Gia Diamond Clarity Grade

Understanding the 4cs of diamond quality and diamond cut grading.

Gia diamond clarity grade.

Diamond quality can be communicated in a universal language and diamond buying consumers can know exactly what they are about to purchase. Diamond clarity is the quality of diamonds that relates to the existence and visual appearance of internal characteristics of a diamond called inclusions and surface defects called blemishes clarity is one of the four cs of diamond grading the others being carat color and cut. This report includes all the important 4cs grading results as the diamond grading report but does not include the plotted diagram. While the clarity can significantly impact a diamond s value it s one of the most important 4 cs imperfections typically can t be recognized by the naked or.

Thus the gia scale starts at the letter d. Vs very slightly included diamonds with a clarity grade of 3 or 4 vs1 or vs2 have minor inclusions. Main image courtesy of john o hara. Ags 3 or 4.

To understand what the codes mean you ll need to know what the codes stand for and the clarity type of the specific gem. A diamond with a clarity grade of 1 or 2 vvs1 or vvs2 has minute inclusions that are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification. Those letters and numbers are the gemological institute of america s gia gem clarity grading codes. For standard round brilliant cut diamonds falling in the d to z color range the report also includes a.

The gia diamond dossier is a more concise compact version of the gia diamond grading report and is available for diamonds that weigh between 0 15 and 1 99 carats. Inclusions are solids liquids or gases that were trapped in a mineral as it formed. So the creators of the gia color scale wanted to start fresh without any association with earlier systems. Very few people still cling to other grading systems and no other system has the clarity and universal acceptance of the gia scale.

The fewer inclusions and blemishes the diamond has the better the clarity grade. Gia created the 4cs color clarity cut and carat weight as a universal method for establishing the quality of any diamond anywhere in the world. Diamond clarity is a qualitative metric that grades the visual appearance of each diamond. This short video explains the gia clarity scale and how gia classifies diamonds with a clarity grade ranging from flawless to i 3 by using a 10x magnification loupe and a microscope to see and plot the diamond s inclusions.

The 4cs means two very important things. Many inclusions and blemishes are too tiny to be seen by anyone other than a trained diamond grader.