Choosing an Engagement Ring
Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat Weight
Wondering what is a good diamond clarity?
Cut: The cut of a diamond has the biggest affect on its sparkle or brilliance. Even with perfect color and clarity, a poor cut can make a diamond look dull and boring. Ideal, Excellent, and Very Good diamonds possess the most brilliance.
Color: Colorless diamonds are most highly valued and are the most expensive. Color is ranked on a scale from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow). Pearlman's recommends choosing a color D through H, or D through I if the stone goes in a yellow gold setting. Below is the color scale with the most desired, colorless stones highest:
- Colorless: D-Z
- Near Colorless: G-J
- Faint Yellow: K-M
- Very Light Yellow: N-R
- Light Yellow: S-Z
Clarity:What is the best clarity for an engagement ring?Clarity is defined by the inclusions within a stone. An inclusion is a naturally occurring flaw (feather, fracture, fissure, carbon spot, or cloud), within a diamond or other stone. Diamonds free from internal flaws or inclusions, are very rare and highly valued. The best value in diamond clarity is a diamond with no inclusions visible to the unaided eye. Below is the clarity scale with the most desired clarity listed highest:
Engagement ring clarity
- IF - Internally Flawless
- VVS1 - Very Very Slightly Included
- VVS2
- VS1 - Very Slightly Included
- VS2
- SI1 - Slightly Included
- SI2
- I1 - Included *
- I2 *
- I3 *
* - Inclusions are visible to the unaided eye
Diamonds with clarity of SI1 or better do not have inclusions visible to the human eye, and can only be seen under powered magnification. Pearlman's recommends a clarity of SI1 or better.
Carat weight: Larger diamonds are more rare than smaller diamonds, so diamond value rises with carat weight. An understanding of cut, color, and clarity will help you balance the overall diamond quality with its size.
How To Choose The Perfect Diamond
