Diamond Grading Information

Term	Description

Bezel Facets	The facets between the girdle and the table
Brilliant	A type of cut that has few or no facet edges in parallel
Crown	The portion of the stone above the girdle plane, the top portion
Culet	The tiny facet at the bottom of the stone parallel to the table
Facet	Any one of the flat, polished faces of a cut gemstone.
Girdle	The perimeter around the outside edge of the stone
Pavilion	The portion of the stone below the plane of the girdle, the bottom portion.
Table	The top facet of a stone

Color in white diamonds is graded based on the lack of any color. The G.I.A. grading scale goes alphabetically from color "D", totally colorless, to color "Z" light yellow. Of course, colorless is the most sought after "white" diamond. Beyond "Z" fancy color yellows and browns can be quite desirable.

Colors D-F will nearly always appear colorless. Colors G-l will usually appear colorless. Colors J-L will look colorless in small stones, but larger stones will appear tinted. Anything over L will generally appear to have color even to the untrained eye.

GIA Color Grade	Description

D	colorless
E	practically colorless
F	practically colorless

G	nearly colorless
H	nearly colorless
I	nearly colorless
J	nearly colorless

K	faint yellow or brown
L	faint yellow or brown
M	faint yellow or brown

N	very light yellow or brown
O	very light yellow or brown
P	very light yellow or brown
Q	very light yellow or brown
R	very light yellow or brown
S-U	very light yellow or brown
V-W	light yellow or brown
X-Z	light yellow or brown

The clarity grade expresses the degree to which the stone contains surface blemishes, or internal flaws called inclusions. Generally, and particularly with diamonds, the lack of these features is the most desirable condition. Inclusions can be all sorts of things: breaks, other crystals, clouds, growth lines, bruises, and pinpoints. Blemishes include: extra facets, pits, cavities, chips, nicks, abrasions, and scratches. Grading is done under 10 power magnification and proper lighting.

Clarity Grade	Description

Flawless	No inclusions or surface blemishes
IF	Internally flawless, insignificant blemishes
VVS1	extremely difficult to see at 10x
VVS2	very difficult to see at 10x
VS1	difficult to see face up at 10x
VS2	somewhat easy to see face up at 10x
SI1	noticeable, easy to see at 10x
SI2	very easy to see at 10x, may be visible to the unaided eye
I1	obvious at 10x, visible to the unaided eye.
I2	obvious at 10x, easily visible to unaided eye, beauty/durability somewhat affected
I3	prominent inclusions, extremely easy to see with unaided eye, durability affected

With all the C's being equal except for the clarity, there is a big difference in the price of a stone. This same principle applies to the other graded characteristics as well. For example, let's consider a half-carat (.50ct) round brilliant cut, color F diamond. With only the clarity grade changing, here is how that stone's price per carat may vary:

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$10,000 for IF ( Internally Flawless )
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$8,800 for VVS1
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$7,000 for VVS2
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$6,800 for VS1
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$5,000 for VS2
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$4,400 for SI1
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$3,600 for SI2
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$2,800 for I1
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$1,900 for I2
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