NEWS FLASH! DIAMOND CLARITY IS OVERRATED!
Why am I saying this? The reality is that a Diamond Clarity of the lower grade that is eye clean looks the same to the naked eye as a flawless stone. When magnified by 10 times it’s visible yet in real-world use, the naked eye can’t see the flaw.
Clarity doesn’t impact the stones until the inclusion is: 1. Very large 2. Dark In nature and located center of the stone. 3. Sheer amount of inclusions causes the stone to look dull.
I1 grades 96% of the time will have an eye visible defect, however, the 4% of the stone out there can be eye clean and a bargain. Click on this link to see an eye clean I1 stone.
SI1 – SI2 is the sweet spot for value. SI1 majority of the time is safe but proceed with caution. You sometimes will find diamonds will black spots right in the center of the diamond. You want to avoid the larger black spots. Inclusions off-center are ideal. Please keep in mind these websites show diamonds magnified by 20x – 40x, making these blemishes look far worse than a human eye can detect.
CLICK HERE to see an SI2 diamond that was purchased & mounted, its zoomed out to a more realistic view of the diamond. DO you see any flaws? (this is an example of a corner blemish) As a result, I feel your money is better spent on other attributes like carat, color and cut.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not advising to buy an ugly flawed diamond. Just there are certain rules to follow to maximize your budget and get more for your dollar. There are plenty of ways to acquire a gorgeous diamond that has a low clarity grade. So please read the following tips below. Feel free to reach out by clicking HERE. If you have any questions or wish for me to evaluate any diamonds for you just drop me a line.
DIAMOND CLARITY TIPS WHEN ENGAGEMENT RING SHOPPING
Miami Video Production by: Buzz Media Agency
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SI1 IS A SAFE STARTING DIAMOND CLARITY GRADE.
I would argue that an SI1 clarity grade will get you a beautiful-looking stone most of the time. Depending on the location of inclusion(flaw), color and severity, you can get away with an SI2 and even sometimes get an I1(rarely) that looks great. Always start with the SI1 then add the other variables of the 4 C’s, color carat and cut. If you find a stone in your budget then boom! You just saved some money. Then venture into an SI2 territory and adjust your variables. Are you able to get a bigger stone with better attributes? Does the stone appear eye clean(the human eye can’t see a flaw)? Then I say go for it! If dropping clarity awards you a higher color or better cut grade then I see the value in it. Just be sure its Eye Clean. Sites like James Allen has HD 360 viewing of every diamond on their site. You can see diamonds zoomed in by 20x-40x. This will give you confidence in your purchase. HERE IS AN EXAMPLE OF A 20X ZOOMED IN DIAMOND ON JAMES ALLEN
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LOCATION OF THE DIAMOND FLAW IS KEY.
Imagine stumbling into a great deal. Price too good to be true. You take a look at the stone and there is a black spec right in the center. Your heart sinks and it quickly becomes obvious why the price was so cheap. Now imagine that same inclusion(imperfection) on the right corner. Same clarity so the price should be close to the same except you can’t really see the flaw anymore. Especially if you place a prong from your engagement ring right on it. Take the example images below.
This is a 1.40 carat F color SI2 clarity True Hearts Ideal Cut Diamond. Every attribute of this diamond is perfect minus the clarity. But the biggest flaw is on a corner. You can save and place a prong right on top to help conceal the flaw. -
DIFFERENT DIAMOND SHAPES EFFECT DIAMOND CLARITY.
Let’s take a round diamond. A round stone’s shape, number of facets, and a generally small table(TOP OF STONE) hide clarity imperfections best in my opinion. You can find SI1-SI2 clarity stones and be 100% happy with how beautiful it will look. The opposite is an Emerald cut diamond. You can literally see through an Emerald diamond due to its shallow form and long straight step like cuts. A lower clarity Emerald diamond stands out and it’s usually recommended you go VS2. You may find a SI1 Emerald that is great just depends on the location and color of imperfection(WHITE OR BLACK). This leads me to the next tip.
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USE ONLINE VIEWING TOOLS WISELY.
BIG TIP, one of the reasons I recommend James Allen is they offer images of every diamond for sale. Blue Nile is slowly adding photos to their inventory and probably are almost fully photographed.. Professionally graded diamonds are viewed under a loupe with 10 times magnification. James Allen and Blue Nile magnify them 20 times. Imperfections can look massive as a result. Its great for shopping Diamond Clarity but It can also be intimidating. Causing you to doubt yourself. Know that you can also zoom out. This helps to see a more realistic view of the stone. So grade the diamond critically, followed by zooming out for a more realistic view. You might just say wow that looks great when you zoom out.
SAMPLES OF DIAMOND CLARITY
Take a look at this sample found in the 4 C’s of Diamonds page for example of Diamond. You will see illustrations of different grades plus a comparison you may find interesting.
Sample 1 has 4 examples of grading done. The pink circles indicate imperfections in the stone. Sample 2 has more flaws but the same grade. How can that be? Let me explain. The biggest flaw found on a diamond is usually what gives its clarity grade. I find this important to bring up because as you start shopping you will notice stones that have more inclusions than others but have the same grade.
Some Diamond Clarity Inclusions have different sizes, color and shapes. Some are clear and some are black, some twirl and engulf the stone like clouds. If you are buying and want to have value SI1 is the way to go. Almost always have a beautiful look that’s eye-clean. VS1 is a great choice. However, you can see here you won’t see the difference unless you are trained to view it under a loupe. Here is a real life sample of this.
REAL LIFE EXAMPLES OF DIAMOND CLARITY
Both stones have a Diamond Clarity of SI2 yet look drastically different. The stone on the left has a large white inclusion which is what sets the grade. The stone on the right has many black inclusions about the same size as the white. Therefore it gets the same grade. If someone is getting a SI2 or I1 stone you must see an image of it. That’s why I love buying Diamonds online in websites like James Allen, Blue Nile and Brian Gavin . They have images of stones so you can buy with confidence. PS. The stone on the left is great because you can mount it with the prong on top of that corner inclusion further hiding any imperfections.
CONCLUSION
In Diamond Clarity, SI1 is the highest I would personally go shopping for a round. Cuts like emerald may require a vs2-vs1 due to the nature of the diamond. By all means, if you have a large budget, go for a higher quality if you wish. BUT will it be impactful? Your money may not be spent wisely because you may not see the difference. With money saved by choosing a lower clarity, I would look for a larger stone with a better cut/shape. My fiance would see the benefits of those attributes. If you wish to venture into SI2 or I1 clarity. Just remember the tips to find the right diamond in the rough. Buying retail can be 25%-75% more expensive. Use the power of the internet to your advantage and save.
