Diamond Clarity

DESIGN A RING

Our most precious area of gemstone knowledge concerns the selling of diamonds. We frequently refer to the 4 C's; these are the benchmarks describing the optical and physical properties of a diamond.
Many of our customers will come into the shop knowing very little about diamonds. The term 'the 4 C's'refers to the Clarity, the Cut, the Colour and the Carat weight of a diamond. We like to refer to the 5th C' as being Clark - with the Clark name behind your purchase you are guaranteed quality. Clarity refers to how blemish free the stone is, both inside and on the surface. Small carbon deposits or other inclusions, cracks, fissures all detract from a diamond's value. These small imperfections can be referred to as nature's fingerprints, the presence of inclusions is not a negative feature as it shows the stone is authentic. This is how we grade the clarity of a diamond:

FL, IF Diamonds

Flawless means no internal or external flaws, and Internally Flawless means there are no internal flaws.

VVS1, VVS2 Diamonds

Very, very slightly included. Very difficult to see inclusions under 10x magnification. An excellent quality diamond.

VS1, VS2 Diamonds

Very slightly included. Unable to see inclusions with the unaided eye. Much less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades.

SI1, SI2 Diamonds

Slightly included. Inclusions easily visible with 10x magnification, not with the unaided eye.

P1, P2, P3 Diamonds (grade also known as I1, I2, I3)

Included. W.E. Clark & Son will not stock stones of this clarity.  

These imperfections or 'inclusions' as they are known in the trade can either be black in colour or lighter in colour. By hand selecting each stone, we are able to ensure that only the stones we are happy with make it into the 'Clark Collection'.