Colour & Clarity Explained
When reviewing diamond gradings, two of the most important quality indicators are Colour and Clarity. These characteristics play a major role in a diamond’s beauty, pricing, and rarity. Here’s what you need to know:
Colour
Diamond color grading measures how colourless a stone is. Most diamonds graded by laboratories like GIA or IGI fall within the D–Z scale, with D being completely colourless and Z having noticeable yellow or brown tones.
- D–F: Colourless (most valuable)
- G–J: Near Colourless (excellent value)
- K–Z: Faint to Light Colour (more visible tint)
Colourless diamonds allow more light to pass through, increasing brilliance and fire. In many cases, near-colourless diamonds offer a great balance between appearance and price.
Clarity
Clarity assesses the presence of internal features (inclusions) and surface imperfections (blemishes). These are graded under 10x magnification by expert gemologists.
- FL – IF: Flawless to Internally Flawless
- VVS1 – VVS2: Very, Very Slight Inclusions
- VS1 – VS2: Very Slight Inclusions
- SI1 – SI2: Slight Inclusions
- I1 – I3: Included (visible imperfections)
Clarity impacts transparency and brilliance. Many VS and SI diamonds appear flawless to the naked eye, offering excellent visual quality at a lower price point.
To understand how these factors combine with Cut and Carat, see our complete guide to the 4Cs of Diamonds.
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