A gemstone’s clarity is an essential component in determining its value. It’s important to note that there is no official clarity grading system for colored gemstones. The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) will give an official clarity grade to a diamond, but not to a colored gemstone. Therefore, we have derived our own clarity grading system based on the GIA’s. Our system is ethical and free of bias, and universally accepted amongst our peers in the colored gemstone industry.
Our gemstone’s clarities are evaluated by two staff gemologists here are Paraiba International under 10x magnification. We use a gemologist’s “loupe” to inspect every angle and aspect of the gemstone. After a thorough examination, we make the final determination of the gemstone’s clarity.
The clarity grades given are:
IF (Internally Flawless): There are no internal and/or external imperfections in the gemstone whatsoever.
VS (Very Slight Inclusions): There are minor imperfections that were detected. These imperfections are only visible with a 10 x loupe. The gemstone is clean to the naked eye, also referred to as “eye clean.”
SI (Slightly Included): There are minor imperfections detected, which may be visible to the naked eye.
I (Included): There are minor and possibly major imperfections detected with are visible to the naked eye.