Clarity

Gemstones are scrutinized far less severely for clarity than diamonds. In ruby, emeralds and sapphires and all other gemstones the main criteria is whether it is eye clean or not. Eye clean means that to the observer by just viewing the gem with their naked eyes they cannot locate any inclusions in it. Gemstones generally have far more inclusions than diamonds do and thus it is not required to use a 10x magnification as is used for diamonds. The value of ruby, sapphire and emeralds is affected by how eye visible the inclusion is but there is very little difference in the price between stones which are eye clean and stones which have no inclusions visible even under 10x magnifications. In diamonds color, clarity, carat weight and cut play an equal part in determining its value. However, for emerald, ruby and sapphires color plays a significantly bigger role in determining its value than clarity does

Keeping the above concepts in mind for clarity we have developed our own clarity grading system where the highest value which is “Flawless” represents a gemstone where no inclusions are visible to a trained gemologist in any part of the gemstone without using magnification. The lowest grade is “I3” which represents an included gemstone where the inclusions hinder the brilliance and color of the gemstone. Below is the detail clarity grading system that GemsNY uses for grading its rubies, sapphires and emeralds, along with a description of each:

FL,IF- Flawless or Internally Flawless.This is the highest clarity grade a gemstone can have. This means the gemstone is 100% clean to the eye to a trained, experienced gemologist but not necessarily under 10X or higher magnification.

VVS1, VVS2- Very Very Small Inclusions.This grading means the gemstone would be 100% eye clean to an untrained eye but a gemologist might be able to observe very, very tiny inclusions from certain side angles.

VS1, VS2- Very Small Inclusions.This means very tiny inclusions would be visible under very close inspection to an untrained eye.

SI1, SI2- Small Inclusion. Slight visible inclusions upon inspection would be visible to an untrained eye but inclusions are not affecting the brilliance or the color in the gemstone.

I1,I2,I3-Imperfect.These gemstones are highly included where the inclusions hinder the brilliance and color of the gemstone.

So What Is The Right Clarity Grade For You?

The most important criteria to look for is if the gemstone you are looking to purchase is eye clean or not. Unlike diamonds, the value of gemstones is not significantly affected by its clarity, unless the gemstone has big crystal in the center of stone which is very visible. So we would say if you are picky in terms of clarity then you should stay with VS1 clarity or higher. These gemstones have very minute inclusions which are almost impossible to see without magnification. If you want to save some money then VS2 and SI1 clarity gemstones are ok as well as you will be able to save money and still get a gemstone which is relatively eye clean.

Note on Emerald clarity gradings

It is important to understand that emeralds, by nature, tend to be heavily included (meaning containing flaws and imperfections). Therefore, you will find far more FL clarity gradings from GemsNY for rubies and sapphires but in emeralds it is much, more rare. A VS1 clarity grading in emerald can be considered equal to a FL clarity grading in sapphires.