The Clarity of a Diamond. Out of the four C’s this is probably the most difficult for an ordinary person to distinguish when looking at a diamond earring, but is possibly the most important. The clarity determines how brilliant or dull the diamond will be depending on how much light can reflect without the disturbances of flaws (also known as inclusions). There are 12 different symbols that are used to describe the clarity of a diamond. An “F” denotes that the diamond is flawless while at the other end of the spectrum, an I3 explains that a diamond has obvious flaws that are easily seen with the naked eye. The ten grades in between these two describe how easily flaws can be seen and with what type of magnification.

While usually thought to explain size, the carat weight of a diamond actually is a measurement of the weight of diamond. One carat is equal to 0.2 grams or 0.007 of an ounce. It is therefore, not a measure of quality but a measure of quantity. The larger the diamond, the more valuable since larger diamonds are more rare than smaller ones. It is also important to remember that just because one diamond maybe double the weight of another diamond doesn’t mean that the diamond earring will double in price. The price of diamonds rises exponentially.