Clarity Grade
Also called diamond clarity, clarity scale
Clarity grade is a score that describes how few inclusions and surface blemishes a diamond has. The GIA scale runs from Flawless at the top through IF, VVS, VS, and SI, down to the I grades, judged by a trained grader under 10x magnification.
In other words, a rating for how clean the inside of the stone is, based on what a grader can see with a ten power loupe.
The GIA clarity scale
The grades below are the published GIA scale, in order from cleanest to most included. Most stones sold online sit in the VS and SI bands, where inclusions are there but hard for a buyer to spot without a loupe.
- FL, Flawless, and IF, Internally Flawless
- VVS1 and VVS2, very very slightly included
- VS1 and VS2, very slightly included
- SI1 and SI2, slightly included
- I1, I2, and I3, included
How it shows up in a render
We render stones clean. Inclusions in a VS or SI stone are not visible to the naked eye at normal distance, so drawing them in would misrepresent the piece as much as hiding a crack would.
What clarity does affect is how the stone carries light. A heavily included stone looks duller and greyer in life, and if you sell in the I grades it is worth saying so in the listing text rather than expecting the image to carry it.
Questions about Clarity Grade
What clarity grade is good enough?
VS2 and SI1 are the usual sweet spot for online sales. Inclusions at those grades are rarely visible without magnification, and the price gap against VVS is large.
Do renders show inclusions?
No. We render stones as clean, which is how eye clean grades genuinely look to a buyer. Any inclusion visible without a loupe belongs in the product description.