Diamonds are graded according to
the 4C’s, one of which is the
clarity of the stone.
Clarity refers to the number of internal as well as external inclusions or flaws present in a
diamond. The
clarity chart for
diamond rings extends from the Flawless (FL) grade to Included level 3 (I3). Flawless
diamonds have little to no inclusions, and I3 stones have the most number of inclusions.
Due to the presence of many inclusions, the
I1,
I2, and I3 grades elicit lower demand, which is why they are not widely available in the market. Therefore, the
SI2 clarity grade, which comes in the sixth position from the top, is the lowest
clarity grade for
diamonds commonly available in the market.
SI2 grade of
diamonds falls under the category of SI (Slightly Included), which is mainly divided into the
SI1,
SI2, and SI3 grades. The
SI1 clarity grade has fewer inclusions compared to
SI2, which in turn has fewer flaws than the SI3 grade. Obviously, of these three grades,
SI1 is the best choice, but is slightly pricier than the other two grades.
As the
SI2 clarity grade is a low one, it consists of inclusions that are lightly visible to the naked eye, and hence its low price. These
diamonds are relatively inexpensive next to other
diamonds in the clarity chart, and are 70% cheaper than flawless ones.