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Your Guide To The Five C's |
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Clarity |
Clarity is the presence or absence of tiny marks within a diamond and blemishes on its surfaces. These birthmarks of nature called inclusions are created when the diamond is formed and do not generally affect the beauty of a diamond. Inclusions range from tiny specks barely visible to cracks or carbon spots that are visible and the size, nature, location and amount of inclusions will determine a diamond’s clarity grade and affect its cost. The fewer the inclusions, the more valuable the stone and, to be graded flawless, a diamond must have no inclusions visible to a trained eye under a 10x magnification in good light. A diamond's clarity grade is determined through examinations by an experienced grader using a 10x magnification and the assessment of the trained unaided eye.
When a diamond is examined, the size, type, position, number, color, and relief of clarity features are observed. The diamond is also viewed with the naked eye to check for visibility of clarity features. Clarity is important and may affect diamond value by 5 - 20% for each increment on the grading scale. In most diamonds, however, inclusions are not visible to the naked eye, so often buyers will opt for a lesser clarity grade in order to select a rarer color or larger carat weight. One unique advantage of choosing an ideal cut diamond is that its sparkle can often mask inclusions. . When choosing diamonds for your rings, necklaces, earrings or other diamond jewelry, ask your jeweler to show you how to view a diamond under magnification to check for possible inclusions that will affect the value of a diamond before selecting the diamond clarity grade you prefer.
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FL-IF: No inclusions visible (by an expert) under 10x magnification FL=Flawless IF=Internally Flawless VVS1-VVS2: Minute-extremely difficult to find under 10x VVS=Very, very slight inclusions VS1-VS2: Minor-difficult to find under 10x VS=Very slight inclusions SI1-SI2: Noticeable, relatively easy to find under 10x SI=Small inclusions I1-I2: Obvious under 10x-Just visible to the naked eye I=Imperfect |
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Juniker Jewelry Co.
4500 I-55 North
Highland Village Suite 116
Jackson, MS 39211 US
Hours: Mon-Sat 9:30am to 6:00pm - Closed Sun
Email
601-366-3754
1-800-796-3754
Fax: 601-362-6079
© Copyright 2005 Juniker Jewelry Company. All Rights Reserved