Diamond Clarity: How Low Can You Actually Go?
This is one piece of our full diamond education guide.
The scale, and the thing it doesn't tell you
Every diamond clarity grade is assigned by a trained grader looking through a 10x loupe. That's the standard. It's written into the definition.
Here's the scale:
| Grade | What it means at 10x |
|---|---|
| FL (Flawless) | No inclusions or blemishes visible |
| IF (Internally Flawless) | No inclusions; minor surface blemishes only |
| VVS1 / VVS2 | Very, very slightly included — difficult even for a grader to find |
| VS1 / VS2 | Very slightly included — minor, found with some effort |
| SI1 / SI2 | Slightly included — noticeable at 10x |
| I1 / I2 / I3 | Included — obvious at 10x, often visible unaided |
Now overlay the only line that matters to a buyer: where does an inclusion become visible to the naked eye?
For most stones, that line sits somewhere around SI1 or SI2. Everything above it — VS, VVS, IF, FL — looks identical in a ring on a hand. You are not paying for a cleaner-looking diamond above VS. You're paying for a cleaner-looking report.
"Eye-clean" is the real grade
The term the trade uses is eye-clean: no inclusion visible to a person with normal vision, looking at the stone face-up, from about 6–12 inches away.
Eye-clean is not a graded category. No lab certifies it. But it's the only clarity standard that describes what you'll actually experience wearing the ring.
Almost all VS1 and VS2 stones are eye-clean. Many SI1 stones are. Some SI2 stones are. And a handful of SI1 stones are not, because of the next thing.
Location beats grade
Two diamonds can both be SI1 and be wildly different buys, because the grade counts the inclusion's size and number — but where it sits changes everything.
Under the table — the flat top facet — is the worst place. You're looking straight down through clear material at it, with nothing between you and it. A dark crystal under the table in an SI1 can be visible unaided.
Near the girdle or under a crown facet is the best place. The facet pattern breaks up the view, and a well-designed setting's prongs can sit right over it. The same inclusion, moved to the edge, effectively disappears.
Type matters too. A white or transparent feather is far less noticeable than a black carbon crystal of the same size. A cloud that's small and scattered is invisible; a large hazy cloud can make the whole stone look slightly milky even at a decent grade — sometimes noted on the report as "clarity grade based on clouds not shown."
This is why "I'll just buy SI1" as a rule doesn't work, and "I'll just buy VVS1" is overpaying to avoid having to look. The middle path — VS, or a specific SI1 you've actually examined — is where the value is.
Shape changes the answer completely
This is the single most practical clarity fact, and it's rarely volunteered.
Brilliant cuts hide inclusions. Round, oval, cushion, pear, radiant, princess — these have dozens of small facets throwing light in every direction. That visual chaos is camouflage. SI1 becomes a legitimate option, and SI2 is sometimes workable if the inclusion is positioned well.
Step cuts hide nothing. Emerald and Asscher cuts use long, flat, parallel facets — the "hall of mirrors" look. There's no sparkle chaos to lose an inclusion inside. You're looking down through clear planes of diamond. For these, plan on VS2 or better, and expect to look carefully even then. Our emerald cut guide goes deeper on what step cuts demand.
Size matters too. A 3-carat stone shows an inclusion that the same-grade 0.70ct would hide, simply because everything scales up.
What clarity costs you
The price curve is steepest exactly where the visual difference stops.
Moving from SI1 to VS2 is a modest step. VS2 to VS1, modest again. VS1 to VVS2 is where the premium starts climbing hard, and IF to FL is a rarity premium — you're buying the last rung of a ladder, and the last rung is always the most expensive one.
There is a resale argument for high clarity. It's weak. Diamond resale is unkind across the board, and paying a large premium up front to slightly soften a large loss later isn't a strategy.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best diamond clarity for the money?
VS1 or VS2. Both are eye-clean in virtually all cases, and they sit below the point where the price curve steepens sharply toward VVS and Flawless.
Is SI1 clarity good?
Often, yes — many SI1 diamonds are eye-clean and represent real value. But SI1 has to be evaluated individually, because the grade doesn't tell you whether the inclusion is under the table or tucked near the girdle.
Can you see the difference between VS2 and VVS1?
Not with the naked eye. The difference exists only at 10x magnification. In a ring on a hand, they look the same.
Does clarity matter more for emerald cut diamonds?
Yes, significantly. Step cuts like emerald and Asscher have large open facets and no sparkle to hide behind, so inclusions show far more readily. VS2 or better is the practical floor.
Do lab-grown diamonds have inclusions?
Yes. Lab-grown diamonds form under the same crystallization pressures and develop their own inclusions, and they're graded on the identical clarity scale. They're not automatically flawless.
So where does this leave you?
The honest clarity answer for most buyers is: go to VS2, or look hard at a specific SI1 and buy it if it's clean to your eye. Spend the difference on cut, or on a bigger stone, or on not spending it.
Which is a strange recommendation for anyone whose paycheck scales with the total. The clarity scale has ten grades above the point where your eye stops noticing, and every one of them has a price attached. That's a lot of room to move a customer upward without ever saying anything false.
The version where nobody's steering
Amana is a design studio, not a retail floor. There's no case of high-clarity inventory here waiting to be moved, and nobody earns a commission on the grade you land on. When we say a VS2 is plenty and this particular SI1 is worth a look because the feather sits under a prong, that's just what we see.
The economics, straight up. A comparable ring at a traditional retail jeweler runs about $12,000. Buy that same finished ring wholesale and it's still around $8,000. Our design and craftsmanship typically run $1,500–$4,000, and you get a real certified diamond in a ring built to your design. Larger stones, or rarer and more complex ones, can run higher — and we'll show you why before you commit to anything.
Natural diamonds set the price. Lab-grown brought it down. Designer-direct is the third era, and it's the one that only exists when there's no inventory to protect.
The process: design session in person or over video with AI-assisted visuals, CAD file about three days later, you approve and pay the balance through an emailed link, ring's ready roughly two weeks after that.
Earn your trust. Make your ring.