Diamond Clarity

Inclusions and blemishes

Inclusions are internal: clouds, feathers, crystals of another mineral, pinpoints, tiny fractures. They formed with the diamond, over a timescale that is hard to picture. Blemishes are on the outside: polish lines, naturals, small nicks and scratches.

Graders work at ten times magnification. That number matters more than people expect, because it is the standard the whole trade agreed on, and it is roughly ten times closer than anyone will ever look at your ring.

The scale

Flawless and Internally Flawless sit at the top and are genuinely rare. Below them come VVS1 and VVS2, then VS1 and VS2, then SI1 and SI2, and finally the three I grades.

Price climbs steeply as you move up. Visible difference does not climb with it.

What to actually buy

The useful term is eye clean: no inclusion visible to an unaided eye at normal distance. Plenty of VS2 and SI1 stones are eye clean, and they cost a fraction of a Flawless stone that looks identical on your hand.

Where the inclusion sits matters as much as its grade. Something under the crown, near the centre, catches light badly. The same inclusion near the girdle can disappear under a prong.

How this works in a consultation

Albert puts the stone under magnification and shows you the inclusions before you buy, alongside the grading report. You see what you are paying for, and you see what you are not paying for.