Diamond Clarity Chart: What Every Grade Really Means

Quick Answer: Diamond Clarity Chart

A diamond clarity chart maps eleven grades, from Flawless to Included, based on the size, number and visibility of natural characteristics formed inside a diamond as it grew. Most buyers never need the top of the scale - the middle grades quietly do the work.

• Clarity is one of the 4Cs, but rarely the one worth spending the most on

• SI and VS grades are usually invisible to the eye, at a meaningfully lower cost

• Diamond shape changes how visible any inclusion actually is

• Cut and colour affect a diamond's appearance as much as clarity does

Diamond Clarity Chart: What the Grades Actually Mean

At Jaipur Gems, most conversations about diamond clarity start with a similar assumption - that a higher grade always looks better. In practice, a diamond clarity chart is less a ranking of beauty than a ranking of rarity. The characteristics it measures are formed naturally, deep within the earth, long before a stone is ever cut or set, and many are only visible under ten-times magnification rather than to the eye.

The scale runs from Flawless (FL) down through Internally Flawless (IF), Very Very Slightly Included (VVS1, VVS2), Very Slightly Included (VS1, VS2), Slightly Included (SI1, SI2), and finally Included (I1 to I3). Diamonds are independently graded against this scale, and the full range - including pieces from the Diamond collection - is worth comparing before deciding which grade actually matters for a particular piece. For a fuller sense of how a diamond's markings are read and verified, our earlier piece on how to identify a diamond covers the certification side of this in more depth. GIA's own reference on diamond clarity is a useful starting point too, since it sets out the scale in the same terms most certificates use.

• Eleven grades run from Flawless down to Included, based on rarity, not beauty alone

• Most inclusions are invisible without magnification, even at mid-range grades

• A diamond's grading report is the clearest way to compare stones fairly

Two diamonds carrying the same clarity grade can still look different from each other once cut and set, since cut quality and the placement of any characteristic within the stone both play a part in how visible it actually is. This is part of why a grading report is worth reading in full rather than skimming for a single letter - the grade is one figure among several that together describe how a stone actually performs.

The Eye-Clean Range: SI and VS Explained

 

The phrase "eye clean" comes up often in diamond clarity chart discussions, and it means exactly what it sounds like - a diamond whose inclusions can't be seen without magnification, whatever grade it technically holds. Slightly Included (SI1, SI2) and Very Slightly Included (VS1, VS2) diamonds tend to sit in this range, which is part of why they're chosen more often than the grades above them.

The Fiery Blue Sapphire Diamond Bracelet is a useful example of why this range works well in practice - the diamonds sit alongside sapphire in a white gold setting, where the coloured stone and the metalwork draw as much attention as the diamonds themselves. In settings like this, spending for a grade above what the eye can distinguish rarely changes how a piece is actually experienced day to day.

• "Eye clean" means inclusions are invisible without magnification, at any qualifying grade

• SI and VS grades usually offer the closest balance of appearance and cost

• Multi-stone or coloured-stone settings make ultra-high clarity even less noticeable

The grades above VS - VVS and Flawless - do exist for a reason, but that reason is usually rarity rather than a visible difference. Buyers who value having the rarest available stone tend to choose from this range; buyers who simply want a diamond that looks clean to the eye rarely need to.

Art Deco Diamond Bangles & Bracelets

Bracelets carry diamonds differently to a ring or a pair of studs - the stones are seen from a distance more often than up close, and usually in movement rather than held still. The Art Deco Diamond Bangles & Bracelets collection is built with that in mind, pairing structured, geometric gold work with diamonds set to catch light across the wrist rather than concentrate it in one place.

Both the Fiery Blue Sapphire Diamond Bracelet and the Chromatic Charm Gold Multi Gemstone Diamond Bracelet sit within this collection, each combining diamonds with coloured stones rather than relying on diamonds alone - a format where clarity grade matters somewhat less than how the stones are arranged together.

• Bracelets are usually seen in motion, at a distance, more than held still

• Geometric, multi-stone settings reduce how much any single stone's clarity is scrutinised

• Two or more coloured stones alongside diamonds shift attention away from clarity alone

This is worth keeping in mind when comparing pieces within the same budget: a bracelet built around several coloured stones and diamonds together, at a moderate clarity grade, often reads as more considered than a single-stone piece pushed to a higher grade to compensate for a simpler design.

How Diamond Shape Affects Clarity

A diamond clarity chart grade means something slightly different depending on the shape it's applied to. Step-cut shapes such as emerald and Asscher cuts have large, flat, open facets that work almost like a window into the stone - inclusions that would be hidden in a more faceted shape become easier to spot. Brilliant-cut shapes such as round, oval, cushion and pear scatter light across many smaller facets, which tends to mask the same inclusions far more effectively.

The Sweet Six Green Diamond Earrings, set with emerald alongside diamond in white gold, illustrate this well - the diamonds here work as accents to the coloured stone rather than the sole focus, in a setting where a slightly lower clarity grade is far less likely to be noticed. For anyone deciding between shapes, this is worth weighing before clarity grade is: a well-chosen shape can do more for a stone's appearance than an extra grade higher up the scale. The wider Art Deco Diamond Earrings collection carries several shapes worth comparing side by side before settling on one.

• Step-cut shapes reveal inclusions more readily than brilliant-cut shapes

• A well-matched shape can make a lower clarity grade look cleaner than expected

• Diamonds set as accents alongside colour are judged less on clarity alone

Carat size plays a part here too. As a stone gets larger, any inclusion it holds becomes easier to spot in absolute terms, though this depends heavily on the shape and where the characteristic sits within the stone. A larger diamond in a brilliant cut can still read as perfectly clean; a smaller step-cut stone can occasionally show more than its grade might suggest.

Art Deco Diamond Earrings

Earrings tend to be viewed at a slightly greater distance than a ring, which changes how much clarity actually matters to the eye. The Art Deco Diamond Earrings collection reflects that - geometric, structured designs where the overall form carries as much of the design as any single stone.

A pair such as the Sweet Six Green Diamond Earrings sits comfortably within this range - structured enough to hold its own from across a room, without needing the highest clarity grade available to do so.

• Earrings are usually seen from further away than a ring, reducing how much clarity is scrutinised

• Structured, geometric settings distribute visual weight across the whole design

• A mid-range clarity grade is rarely noticeable once a pair is actually being worn

Distance also changes how colour reads, not just clarity - a warmer near-colourless stone can look just as bright as a colourless one once it's a few feet away from the viewer, which is worth remembering before paying a premium for the very top of either scale.

Clarity, Colour and Choosing With Confidence

Clarity is only one of the 4Cs, and buyers weighing a diamond clarity chart often find that colour grade raises just as many questions. Colour is graded D through Z, with D, E and F sitting in the colourless range, G through J considered near-colourless, and the scale continuing down through faint and light tones after that. A diamond doesn't need to sit at the very top of either scale to look genuinely well-chosen - it needs the two to work together sensibly for the setting it's going into.

The Chromatic Charm Gold Multi Gemstone Diamond Bracelet makes this point well - diamonds sit alongside several coloured gemstones in gold, where neither clarity nor colour grade is doing all the visual work alone. For bracelets specifically, the wider Art Deco Diamond Bangles & Bracelets collection is worth comparing alongside this piece, and the Diamond collection more broadly for anything set with diamond as the primary stone.

• Colour and clarity work together; neither tells the full story on its own

• Near-colourless grades (G–J) are often indistinguishable from colourless once set

• A setting with coloured stones or multiple gems reduces how much either grade is noticed

The most useful habit, across both scales, is deciding what the piece needs to do before deciding which letter it needs to carry. A statement piece worn occasionally can justify spending further up either scale; an everyday piece usually performs just as well several grades down, at a noticeably lower cost.

A diamond clarity chart is a useful starting point, but it was never meant to be read alone - shape, setting and colour all shift how much any single grade actually shows. At Jaipur Gems, that's usually the more useful conversation to have before a grade is chosen at all. The Diamond collection is a considered place to see how these factors come together in a finished piece.

Frequently Asked Questions About Diamond Clarity

Which clarity of diamond is best?

SI1 and VS2 offer the best value on most diamond clarity charts - inclusions stay invisible to the eye, at a noticeably lower cost than flawless grades.

Which is clearer, VS1 or VS2?

VS1 is the clearer of the two. Its inclusions are harder to see under magnification than VS2's, though both remain invisible to the naked eye in most settings.

Which diamond is best, EF or GH?

E and F sit in the colourless range; G and H are near-colourless. EF reads slightly whiter, but GH offers very similar brilliance for less.

Which diamond is better, D or F?

D is the rarest, most colourless grade available; F is still fully colourless but priced lower. Few buyers can tell the two apart once set.

Should I buy H or G colour diamond?

G reads marginally whiter than H, though both sit in the near-colourless range. H typically costs less for a difference few eyes will catch.