By Gary A.
Edited by Brian M.
Published Sep 9, 2021
Edited on Sep 25, 2024
Flawless diamonds represent the pinnacle of perfection, offering unmatched clarity and rarity for those who seek nothing but the best. Explore our guide to flawless diamond engagement rings and uncover how to make the ultimate statement of love and luxury.
Navigate This Guide:
You don’t need us to tell you that finding the perfect diamond engagement ring is not always a walk in the park and that plenty of people have fallen afoul of ‘buyers’ doubt’ during their own searches. An investment this big requires you to follow your own instincts – to know your partner better, maybe, than she knows herself – but it also requires plenty of research, and the ability to follow fact as much as fancy.
What we mean by ‘the facts’ is, of course, the objective information available on any GIA certified diamond in existence: cut, color, clarity and carat. These four Cs offer a clear snapshot of the ring, its quality and, by extension, its value.
Still, it’s easy to take these Cs a little too literally, and all too common for new shoppers to jump to the conclusion that simply targeting the very top grades for clarity and color is a foolproof tactic for making a good investment.
So, is the ‘most beautiful’ diamond the wisest choice for your future bride? Chances are the answer is no. Here’s why.
Before we dive deeper into the specifics, here are some practical tips to help guide your decision-making process:
When embarking on the journey to purchase a flawless diamond (FL) or internally flawless (IF) engagement ring, several practical aspects must be considered. These tips will guide you in making an informed decision, focusing specifically on the clarity of FL-IF diamonds.
Now that you’ve got these practical tips, use Jeweler AI below to find the perfect engagement ring that suits your style and budget:
Meaning ‘Flawless’, FL is the uppermost grade for clarity on the GIA Scale. It refers to a diamond, under 10x magnification, and does not hold any visible inclusions.
These diamonds, along with Type IIa diamonds, are also the rarest since it is incredibly rare for nature to produce something so close to perfection as an FL diamond.
FL diamonds will still have inclusions visible only under extreme magnification – say, 100x – but gemologists only go as far as 10x magnification for grading clarity. They are highly popular among the world’s most avid collectors of diamonds, and so, for that reason, are not something that the casual shopper will see listed for sale.
On the global diamond market, a slightly more common sight is the IF Diamond grade, but even that one is hard to come by.
Fewer than 0.5% of all diamonds are graded at FL. While the microscopic beauty of an FL graded diamond is highly valued among collectors, it is undoubtedly their rarity that makes them so valuable.
Why? Because, as we mentioned, many diamonds appear as free from flaws as FL diamonds, so the aesthetic benefits of paying many thousands of dollars for these stones is insignificant. For those who are willing to invest, the allure of FL diamonds primarily stems from the fact that they are highly unlikely phenomena, and one of just a small few in the world today.
As you’d expect, FL and IF diamonds also appear very bright, very clear and crisp, with no visible inclusions or blemishes. They are, in a word, perfection.
Here’s the rub: flawless diamonds will look identical to eye clean diamonds with lower clarity grades unless you’re scrutinizing them through a microscope.
By far the most important factor impacting sparkle is cut. Some cuts sparkle more than others, with the 58-faceted round cut stealing the show in terms of sparkle.
Clarity can impact sparkle, but only when a diamond’s clarity is so low that it features significant and visible inclusions. For instance, cloudy diamonds are considered highly undesirable for jewelry because of the fact that their inclusions prevent them from sparkling – and, instead, they look pretty lackluster.
But, as we’ve mentioned above, many diamonds – even those that are several grades away from Flawless – appear eye clean, or have only the most minor inclusions, and they will sparkle just as beautifully as a diamond that is free from inclusions.
A clarity grade of FL is objectively better than VVS, since the former holds no inclusions – but, visually, they will look the same.
Clarity is decided under a microscope, and only at the lower end of the GIA Clarity Scale will you find diamonds that are visibly included. The rest, while included, appear to be free from any imperfections when viewed with the naked eye. The only noticeable difference between FL and VVS – provided you don’t have a microscope to hand – is the price tag.
Put it this way. The GIA Clarity scale runs from FL and IF, through VVS1 and VVS2, VS1 and VS2, SI1 and SI2, and I1, I2 and I3.
It is possible to find eye clean diamonds graded as (seemingly) low as SI1 – and that’s six grades below the perfection of an FL grade.
So, if you’re looking for an eye clean diamond, you can afford to stray much further from FL than you might realize – and save yourself thousands of dollars in the process. And, while FL is demonstrably ‘better’ than VVS (or any other grade on the GIA Scale, for that matter) it’s not the best choice for you, or your bride-to-be.
It won’t come as a surprise to know that FL and IF diamonds are very expensive. Their value is significantly higher than that of the next diamond clarity grade down (VVS1), although this price hike is due primarily to their rarity, rather than their physical appearance to the naked eye.
A 1 carat FL diamond with excellent cut and color grades will likely cost upwards of $10,000, with the price rising exponentially with carat weight. A color D flawless diamond will be worth thousands more than a diamond with a slightly lesser color and clarity grade, but you won’t get any more visual quality, despite the extra investment.
At smaller sizes (around 1 carat) the cost of a flawless diamond can be more than a third higher than the cost of a VVS diamond with a comparable carat weight, cut and color. At higher carat weights, the price can quickly escalate into five – or even six – figures, simply because the FL and IF grades are so highly coveted among collectors.
As a result, these diamonds are not intended to be purchased by those looking to find a center stone for an engagement ring. In fact, while diamond is an incredibly strong substance, it will quickly lose its status as ‘Flawless’ when mounted within jewelry, since even the most minor blemishes (surface flaws) will occur during this process, and during wear.
There really is the smallest difference between an FL and an IF diamond. Let’s put it this way: you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between an IF and an eye clean SI1 diamond, which puts the idea of spotting the difference between FL and IF diamonds even further out of reach.
As an investment, IF makes more sense simply because it’s slightly cheaper than FL, but neither one is a good investment – particularly for an engagement ring.
Do you need a flawless clarity diamond? No. Will you even find many flawless diamonds for sale? Again, no, because flawlessness is one of the rarest phenomena found in nature, and collectors are willing to pay above and beyond the usual cost of a 1, 5, or 10 carat diamond just to hold that perfection in their hand.
Even a 1 carat flawless diamond will be way out of the average shopper’s price range – and, if it’s not, why not spend that money on getting a bigger diamond, or one with a better color? Flawlessness is only impressive under a microscope, and how often will you find your high-price-tag flawless diamond engagement ring in the lab after you propose?