Diamonds, the Four C's-Clarity

There are four main things to consider when considering buying a diamond; Cut, Clarity, Carat and Color. Here we are discussing the clarity of a diamond and what exactly that means for you the buyer. The clarity of the diamond is the actual quality of the diamond and how many inclusions it has. Inclusions are surface defects or blemishes within the diamond. Inclusions can really affect the price of the diamond. Inclusions affect the clarity by leaving deposits or structural imperfections such as cloudy visual marks, tiny cracks or black marks within the diamond, all of these things detract from the quality of the diamond. Depending on how many of these inclusions there are, how big they are and how much you can see them the clarity of the diamond is diminished. A jeweler finds these imperfections on a loose stone or a mounted one by using a 10x magnifier so they can see them better. These inclusions do not affect a diamond’s structure or questionability of being an actual diamond, but it does affect a diamond’s ability to bounce light around it and make it shine brightly.

Very large inclusions which are very cloudy or have large cracks within the diamond can cause the diamond to eventually fracture. Due to this they are often rejected as they are not attractive enough or durable enough to attract a buyer. On the other hand, if a diamond does not have any inclusions or very little they are graded with a higher clarity, making them much more desirable and expensive. The highest diamond in clarity is known as a flawless diamond. These diamonds are the most expensive ones of all. Diamonds with small inclusions which are very minor and small pockets of cloudy residue are actually good things as no two diamonds are alike and these inclusions can be used to identify them.