Last time we talked about cut and colour of a diamond. Today we are going to find out why clarity is so important for diamond evaluation.

There are two main categories of clarity characteristics – inclusions and blemishes. The fewer the clarity characteristics, the rarer and more valuable the diamond.

These rare diamonds that have no inclusions are referred to as Internally Flawless. However, most diamonds have inclusions, some that are so microscopic that they can only be seen under 50 X magnification and others that can be seen by the naked eye. A laboratory-certified clarity rating of SI2 the point at which inclusions are technically not apparent to the average naked eye.

Contrary to popular belief, higher clarity does not always mean more beautiful. If the inclusions are not visible to the naked eye, a higher clarity does not really improve the appearance of a diamond but rather the rarity and price.

See GIA Diamond Clarity Grading System below

Category                                         Grade
Flawless                                             FL 
Internally Flawless                           IF
Very Very Slightly Included      VVS1  VVS2
Very Slightly Inclded                 VS1     VS2
Slightly Included                         SI1       SI2
Included                                        I1   I2   I3

At Voltaire, we only select diamonds that have no inclusions or ones that have inclusions so minute they are barely discernible, even under magnification.