Interpreting One of the 4C of Colored Gems: Clarity

The clarity of a gemstone is one of the key attributes to evaluate the quality of a gemstone. Other than the color, cut, and carat weight of the gemstone, clarity is one of the 4C standards for gemstone grading.

The clarity of the gemstone is an important consideration when considering the purchase of a gemstone. The clarity of the gemstone can help you understand the quality and beauty of the gemstone. Knowing the various clarity grades can help buyers make informed decisions. The clarity of the gemstone affects the way light interacts and travels with the gemstone, so it is one of the key factors in evaluating the quality of the gemstone.

What is the clarity of gemstones?

Gem clarity is an important factor to consider when investing in precious gems. It refers to defects or impurities that affect the transparency of gems. The clarity of gems can be divided into two categories: inclusions (internal impurities) and flaws (external impurities).

Contents refer to any foreign matter such as minerals, cracks, and other organic substances that exist inside the gemstone. The number, size, type, and color of the contents determine the clarity grade of the gemstone. Some natural gemstones have little to no visible contents, while other natural gemstones may have many visible contents. Therefore, it is very important to carefully check the gemstone before purchasing.

Defects are any surface irregularities, including scratches and notches, caused by improper handling when processing or cutting gemstones.

Types of colored gems

Colored gemstones can be classified into three types. According to the classification standards of the American Gemological Institute (GIA), this is because gemstones around the world have different colors, hues and saturation.

Type 1:

Type 1 gems usually do not contain any inclusions. This includes beryl gems such as gold beryl, aquamarine, and morganite. They are often referred to as "clean to the naked eye," meaning that there are no inclusions visible to the naked eye.

Jewelers rarely use Type 1 gems with inclusions unless they are set into jewelry to hide flaws.

Type 2:

Type 2 gemstones usually contain contents, but they are clean under the naked eye without the need for magnifying glasses. Type 2 gemstones include amethyst, andalusite, alexandrite, garnet and olivine, etc.

It should be noted that in addition to green, pink, or watermelon-colored tourmalines, tourmalines also belong to this category. The same applies to non-blue zircons. There are some gems that are clean to the naked eye among Class 2 gems, but they are less numerous. Class 2 gems with slightly visible contents are usually used in jewelry making, especially sapphires and rubies.

Type 3:

Type 3 gemstones almost always have visible inclusions. In this type, green emerald, topaz of various colors (especially blue), red tourmaline, and topaz of other colors can be found.

In this category, there were few gems of the No Inclusion (IF) level, as they usually contained inclusions. Even Class 3 gems with obvious inclusions could be used in jewelry making.

Clarity level

Clarity grade is one of the important criteria for evaluating the quality of gemstones because it has a significant impact on the attractiveness of gemstones. Clarity is determined by the standards set by the American Gemological Institute (GIA).

GIA's sharpness rating is classified according to the surface characteristics of gemstones and is suitable for diamonds and other gemstones. The sharpness rating of gemstones ranges from internal flawless (IF) to contained flaws (I).

IF - Internal perfection

Internal Perfect (IF) grade gems are clean with no inclusions under 10x magnifying glass. However, when talking about diamonds, there is a higher grade, which is flawless. So what is the difference between the two? Internal Perfect grade diamonds have no inclusions visible under 10x magnifying glass, but there may be surface flaws. On the other hand, to be considered flawless, it requires trained eyes to not see any inclusions or flaws under 10x magnifying glass.

The simple way to describe this difference is that a flawless diamond has no flaws on the outside and inside, while a diamond with perfect inside has no contents, but may have surface flaws. Therefore, the internal perfection grade is called "internal flawless" because the inside of the gem is perfect, but there may be some flaws on the outside.

Internal perfection is the highest grade for colored gems because finding colored gems without blemishes is very rare, even rarer than flawless diamonds. There are some examples of flawless emeralds that exist, but their scarcity of sexual suggestioneity means that their price is significantly higher than other types of emeralds. In addition, dark gems (such as garnet or sapphire) may have deeper inclusions because their color depth can mask the flaws in the gems. At the same time, light-colored gems are more difficult to hide flaws under bright colors.

VVS - Very, very slight inclusions

VVS is a gemstone clarity that cannot be seen under an almost magnifying glass. It has slight inclusions that can only be observed under a high magnifying glass. In the VVS grade, sometimes also known as "Eye Clean" or EC, it has different sub-grades. These sub-grades range from inclusions that are extremely difficult to observe at 10x magnification to inclusions that are very difficult to observe at the same magnification.

Some merchants use this grade for Type 2 colored gemstones. Type 2 colored gemstones also have no contents visible to the naked eye, so they look clean to the naked eye, which is why they are considered worthy of being classified in this grade. In fact, if merchants follow the definition of GIA, rubies (Type 2) that are clean to the naked eye will be classified as VS.

When grading a diamond for clarity, the grader will notice the following types of contents:

• Needle-like, needle-like, inner cloud-like, or textures, which can only be seen through the pavilion, are extremely difficult to observe at 10x magnification. These are called VVS1.

• If the same contents as VVS1 are easier to observe, although very difficult but not extremely difficult, it is VVS2.

• Small inclusions that reach the surface will also make diamonds fall into this grade. These include natural inclusions such as notches, holes, feathers, bruises, footprints, or dents.

VS - Very slight inclusion

These gems are usually clean to the naked eye. They have a trained eye or a slight inclusion visible under a magnifying glass. Assuming that merchants correctly identify gems and classify them into the correct grade, they will include Type 2 colored gems here.

VS-grade diamonds contain tiny inclusions that are difficult to observe (VS-1) to relatively easy to observe (VS-2) under a 10x magnifying glass. These inclusions may be of different types, but they must be very small relative to the size of the gemstone in question. Common inclusions in VS-grade diamonds include crystals, structures, or obvious cloud-like inclusions, as well as some tiny inclusions that reach the surface, such as feathers or cavities. In rare cases, large VS gemstones may contain inclusions that are visible to the naked eye, because grading is based on inclusions relative to the gemstone's size.

SI - Minor inclusions

These inclusions were clearly visible and visible to the naked eye. This meant that they were in the category of commercial quality. At 10x magnifying glass, the inclusions were very obvious, but they were not always visible to the naked eye. However, other than high-grade jewelry, SI-grade gems could be slightly inferior to higher-grade gems in terms of luster and clarity.

In the SI level, there are two grades, SI-1 and SI-2. Compared to SI-2, SI-1 has less obvious contents and fewer quantities. Both types of contents are usually medium-sized and can be found in various locations of gemstones, but they are usually more concentrated in one place. The number of contents may also vary, and there is no rule that one or more contents must be included. Normally, the rating is based on the kind of contents, not on multiple small contents.

The most common inclusions in SI-1 grade gems include crystals (black or white), feathers, structures, needles, cavities or clouds, etc. In SI-2 grade gems, these same inclusions are more obvious or visible due to size or quantity.

For consumers looking for high-quality gems under a certain budget, SI-grade diamonds are a good choice. The price of SI-grade diamonds or colored gems is significantly lower than the same gems of VS-grade. This means that SI-1-grade gems are very popular because it enables buyers to focus on the other three C.

I-Contents

These gemstone clarity levels have inclusions that can be easily seen by the naked eye. This is the grade that Class 3 colored gemstones belong to. Some of them may have originally belonged to the previous SI grade, but due to their visible inclusions, they should be graded into this category.

Buying a colored gemstone of this grade may not be a problem, as the color and hue of many gemstones like Zambian emerald or Mozambican ruby can mask the contents. However, for diamonds, buying a diamond of this grade is never recommended. The contents will affect its durability and shorten the life and wear resistance of the gemstone, which means that it cannot be worn every day to prevent damage, as the contents will make the gemstone more susceptible to cracking or wear.

TS-translucent

These gems allow light to pass through, but they are opaque. Translucence does not only depend on the color of the gemstone, some gems naturally have translucent properties. However, in the clarity classification range, translucency refers to gems with a large number of inclusions or blemishes, which are very obvious and hinder the penetration of light.

Emeralds naturally belong to class 3 colored gemstones, which means that they naturally carry blemishes and imperfections. If you compare a gemstone with higher quality and less content with a severely defective gemstone, you will find that there is a clear difference in their brightness. This refers to the glowing effect of the gemstone when light passes through. High-quality gemstones will be brighter and more attractive, while low-quality gemstones will appear dim. This is what translucent means in gemstone clarity grading.

O-opaque

This type of gemstone does not allow light to pass through. Gems such as convex round gemstones are opaque in nature because they do not allow light to pass through. Their role is to reflect light. When you rotate slowly with your fingers, a well-cut convex round gemstone will reflect light evenly, while a poor-quality cut will cause light to snake on the surface.

In the clarity classification of gemstones, the term "opaque" means that light hardly passes through the gemstone. Convex round gemstones are an example. Although their surfaces are opaque, light will still reflect, showing better cutting quality.

Naturally opaque gems do exist, but their prices tend to be lower. Meanwhile, severely defective and opaque gems rarely have any market value.