If you’ve been shopping around for diamonds, you’ve probably been told you need to find one that is eye clean. But what does that even mean?
Diamonds are anything but perfect, and finding a flawless one is like finding a unicorn in Utah. It’s probably not going to happen, finding a diamond that looks perfect? As far as clarity is concerned, that’s what eye clean is all about. Let’s get into it.
What is Eye Clean?
When we say a diamond is eye clean, we’re referring to one with no blemishes or inclusions visible to the naked eye. These inclusions can be things like dark spots, light feather-like whisps, black specks, etc. Basically, it's any sort of blemish you can see within a diamond or on its surface without tools.
Speaking of tools, it doesn’t take an expert to spot an eye clean diamond since you don’t need any. In fact, anyone can see whether a diamond is eye clean or not just by having a close look.
What Does An Included Stone Look Like?
This SI2 Emerald is anything but eye clean. While it’s possible to find an eye clean diamond with a lower clarity grade, it’s best to look for a brilliant cut to hide inclusions. An Emerald shows it all.
Tip: If you’re unsure how to find an eye clean diamond, start by looking for VS diamonds. You can save yourself some money by looking for an SI1 diamond that is eye clean. You can save yourself the trouble of looking for anything much lower than that. You’ll never find an eye clean I2 diamond.
High Key Clarity
Nothing in life is perfect, so it stands to reason the same goes for diamonds. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to find a flawless diamond. The next best thing, an internally flawless (IF) diamond, is more common but very expensive.
The Miley with a 3 carat Pear cut Diamond in White Gold
VVS1 diamonds are practically perfect. It is even difficult for a trained pro to spot imperfections with special equipment. Truthfully, VVS1 is as high as it makes sense to go on clarity. However, it’s not necessary to go with the highest clarity grade. Our recommendation is, don’t spend the extra money on a VVS diamond. As long as a diamond is eye clean you don’t need to spend more on clarity.
The VS Vote
Eye clean VS diamonds are always the best value for the quality of the diamond. While you can still find SI diamonds that are eye clean, you’ll have to do some searching to find one. VVS diamonds are technically higher quality, but you’ll be spending more just to spend. In truth, anything over eye clean is just a waste of money.
The Twig with a 2.5 carat Pear cut Diamond, The Penelope with a 3 carat Princess cut Diamond and The Kamellie with a 4 carat Radiant cut Diamond in White Gold
Our vote? If you’re shopping for lab diamonds, go for VS clarity. The price difference between an SI and VS lab diamond isn’t huge, so save yourself the trouble and go with the guaranteed eye clean diamond.
If you’re after a natural diamond, go for SI clarity. It’s worth taking the extra time to find an eye clean natural diamond with an SI since it will save you quite a bit of money compared to a VS diamond.
Keepin’ It Eye Clean
Eye clean diamonds look flawless to the naked eye. Since you’re probably not carrying around a super-powered microscope, that’s all you need. Eye clean diamonds that live in the VS and SI range will save you a serious grip over those VVS baddies.
To top it all off, they’ll still look completely gorge. Seriously, spending more on any diamond drip over one that is already eye clean is just tossing out money you could be spending on something else, like carat. And we’d hate to see you miss out on the bigger bling.
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