What is The Best Clarity for Diamond Earrings?

Be it in movies or stories, diamonds are often described by the way they shine and sparkle. A part of this can be attributed to its clarity. Clarity is the measurement of a diamond’s flawlessness. By “flaw”, we refer to the blemishes and inclusions found in the diamond.

Because of this, there’s more pressure in terms of purchasing flawless engagement rings. Meanwhile, this is not the case for diamond earrings. This is because rings are easily viewed up close while earring studs aren’t. By being viewed from afar, the flaws are more easily concealed.

But don’t worry! If anything, diamonds with few flaws are very rare which makes them more prized. However, these flaws or blemishes don’t reduce the diamond’s beauty at all because they’re often not visible to the naked eye.

There is a grading system to classify the diamond’s clarity. Let’s go over each grade and discuss which would be the best choice.

What are the Different Clarity Grades for Diamonds?

1. I-1 Clarity Grade

Most of the diamonds chosen for diamond earrings that are promoted by the retail diamond trade are of I-1 clarity. I-1 clarity refers to inclusions or flaws within the diamond that are visible without magnification. You can spot them from 9-12 inches away.

As far as retail jewelry stores are concerned, their competition is more on the price than the diamond’s quality. They do also care about the diamond’s visual performance. That comes from the optimal proportions and amazing optical symmetry of the work.

As a consumer, quality is an important factor in anything we buy. The same can be said when opting to purchase a pair of diamond studs. If you’re aiming for the diamond’s visual size, then we advise choosing a pair with inclusions visible without magnification.

However, if you want the recipient to be unable to locate the inclusions, we recommend choosing a pair with higher clarity.

1. SI-2 Clarity Grade

SI-2 clarity diamonds are almost like the I-1 clarity ones in the sense that their inclusions are visible without magnification. This is if they’re studied from a distance of 9-12 inches. What makes this level of clarity different is that its inclusions are more difficult to spot, especially in diamond stud earrings for women.

The diamonds are cut in a way that produces higher levels of light returns. This makes the diamond look brighter than those cut in a less ideal manner. 

As such, SI-2 tends to be an excellent choice for diamond earrings of one carat. This is because you’re able to make the most out of the carat weight of the diamond without compromising any visual appeal.

1. SI-1 Clarity Grade

Most diamonds under SI-1 clarity will look “eye clean” if viewed from 9-12 inches away. However, if the viewer has exceptionally acute vision, there’s a chance they may spot the inclusions.

That being said, SI-1 clarity diamonds usually have inclusions that are visible under 10x or higher magnification. It should be noted that the device used should be a 10x diamond grading loupe. This is the standard of the industry for grading diamond clarity.

With that in mind, the inclusions of a diamond under this grade don’t pose an issue as an engagement ring and more so as an earring. Earrings are difficult to scrutinize up close due to their location. And engagement rings are constantly moving. 

If they’re trying to check for flaws, the viewer will need to examine the jewelry closely and know what to look for. Besides, people usually focus on the jewel’s brightness, sparkle, and size.

1. VS-2 and VS-1 Clarity Grades

Diamonds are graded from a top-down perspective. If you want yours to be eye-clean from that vantage and from 9-12 inches away, a VS-2 or VS-1 is what you’re looking for.

VS clarity graded diamonds contain inclusions that look “very slight” when viewed under the 10x diamond grading loupe. This means that the inclusions aren’t visible to the naked eye.

So irrespective of whether others view your jewelry up close or not, they won’t see a speck of the inclusion.

1. VVS-2 and VVS-1 Clarity Grades

The higher the diamond’s clarity, the more difficult it is to find inclusions even with the use of a 10x magnification. The inclusions of VVS clarity grade diamonds are “very very slight”.

Hence, most people will have a difficult time locating the inclusions in such a high-graded diamond. This grade of a diamond would be very rare. If it’s stud earrings for women, it might not be the best choice considering how earrings are hardly viewed up close.

You can also consider the kind of metal you want for your diamond studs.

What Is the Best Clarity for Choosing Your Diamond Stud Earrings?

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The choice of selecting one’s diamond is a personal matter. It’s your or your recipient’s preference that will dictate the clarity you want for your diamond. But don’t worry as the diamond’s clarity doesn’t talk of a woman’s character.

However, for stud earrings, we do advise getting an I-1 clarity grade diamond. Why is that? Clarity matters less for earrings. As we’ve previously explained, people aren’t able to look too closely at earrings for them to spot inclusions. Often, it’s more of the sparkle and color that intrigues them.

Commonly, diamond studs for women contain stones with ½ carat each. They go amazingly well with necklaces and rings as a set. The set jewelry’s shine and style can complement your skin and outfit. Small earrings won’t overpower your charm, but serve to emphasize it.

Conclusion

Clarity doesn’t always dictate the value of a diamond. We did say that the higher the clarity, the rarer it is. But it doesn’t mean that a diamond will be any less beautiful if it has a lower clarity. You need to consider its cut, color, and sparkle. And real diamond earrings will always possess these.

It’s not common for people to peer into the gem and find its inclusion unless they’re in that line of work. Most people would only truly notice the way it looks. And for a pair of small diamond studs, the clarity will be no issue at all.

That being said, an I-1 clarity grade diamond will surely look dazzling on you or your recipient. And since stud earrings are usually partially covered by your hair, no one would notice any blemish or inclusions on the gem.

What’s important is that you feel beautiful as you wear one of the most gorgeous gems on earth.