So you know you need to look at the 4Cs when buying a diamond. You know that a diamond’s clarity grade is important because it affects the diamond’s brilliance and overall appearance. But exactly how much should you be paying for clarity? What’s the best price for your budget?
Fortunately, Brilliance has you covered:
Technically, flawless (FL) is the best clarity of a diamond because it means the diamond does not have any inclusions or blemishes, even under 10x magnification. But, just because this is the highest grade that a diamond can receive on the clarity scale does not mean it is the best choice if you are shopping for a diamond.
Flawless diamonds are by far the most expensive because of their rarity. However, you can get the look of a flawless diamond for much less if you just go a tad lower on the clarity scale. For example, VS1 and VS2 diamonds have inclusions, but they cannot be seen by the naked eye.
These inclusions are only visible when the diamond is placed under 10x magnification and examined by a skilled diamond grader. This means that to you and anyone else who look at it, a VS1 or VS2 will look flawless, but it won’t have the same hefty price tag. In fact, these diamonds are just a fraction of the price of a truly flawless diamond.
If you are on a budget and want to get the most bang for your buck, it’s recommended that you stick to a diamond with a VS2 or SI1 clarity grade. However, if you are buying a diamond that is larger than 1.5 carats, it’s better to buy at least a VS2, since inclusions are easier to spot in larger sized diamonds. There’s really no need to purchase a flawless diamond unless money is truly not an object, and you want to say you have the best of the best.
When looking solely at a diamond’s clarity grade, the lower that you go on the clarity scale, the less expensive the diamond will be. You won’t see much of a difference in price if you move up a few grades on the lower end of the scale, but you will see huge increases the higher up you go. Moving from a SI1 to a VS2 won’t make much of a difference in price, but jumping from a VVS1 to an IF grade will cost you.
However, the price of a diamond depends on a number of factors, not just the diamond clarity grade. The biggest factor on price is carat , but even among the same carat size, a myriad of characteristics are considered and calculated into the price of an individual diamond.
This means that even if the clarity grade of two stones is the same, they may differ in other ways that affect the price. For example, take a look at the chart below from Brilliance’s own diamond search:
The diamonds shown here have been filtered, showing only .40 ct round cut diamonds, with Excellent grade cut and H grade color. Their prices vary based on their clarity, but also their depth and table percentage. For this reason, a diamond with a lower VS1 clarity, but a better table and depth percentage, is more expensive than some higher-quality VVS2 diamonds.
By searching through Brilliance’s loose wholesale diamond search, you can get a good idea of what prices to expect on different diamond characteristics. You can filter by all of the 4 Cs to see which qualities impact price, and even look at high-quality pictures of many of our diamonds. Remember, it’s important to do your research before your buy—but whether you’re looking for crystal-clear clarity at any cost, or the best quality diamond to fit your budget, the perfect diamond for you is out there!
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