• Diamonds
  • Gemstones
  • Jewellery
  • Famous Jewels
  • Latest
Diamond Buzz Logo
Diamond Carat Weight Vs Clarity Grade
Diamonds

Diamond Carat Weight vs Clarity Grade

Last updated on December 26, 2022

Carat weight vs clarity grade is one of the most common dilemmas buyers face when choosing a diamond. It is a big question if you should choose a bigger stone and save on clarity, or you should get a smaller diamond of a higher clarity grade. Let’s see which of these factors is more important.

What Is Diamond Carat Weight?

Round Diamond Carat Weight Chart | Diamond Buzz
Image © Diamond Buzz. All rights reserved.

Carat weight (ct) is the unit of measurement for the physical weight of diamonds. It originates from the ancient method of weighing precious metals and gemstones against the seed of the carob tree. At the time, carob seeds were considered to be even in weight and were used as weighting references by traders. As you could guess, carob seeds varied in size, and the actual weight of the gems could vary by around one metric carat.

In 1907, at the Fourth General Conference on Weights and Measures, it was agreed upon that one diamond carat would be equal to 200 milligrams or 0.2 grams. Nowadays, carat weight is measured using a highly accurate and calibrated digital scale capable of measuring even extremely small weights. In terms of gemstone weight, there is also the term “point”. A point is one-hundredth of a carat, and 100 points are equal to 1 carat.

Carat is not how large a diamond is, meaning two diamonds of the same carat weight may differ in size depending on their cut quality and shape.

Carat weight is one of the four main components (4Cs) of a diamond along with colour, clarity and cut, indicating the quality of the stone and determining its value. Diamond price increases with carat weight because larger diamonds are rarer and more desirable as a result. However, two diamonds of the same carat weight can vary in price depending on the other three factors of the diamond and other pricing criteria.

What Is Diamond Clarity Grade?

Diamond Clarity Scale | Diamond Buzz
Image © Diamond Buzz. All rights reserved.

Clarity is one of the main characteristics of a diamond that grades how clean the diamond is from any kind of inclusions (internal flaws) and blemishes (external flaws).

According to the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), diamond clarity is graded on the following scale:

  • FL (Flawless) – no inclusions and blemishes visible under 10x magnification.
  • IF (Internally Flawless) – no inclusions visible under 10x magnification.
  • VVS1, VVS2 (Very Very Slightly Included) – hardly noticeable and very small inclusions visible under a gemological microscope.
  • VS1, VS2 (Very Slightly Included) – minor inclusions visible with effort under 10x magnification.
  • SI1 and SI2 (Slightly Included) – easily noticeable inclusions under 10x magnification.
  • I1, I2 and I3 (Included) – obvious inclusions visible to the naked eye.

Although in most cases, imperfections can not be easily recognized by the naked eye, clarity along with colour are what people notice first.

Clarity grade has a significant impact on a diamond’s value, meaning the fewer inclusions and blemishes the diamond has, the better its grade and the higher its price.

Diamond Carat Weight vs Clarity Grade

Unfortunately, many people prefer bigger diamonds saving on cut, clarity and colour. However, this is never a good idea in terms of diamonds, as diamonds are all about quality. Of course, you can ignore quality characteristics and buy a bigger diamond to show off, but the truth is that you get a big low-quality stone.

In case you are still determined to buy a bigger diamond with a lower clarity grade, you should understand that you are most likely to end up with a stone that has visible flaws, which get even more noticeable as the size of the diamond goes up. This is especially true for diamonds graded SI2 and I1/I2/I3. All these stones have inclusions visible to the naked eye.

As a general rule, if you are going to buy a diamond with a clarity grade lower than VS2/SI1, it is best to opt for a smaller stone (1ct and less). If diamonds are graded lower than the mentioned range, they are most likely to have visible inclusions. Of course, in some cases, lower clarity does not translate into a visible difference.

It is also worth mentioning that a bigger diamond of a lower clarity grade does not always look worse than a smaller one of higher clarity. Top-clarity diamonds do not differ significantly from mid-clarity stones if viewed with the naked eye. That is why it is wise to choose a VVS range diamond instead of an IF stone to save some money.

Featured image: Manutsawee Buapet / Shutterstock
FacebookTwitterPinterestLinkedIn

Post navigation

Colourless Diamonds: What Makes Them Expensive
Aquamarine Properties and Characteristics
  • Diamond Anatomy: Understanding The Basics | Diamond BuzzDiamond Anatomy: Understanding the Basics
    Diamonds

Advertise on Diamond Buzz

We help our clients with the best and most effective advertising solutions by creating engagement for jewellery brands across the Diamond Buzz audience.

Newsletter

By entering your email address, you consent to receive our latest news and exclusive offers. You may withdraw your consent at any time. Please read our Privacy Policy for more details.

Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription.

  • Contact
  • About
  • Advertising
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Cookie Settings
  • Instagram
Copyright © 2018 - 2023 Diamond Buzz. All Rights Reserved.
Cressida Pro by LyraThemes.com

We use cookies on our website to personalise your user experience and analyse our website traffic. By clicking "Accept All", you consent to the use of all the cookies.

Privacy Policy    Settings    Accept All

Cookie Settings

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are as essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are essential for the website to function properly. This category includes cookies that ensure the basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyse the key performance indexes of the website, which help in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga2 yearsThe _ga cookie, installed by Google Analytics, calculates visitor, session and campaign data and also keeps track of site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognize unique visitors.
_ga_SGEW9HERE92 yearsThis cookie is installed by Google Analytics.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analysed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo