Clarifying the clarity of a diamond...

I have met so may customers that don't know what the four C's are and so I am again explaining where the areas of importance are when buying a diamond ring.
The area of clarity needs addressing as it determines what price you are going to pay immensely.
There are standards that have been noted and systemized by leading grading institutions which place a stone within a frame to which it can be priced within the market. Not all gemological labs test the same, the two main are
GIA (the gemological institute of America) & AGS (the American Gemological Society). Both were set up in the 1930's by a man called Robert M. Shipley who wanted to standardize the industry.
GIA's method is alphabetical (using letters) and AGS uses numbers. With GIA, D represents the most perfect grade that can be given and all the way to Z which represents the most flawed.
With AGS, the number 0 representing the flawless stones up to 10 which indicates flawed.

Here is an example of what you might see on a certification for a diamond.

FL, Flawless: the stone has no flaws.

IF, Internally Flawless: the stone has no internal flaws, slight external blemishes.

VVS1 & VVS2, Very, very slight inclusion: Minute inclusions, difficult for even an experienced grader to detect.

VS1 & VS2, Very slight inclusion: very slight inclusions, not easily seen by and experienced grader.

SI1 & SI2, Slight inclusion: flaw(s) that can be seen quite easily by a trained eye.

I1, I2 & I3, Included: Flaws are visible with the naked eye.

It is important to familiarize yourself with the system of grading that comes with each certificate, each grading lab like I said, has different methods, some are more lenient than others. What one company grades a stone as, wil be different than another and this can effect the price hugely in some cases.

Treated Diamonds
This is an other area to watch out for. Some diamonds are treated in labs to give them the appearance of looking like a better grade than they actually are. Two methods they use are fracture filling & laser treating.
Fracture filling also known as "clarity enhancement" is a where they fill in the outer blemishes with a substance that is clear and has the same response to light as a diamond has, it is a relatively simple process but is not permanent. If you put it under high temperatures it will ruin it so warn a jeweler if you have a diamond like this and you want to have it cleaned or have the ring adjusted in any way.
The other method of treatment is done with a laser. A diamond which undergoes laser enhancement is drilled into using a tiny laser (this doesn't effect the strenght of a diamond)which reaches an area that is in turn cleaned out of it undesirable features and made to look like a stone of better quality.
These stones do look better than what they were and cost slightly more than a stone of its original grade but less than a stone from a grade to which it fits into after the treatment.

Jewelers do not have to disclose this information to the buyer under the terms of the Federal Trade Commission but must inform the customer if they ask.
These stones are not a bad buy if you are on a tight budget and want a stone size that is just out of your price range.

Over all, if you are in the market for buying a diamond engagement ring then clarity is a factor you do not want to ignore.

Visit my website where you can see how a stone is graded on the charts provided. Its not necessary to understand every thing about a diamond before you buy but a brief understanding of the four C's is great advantage.

Visit http://www.buyingadiamondengagementring.org