When it comes to choosing clarity you will get the best value by picking a stone graded vs2 or si1.
Best value diamond color clarity.
An si1 or vs2 clarity grade will typically give you an eye clean diamond.
Diamonds come in a variety of colors some of them highly prized pinks blues even yellow.
A 3 carat diamond can cost anywhere from 20k to 200k.
Typically the more sparkle the diamond has the higher it rates on the clarity scale.
Above you could see a d colored diamond on the left and a g colored diamond on the right.
Depending on where you shop prices could fluctuate wildly.
To learn more and to avoid common costly mistakes read our detailed guide on shopping for a 3 carat diamond.
Here s a breakdown of the shapes that will usually be eye clean at the si1 clarity grade.
In the diamond world prices rarely are based on sound reasoning.
For the best value we recommend a 3 carat diamond with color h and clarity vs2 which will cost around 35 000 50 000 depending on the shape.
The vvs1 diamond on the left vs the si1 diamond on the right.
So what is the best diamond clarity rating for your purchase.
When si1 diamonds are the best value.
James allen is one of the best places to shop for a diamond ring as they offer a wide selection of high quality diamonds and interactive 360 videos for you to see exactly what you are buying.
Could you see the difference.
Round cut princess cut diamonds.
Si1 diamonds will give you the best value for your money in a few scenarios.
The most popular color grade for round cut diamonds is the g color which is very closely followed by the h color.
It depends on what you are looking for.
But the price difference of the identical vs2 f and 1 carat and a 1 carat g vs2 is only 500.
However in a white diamond the presence of a yellow tint will lower the price of a diamond.
Right the difference is hardly noticeable.
For white metals look for a color grade of h or above but you can drop down to a k if you choose yellow or rose gold.
How diamond clarity affects what your stone looks like.
Higher clarity diamonds are cleaner but this is visible under magnification.
The best value color grade for round cut diamonds.
The pricing process becomes emotional.
To the naked eye a vs2 diamond for example looks as clean as one of a higher clarity grade.
For instance the price difference between a diamond of vs2 clarity color h 1 carat and that of vs2 clarity color g 1 carat is 1000.
Look for a pear shaped diamond that has a clarity grade of si1 or si2 for the best value.
Best clarity for your money bottom line.
Pear diamonds show more color than many other shapes so color should be your priority.
Gemologists use sophisticated tools including 10x magnification to determine the clarity of diamonds but most of us simply look at it sparkle to determine which diamond clarity is best.
How diamond prices are calculated.