Diamond clarity chart, with prices
Clarity grades describe inclusions under 10× magnification. Most of the scale is invisible to a person looking at a ring — which is exactly why it is the grade where money is most often wasted. Priced below on the same 1 carat G color round.
| Grade | Means | To the eye | Retail, 1 ct G | vs. VS2 |
|---|
Which clarity to buy
VS2 is the value grade — eye-clean in every shape and size, at a third less than VVS1. SI1 is the expert's grade: usually eye-clean, priced 14% under VS2, but it needs the stone itself to be checked (or a 360° photo), because SI1 covers everything from a tiny crystal at the edge to a cloud under the table.
Step cuts show more. Emerald and Asscher cuts have large open facets that act like windows, so buy one clarity grade higher than you would for a brilliant. Bigger stones show more too — an inclusion that hides at 0.5 ct can be found at 2 ct. Where an inclusion sits matters as much as its size: under the table is worst, near the girdle is hidden by prongs.