Diamond Clarity Chart: Every Grade From FL to I3, Explained

Clarity is the grade people worry about most and notice least. A certificate can make the difference between two grades look enormous, and yet once a well-cut diamond is set and on a hand, most clarity differences disappear entirely.

Here is the full clarity scale laboratories use, what each grade actually means, and the point at which paying for a higher grade stops buying you anything you can see.

What is diamond clarity?

Diamond clarity describes how free a diamond is of inclusions inside the stone and blemishes on its surface. Laboratories grade it on an eleven-step scale from Flawless (FL) to Included (I3), judged by a skilled grader under 10x magnification. Most diamonds fall in the VS and SI ranges.

Inclusions are tiny crystals, feathers and clouds that formed with the diamond deep in the earth. They are part of how a natural diamond grew, which is why a completely flawless stone is exceptionally rare.

The diamond clarity chart, grade by grade

The chart below follows the clarity scale published by the Gemological Institute of America. The middle column is what a trained grader sees at 10x magnification; the last column is what that usually means for someone looking at the diamond with the naked eye.

What does eye-clean mean?

An eye-clean diamond has no inclusion you can see without magnification at a normal viewing distance. It is not a laboratory grade, and it does not appear on a certificate. It is a judgement made by looking at the actual stone, which is why two diamonds with the same clarity grade can look quite different.

Eye-clean is the standard that matters for a ring you wear, because nobody inspects a ring on a hand under 10x magnification. It is also where the best value sits: beyond eye-clean, a higher grade buys rarity on paper rather than beauty you can see.

Which clarity grade should you choose?

Choose the lowest grade that is eye-clean in the stone you are actually buying, and put the saving into cut. In our experience, most inclusions in good commercial grades are invisible without a loupe, and paying for flawlessness is rarely money anyone will ever see.

The sweet spot we guide clients towards pairs an excellent cut with near-colourless colour and eye-clean clarity. A beautifully cut stone of modest clarity will outshine a poorly cut stone of higher clarity every time, because cut governs how the diamond handles light.

For why cut matters more than any other grade, read The 4Cs, Honestly: Why Cut Beats Carat Every Time.

Does diamond shape change how clarity looks?

Yes. Brilliant cuts such as round, oval and pear break light into many small flashes, which helps hide small inclusions. Step cuts such as emerald and Asscher have long, open facets that work like windows, so an inclusion that is invisible in a round brilliant can be visible in an emerald cut of the same grade.

If you love a step cut, allow for a slightly higher clarity grade, and look at the stone face up before deciding. Size matters in the same way: an inclusion is easier to see in a large stone than in a small one.

Inclusions, blemishes and durability

Inclusions are inside the diamond; blemishes are on its surface, such as a tiny nick or polish line. That distinction is the only difference between the top two grades: a Flawless diamond has neither, while an Internally Flawless diamond may carry minor surface blemishes.

Most inclusions are purely cosmetic. The exceptions are large feathers that reach the surface or sit near the girdle, which can be weak points, and heavily included stones at the bottom of the scale, where durability can be affected. A protective setting such as a bezel shields the edge of the stone on an active hand.

How we judge clarity at Scagnetti

We work with natural, conflict-free diamonds exclusively, and every diamond is selected in person for beauty and durability, not from a certificate alone. A certificate tells you the grade; looking at the stone in daylight tells you whether it is eye-clean and where any inclusion sits.

When you visit our Cottesloe showroom, we lay stones side by side so you can see the difference between grades for yourself, and walk you through each certificate line by line.

To read the clarity plot and the rest of a report, see How to Read a GIA Diamond Certificate.