Snyder Jewelers
Page 4
Clarity & Color
Clarity is where the microscope comes into play. This is where we look inside the diamond for flaws,
inclusions or other blemishes that formed inside the diamond when it was created in the Earth. Inclusions
can be white or black and can look like a bubble, or a crystal or a line in the diamond (we call that a
feather). The fewer inclusions there are, the higher the clarity grade and the more expensive the diamond
will be. Clarity grades run from: Imperfect (I, I, I), Slightly Included (SI, SI), Very Slightly Included
(VS, VS), Very Very Slightly Included (VVS, VVS), Internally Flawless (IF) and Flawless (F).
Realistically most diamonds we sell fall between four grades: SI and VS (however higher clarity grades
are available from our network of diamond suppliers). Beauty, Brilliance and most importantly durability
can be greatly compromised for diamonds with Clarity grades of I,I & I.
Color is the description
of a diamond’s color as
it relates to “colorless”
or no color at all. If you
have ever painted a
room white, you have
seen how one color can
have many different
variations There are
trace elements in the earth that can mix with a diamond
as it is being formed and give that diamond a body
color. Diamonds with fine enough color to be used in
the jewelry industry are extremely rare. Most of the
diamonds that come out of the earth look brown, yellow
and dark. A small percentage are useable for jewelry.
Diamond color is graded on a scale of D through Z.
“D” being completely colorless and quite beautiful. “Z”
being dark yellow or brown. Diamonds are considered
colorless between DF colors. Near colorless between
GJ. Faint Yellow or Brown between KN. To uphold
our quality standards, Snyder Jewelers does not sell
diamonds below the “J” color grade. Once a diamond’s
color grade falls below “J” into the “K” or below grade, a
detectable yellow tinge appears.
FACETSUSA & REKO