Diamond Cut Clarity And Color Chart

Never skimp on cut.

Diamond cut clarity and color chart.

The importance of diamond clarity is affected by the other diamond qualities such as shape and size. Here you will learn how gia diamond grades are established and how those grades affect the diamond s price. While flawless and colorless diamonds are extremely rare cut determines a diamond s true value. The ftc provides no guidelines for the use of the term fancy color in the us but there is general agreement in the international trade about what diamond color range is customary for fancy color diamonds.

The larger the carat the more obvious the other qualities become. Fl or flawless is the highest grade for clarity. Diamonds are measured in terms of weight not size. If while shopping for a diamond you are ever given a color range e g.

These are either yellow or brown diamonds that have more color than a z master stone or they exhibit a color other than yellow or brown. Clarity is the absence of imperfections. A perfectly cut diamond will exhibit a lot of brilliance to the point that it masks inclusions. A stone much larger than one carat should usually have a clarity of vs2 or higher and preferably a color grade around g or h.

Each of the four c s carat weight cut color clarity is accompanied by a diamond chart illustrating the differences between grades. In step cut shapes such as emerald cut and asscher cut diamonds the shallow pavilion and open table accentuate the clarity of the stone and can make characteristics more easily visible. Every diamond certified by the gia undergoes a thorough independent evaluation. If you re buying a diamond for the first time you ve probably done at least some research.

So the larger the diamond you buy the higher the color and clarity grades you should look for. With a high quality cut you can get away with a diamond lower in color and clarity. The heavier the diamond the greater the carat weight. Cut is the most important.

A lower color diamond with a higher cut grade will have more sparkle and visual appeal than a higher color diamond with a lower cut grade. To the naked eye a vs 1 and an si 2 diamond may look exactly the same but these diamonds are quite different in terms of overall quality. Two diamonds of equal weight can have very different values because the quality is still determined by the color clarity and cut. This is why expert and accurate assessment of diamond clarity is extremely important.

For color d or completely colorless diamond is the highest grade. Carat color cut and clarity working together. An fl diamond has no imperfections even when magnified 10x by a professional. Knowing what diamond clarity truly means helps you understand the factors that contribute to diamond quality and price.

Finally here are some last rules of thumb to go by when purchasing a diamond.