Extremely rare flawless diamonds do exist but the vast majority of naturally mined diamonds have imperfections or inclusions, including tiny feathers, scratches, trace minerals and other characteristics that may impair the clarity of the stone.

Although not the only aspect affecting the sparkle of a diamond, when the clarity is poor light will not travel well through the stone making it look dull, cloudy or simply have visible eye sores.

Flawless diamonds (FL, IF) may be the rarest and most expensive of all diamonds, however a diamond with imperfections visible only under magnification will be the best value for money and will not detract from its beauty.

Such “eye clear” diamonds range from SI2 upwards and are recommended for the buyer looking for the very best value for money without compromising on the look or size of the stone.

Best Value for Money

Diamonds ranging from VS1 to SI2 are the best value for money, which is why this is the range that we offer and recommend. Diamonds above VS1 will look exactly the same as a VS1-VS2 diamond to the naked eye, and so the considerable extra cost does not provide the optimal value for money. Diamonds below SI2 will have visible imperfections and therefore, while there are cheaper, they don't offer the best value for money due to their reduced quality. For exceptional value without compromising the beauty of your diamond, we recommend clarity enhanced diamonds which are 100% natural mined diamonds that have had inclusions removed or hidden to improve sparkle and brilliance. Read all of our expert tips for best value for money.

Use your mouse to hover over each diamond to see how it looks to the naked eye and under a 10x loupe (requires flash):

Diamond Clarity Grading Chart

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Learn more:

Clarity Enhanced Diamonds
The 4 C's: Diamond Color
The 4 C's: Diamond Cut
The 4 C's: Diamond Carat Weight