The formation of a rough diamond begins with extreme heat and pressure to be eventually valued as a precious gem. The intense heat and pressure during the formation of diamond leaves some naturally occurring flaws that are called Inclusions and Blemishes.
The internal scars of the diamond are called Inclusions and the tiny marks that occur on the outer surface of the stone are called blemishes. The inclusion may contain clouds, feathers, cavity while blemishes may contain polishing lines, scratches, pit and chips in the cutting process. These two flaws cause the overall appearance of a diamond and if the flaws are very severe it can disturb the light rays to pass through the surface of the stone that reduces the brilliance.
An inclusion can be easily spotted on the surface of the stone. However, diamond cutter makes possible effort to reduce the inclusion's position on the stone that would reflect back transparency of the stone.
GIA Diamond Clarity Grading-
Diamond clarity grade is viewed under 10x magnification loupe to understand the internal attribute on the basis of size, number, position, nature and colors. GIA has comes up with the standardized method and developed a clarity scale to analyze the inclusion and blemishes in a diamond. This clarity scale is designed to view the number, size, reflectivity, color and position of these flaws. This scale has been globally adopted as means of clarity checking.
GIA grading report shows clarity finding in writing and issues the certificate that passes from the seller to the buyer with diamonds. The certificate shows the grading in terms of the inclusions the diamond has. The position of the internal and external flaws of diamond is clearly described in the report. While most labs follow the GIA taxonomy for clarity, other laboratories such as AGS and EGL do not.
Following are the GIA clarity grades and their definitions-
Flawless (FL) – No inclusions or blemishes are visible when viewed under 10x magnification
Internally Flawless (IF) – No inclusions, only blemishes are visible when viewed under 10x magnification.
Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2) – Inclusions are difficult to see under 10x magnification.
Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) – Minor Inclusions are noticeable under 10x magnification.
Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) – Inclusions are clearly visible under 10x magnification.
Included (I1, I2, and I3) – Inclusions are obvious under 10x magnification and may affect transparency and brilliance.
The process of analyzing the diamond clarity can be followed by the above concept that has now been universally adopted by the people. Since, GIA clarity grading scale is specifically designed to make a online purchasing diamond easy, as it would give the buyer an idea about the diamond they are looking for as per the taste, budget & other aspects and can make a firm decision independently by doing proper evaluation of diamond flaws like a professional.
