Certain points to remember and questions to ask about clarity.

• You want to know and ask "What is the clarity?"

• How was this grade determined? Is it by a recognized Gem Lab (GIA, EGL, AGS, IGI) or is it "in house"?

• If it is "in house" what are the credentials of the "in house" gemologist and what kind of equipment does he use to determine the grade? There are many good "in house" gemologists. Independent appraisers are in reality "in house" gemologists in the sense that they don't work for one of the major gem labs. If a person is an in house gemologist (such as myself) the least they should have to examine the clarity of the diamond with is a gemological microscope. If all they have is a loupe, question the clarity grade and have it checked by someone who's got the right equipment.

• Ask if the diamond has been treated or enhanced in any way. If it is, what was the treatment? Lasering or filled?

• There's nothing wrong with examining a diamond upside down but remember that this can be a misrepresentation of the actual clarity of the stone as you can see many reflections of imperfections when the stone is turned upside down.

• Know that in some VS2's and in the SI clarity grades inclusions can most assuredly be seen to the human eye when observed upside down. Remember that "eye-clean" refers to observing the diamond "face-up" as it's mounted in a ring.

• In some SI's inclusions can be seen with the human eye, especially after viewing it under magnification and concentrating your focus at that point on the stone. Remember... what you're concentrating your focus on will not be seen by the average person who looks at your diamond in your ring.

• You want to look at the clarity from 2 different perspectives. a. The critical perspective: Under the scope for pricing and purchasing reasons. b. The practical perspective: Even though you know where the inclusions are under a scope, is John Doe gonna see them when he looks at how brilliant your diamond is?

• Another thing you want to keep in mind and where many people misjudge a diamond is that when you look at a diamond from the side you can see a reflection of the girdle midway into the pavilion. Many people mistake this for an imperfection. Here's a picture of what I'm talking about. Don't mistake that for an imperfection.

Just for brush up go to the chapter on "Using a Loupe" to learn the proper way to use a 10x loupe and you'll see many of the things I've described here. If you are gonna look at diamonds, this article is a must! Click on the "Next Page" button to check out our last page on Clarity.