A big thanks to Price Scope for their guest blog, helping me educate couples who are shopping for the perfect diamond ring!

Understanding the Effect Clarity Has on Diamond Value

If you have ever shopped for a diamond, perhaps when in the market for an engagement ring, chances are that you have noticed that all diamonds aren’t the same. Some crystals will appear sparkly than their counterparts. This may be the case even when two diamonds happen to fall into a similar cut grade.

According to the Pricescope Diamond Clarity Guide, a leading source of information on diamonds, observing a ring under magnification will help you notice all available blemishes. Some of these blemishes aren’t easy to see using the naked eye, which is why magnification is needed. 

Important Factors

Clarity is among the most important determinants of how much a diamond will cost. It’s why this needs to be among your most essential concerns when you are in the market for an engagement ring. The purpose of clarity is to inform you just how flawless the precious stone is. For this reason, its clarity grade will need to match all the flaws that can be seen when observed under magnification.
You will, therefore, come to notice that the value of a diamond will be based on the available flaws. For instance, consider a diamond having a one-carat weight and which has been assigned a G color grade and an overall clarity scale grade of S12. Now try to compare it to a diamond having all the same features but with a clarity scale of VVS1. This second diamond may cost you as much as $10,000, with the first one retailing for about half of this price. The main difference between the two stones lies in the fact that one (the second diamond) has a much higher clarity rating. 

Clarity Grading Process

Diamonds have to go through a certification process where they are assigned their unique grades. Globally, there exist two well-known diamond certification process: AGS and GIA certification. GIA certification process was established in the 1950s. A lot of equipment is needed for the certification process to occur correctly. It is the use of this specialized equipment, which helps make it possible for a specialist to light up the diamond and be able to magnify it properly. Each angle needs to be magnified and lit up.

A specialist needs to have years of experience for them to be able to use the clarity scale properly. While GIA and AGS certification are the most common and widely accepted grading scales, the two methods rely on very different protocols. The protocols, which mind you happen to be very strict, must be applied by the specialist for each diamond that they are inspecting. 

Conclusion

By now, you already know about the 4Cs and their importance when shopping for a diamond. For many buyers, especially first-time diamond buyers, their focus is often on the size (carat) at the expense of the clarity. But as can be seen above, clarity plays a vital role in helping to determine the value of a diamond. This is the reason why a diamond with a rating closer to FL will be more expensive compared to one on the lower side of the scale (l1—l3).

Thank you so much, Price Scope, for sharing all about the effect clarity has on diamond value!