Clarity question

[bling]

I have a quick question on clarity...when a stone is given a clarity rating of lets say VS range..eye clean..does that mean eye clean from the top only or from all angles...sides, bottom..
also, what sorts of inclusions (terms given to them) would show up as black specs? thanks!

 

[Rank Amateur]

The term eye clean is not an official term but generally means face up.

 

[Rhino]

A good general definition of eye clean means that when the diamond is viewed in the face up position at approx. 1/2 an arms length distance (a very common distance that someones diamond is observed in) the diamond will be eye clean with no visible flaws. In VS clarities you generally do not have anything to worry about in the face up position at all. It is possible in some VS2's to see it from the bottom (or pavilion side) but that is not common.

Rhino

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

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On 9/8/2003 5:34:40 PM bling wrote:

I have a quick question on clarity...when a stone is given a clarity rating of lets say VS range..eye clean..does that mean eye clean from the top only or from all angles...sides, bottom..
also, what sorts of inclusions (terms given to them) would show up as black specs? thanks!

----------------

I have a quick question on clarity...when a stone is given a clarity rating of lets say VS range..eye clean..does that mean eye clean from the top only or from all angles...sides, bottom..

Hey Bling,

VS1 & VS2 grades are given to stones with very small inclusions difficult for a qualified observer to see. Some VS2 grades might vary in inclusions which are present which represents the grade. Remember stones which are graded in these two categories have flaws which will not be visible except under magnification.

Eye Clean is a term which is used in representing stones which are given the si-1 grade being viewed in the face up position. Diamonds given the si1 grade can exhibit flaws which can be detected fairly easily under magnification , and their flaws may sometimes be visible without magnification when viewed from the backside or laterally.

When you are referring to black specs I assume you are referring to black crystal inclusions.Some inclusions are tiny black crystals which can be seen as thin flat inclusions which reflect light like a mirror. I have seen these inclusions readily visible in si-2 grades, but the size and amount of these inclusions will reflect on the grade. There are si-1 stones which have very small inclusions which may be faint, like small white feathers or small colorless crystals, si-2's are graded depending on the size and color of the dark crystals. There are some si-2's which have small faint inclusions spread out all over the stone which might seem numerous but at the same time are small enough and faint enough where it would be considered a good investment despite the amount.

Many faint inclusions spread out all over the stone is preferred over a couple dark noticable inclusions which carry the same grade. Some diamonds which fall in the same grade are more "cherry" than others with respect to the amount and color of their inclusions and location. A little shopping around and a dependable trustworthy vendor you can save yourself a good amount of money and still not be able to notice the inclusions if their faint or spread out.

Some si-1's are better than others depending on the size location and color of the inclusion as well as si-2's.

For instance on location,

If the flaw is visible from the pavillion side and only from the pavillion side it will have the least adverse affect since it is least visible from the top.

If positioned near the girdle it will also be hard to see and hardly noticable from the top. This is the kind of flaw that can be hidden or covered by the prong of a ring.

A inclusion under a star facet or one positioned directly under the table will be more easily visible. An inclusion under the table is the least desireable position and is a location where the flaw is most visible which may reflect on the value (pricewise).

-Josh Rioux
Sitka, Alaska

 

[bling]

thanks for everyones comments. I guess i still have a few questions however..
rhino, you mentioned the following
"In VS clarities you generally do not have anything to worry about in the face up position at all. It is possible in some VS2's to see it from the bottom (or pavilion side) but that is not common."
whereas i totally am in agreement with you, in my vs2 stone, i can see the inclusion with my naked eye, looking at it closely of course and can definitely see it from the pavillion side. should that still make this a vs 2 stone. i should mention that the stone is gia certed and independently appraised as a vs2 stone as well. maybe i am just under the impression that i shouldnt see anything on a vs2 diamond.
scorpion, you mentioned that
"stones which are graded in these two categories have flaws which will not be visible except under magnification." why am i able to see mine?
I am sure that the inclusion in mine is something black..and im pretty sure its not dirty (i must have cleaned it 5 times last nite) or a reflection form the prong. i guess im still a little confused on what a vs2 really means?
luckily the stone itself is gorgeous...wonderful cut and color...
i just wanted to hear a bit more on the clarity though...thanks all!

 

[Colored Gemstone Nut]

Bling what lab certed your stone?

-Josh

 

[Rank Amateur]

From what I understand, GIA doesn't instruct its graders to grade against "eye-clean". They use the guidelines below:

I1 - "my mother-in-law could find it with a loupe"
SI2 - "if I could teach my mother-in-law how to use a loupe she'd find something"
SI1 - "eye-clean to my mother-in-law, I'll tell her it's a VVS1"
VS2 - "kinda hard for a pro to find with a 10x loupe"
VS1 - "real hard for the pro to find at 10x unless you give him a hint"
VVS2 - "I can't find nuthin' at 10x so I'll call it VVS2"
VVS1 - "Sherwood graded it IF so I'll give it a VVS1"
IF - "IF you paid waaaay too much I'll grade it IF"

R/A

 

[Rank Amateur]

For something a little closer to the truth, NiceIce has a bit more thorough page on clarity.

[/u]

 

[DiamondExpert]

It's quite common to be able to see inclusions from the pavilion side which can't be seen from the face-up position.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

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VVS1 - "Sherwood graded it IF so I'll give it a VVS1"
-----------

God, I hate those IF's. They take forever to grade. An SI1 you can size up in 10 seconds, an IF can take you two hours.

I had an Indian dealer who wanted me to grade "hundreds" of stones for him, but didn't like my rates. He worked on me for months to lower my prices if he gave me "volume" business.

Finally I agreed to a volume discount, and he gives me one stone. "One?" I queried. "Yes, yes, that is my test stone. Grade it and I'll see if I want to give you the rest."

The sucker was flawless. I spent a good two hours on it, during a busy show when several private individuals (willing to pay me much more) came and went. Finally I took the report to him, "J/IF". "Hah!" he exclaims. "You're off! It's an I!"

"No way that's an I", I said. "It might have slept with an I, but that's a J all day long." "It's GIA certified" he loudly exclaimed, waving the cert excitedly and talking in a loud voice, with all the dealers nearby watching the fun.

I plucked the cert out of his hand, and sure enough it was the exact carat weight, certed as an I/IF. I was just about to hang my head and skulk away, when I noticed the cert said medium blue fluorescence, when this stone had none.

"This isn't the right cert" I told him. "Give it up Sherwood!" he replied, looking at the cert. "Then he said "Woops!", and started shuffling through certs. "Oh my gosh, I mixed up the certs!"

"Say that a little louder please" I asked him. He did. "Again, one more time please" I insisted. He turned around, rapping on his showcase saying "May I have your attention please!" Everybody, dealers and privates both stopped what they were doing and looked at this little Indian fellow with the booming voice.

"I am giving all my diamond grading business to this gentleman here from this day forward, and I would suggest you do the same!"

Heh heh heh... I took my bow, and walked back to my booth with my ego throbbing.

That was about 2 years ago. The little guy has yet to send me another diamond...