Diamond clarity is on the most basic one of the four Cs of diamond grading, with the others being carat, color, and cut. It is commonly identified by either the inclusions or the blemishes, which are but two of the common ways of identifying how flawless the diamond is.

The inclusions, on one hand, are flaws that occur inside the gemstone. They seem to appear like fingerprints and when they occur, they tend to make the diamond less brilliant for the reason that internal flaws will interfere with light as it passes through the stone. There are also some forms of inclusions that can make the gemstone susceptible to breaking. The most common forms of inclusions are the following:

* Clouds
* Feathers
* Crystals or minerals
* Knots
* Cavities
* Cleavage
* Bearding
* Internal graining

On the other hand, the blemishes are flaws that occur outside the stone. These flaws are more visible to the eye than the inclusions. Some of them are caused by a careless cut or other possible accidents, but there are others that are natural to the gem. Just like the inclusions, the blemishes on the diamond also change the diamond clarity, as well as to its value. Some of these blemishes, but, count less on how the diamond appears to be. The most common blemishes are:

* Scratches
* Nicks
* Pits
* Trigon
* Polishing shape

Note that the fewer the inclusions and blemishes in the gemstone are, the more valuable the gemstone. It’s no marvel then why shoppers of diamond jewelry tend to consider the diamond clarity aside from its color, carat and cut.

The diamond clarity is generally described by certain grading systems. Of these systems, the most well loved is the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Scale, which ranks diamond according to how flawless and how imperfect it is. The diamond clarity based on this system is identified with the following grades:

* FL: Completely flawless
* IF: Internally flawless
* VVS1 – VVS2: The flaws can only be detected with a 10x microscope by an expert. It is VVS1 when the expert only detects the flaws when viewing the bottom of the stone. And, it is VVS2 when the expert detects the flaws when viewing it from the top of the diamond.
* VS1 – VS2: The flaws can be seen with a 10x microscope, but it takes a long time for its to the flaws to be identified.
* SI1 – SI2: The flaws can be seen with a 10x microscope.
* I1 – I3: The flaws can be seen by the naked eye.

So that’s said. The diamond clarity is commonly identified by a grading system, and knowing that diamonds ranked I1 to I3 have flaws that are visible to the eye, it is best to avoid such kinds. Also note that a diamond that is completely flawless according to the diamond clarity grading system provided by the GIA is very rare. Only about 20% of all the diamonds mined have a diamond clarity rating that is high enough for the diamond to be considered as a gemstone.

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Spend what you are comfortable with. If you go to a jewelry store the salesman will ussually try and tell you that you should spend 2 to 3 moths salary on an engagement ring. I really see no logic in this. Here’s why..

If you spend the time to research diamonds a bit and also if you shop around a bit to find the best price on an engagement ring then you are sure to find a great ring at a price you feel comfortable with. So to answer your question there is no set amount you should spend on an engagement ring.

The only thing I can tell you is that the average engagement ring is 1 carat in size.  Now, not all 1 carat engagement rings cost the same. Diamonds with higher quality will cost more than lower quality ones, platinum or 18 K gold rings will cost more than 14 k gold and you will also pay more for the same ring at your local jewelry store than at a reputable online wholesale dealer in engagement rings.

I have compiled a list of these online dealers and you can view it here.