You might have been doing extensive researches about diamonds. You want to give your special someone an amazing diamond ring. It could be for an engagement, a wedding ring or an anniversary ring. You look into the various resources and you always fall back into the 4 C's: Carat, Color, Cut and Clarity. You see a diamond and you think they are all the same. Well there is a very mild and sometimes overwhelming difference between diamonds. Understanding the various qualities and how they interact with each other will give you an idea of what the differences are.
Clarity is a form of measure. Clarity measures the number of flaws that is present in a diamond. If a diamond has very few flaws, it will have a higher grade. The more flawed the diamond, the lower the quality will be. Of course, it is very rare to find a perfect flawless diamond. This kind of diamond is only but a few hundred in a global scale.
The scale of clarity is like this:
FL means flawless
IF means internally flawless. It only has some external flaw that can be remedied by polishing.
VVS1 VVS2 can only be determined by an expert using a microscope. If there is a flaw on top of the diamond, it is VVS2. If flaws can only be seen at the bottom of the diamond, it is a VVS1.
VS1-VS2 can only be seen, yet again by a microscope of 10x magnification. The flaws are harder to see, usually around 10 seconds.
S1-S2 means you personally can see the flaws under a 10x microscope.
I1-I3 are something you would have to avoid because the flaws are seen using the naked eye.
Now what flaws are we talking about exactly? There are a number of flaws that an expert looks into. These are:
White dots that are on the surface of the stone known as pinpoints. These are the most common.
The small, black spots on the surface if the diamond are carbons and they are usually not as common.
The small cracks inside a diamond are called feathers. The miniscule ones are harmless but big ones could make the diamond break in the future.
The clouds are very minute crystal formations in the diamond that look hazy at a glance.
Crystal growth is like a crystal inside a diamond.
If you are not well versed to this rigorous analysis, have the help of an expert jeweler to help you in choosing the right one.
