lower ends of the VS grade.
- SI (Slightly Included). This grade includes diamonds with inclusions that are easy to find with a 10x loupe. Some inclusions in this grade may be visible to the naked eye. In stones larger than 0.47ct sub grades SI1 and SI2 are used to differentiate between the higher and lower ends of the SI grade.
- Pique/Imperfect. This grade includes jewellery-quality stones with inclusions that are immediately visible under 10x magnification and in many cases visible with the naked eye. Inclusions in this grade will seriously effect the beauty of the diamond, reducing fire, brilliance and, in some cases, the durability of the stone. Dark crystals, large fractures or numerous dark marks anywhere in the stone characterise Pique grade diamonds.
