SI2 diamonds that are eye clean are becoming harder to find. They are something that takes patience and experience to find. As a qualified diamond grader, I am always searching for the most perfectly cut SI2 diamonds with the best located inclusions. Looking at a diamond’s inclusion location is just like property, it is all about location, location location. The second most important thing to understand about diamond clarity and inclusions, is that they are expressed as a percentage of the diamonds size. So the bigger the diamond, the bigger the inclusions can be; becoming more evident in larger diamonds around the 1ct plus size. 

There are four main locations of SI2 diamond inclusions:

1. White inclusion on the edge of the diamond (rarest and most desirable) 
2. Black inclusion on the edge of the diamond
3. White inclusion in the table (centre facet of the diamond)
4. Black inclusion in the table (facet of the diamond; most common and least desirable)  

Having a specialised and qualified diamond grader hand pick your diamond with an eye clean SI2 diamond will not only make it sparkle more, but will save you money as well. It will sparkle more because the inclusions are on the edge of the diamond and not interfering with the light as it travels through the centre of the stone. This gives the diamond more brilliance and sparkle. It will save you money because you won’t need to spend money needlessly on upgrading your clarity to a VS grade.

SI2 clarity inclusions can either be:

1. 1. Dark crystal inclusions
   2. White feather inclusions
   3. Salt and pepper inclusions – usually a mix of white and black crystal inclusions

“BAD” SI2 diamonds

Inclusions in the table should be avoided if at all possible. The table facet or centre of the stone is the easiest place to see any inclusions. Like something sitting below a clear glass table, once you see an inclusion, you will always see it. Your eye is trained to find the inclusion and will always go back to the same spot; one of which can be seen here just off to the left of centre in the middle of the diamond.

“GREAT” SI2 diamonds

Inclusions on the edge are definitely preferred. The combination of facets that run around the outside edge of the diamond (star facets, kite or mainfacets, and upper girdle facets) scatter the light as it exits the stone. This provides a unique camouflage effect, making the inclusions much harder to see. Inclusions are seen here at 10 o’clock and 7 o’clock, halfway to the edge of the diamond.

“PERFECT” SI2 diamonds

One big inclusion on the girdle (edge of the diamond) is the perfect location for an inclusion. Most claw settings will cover an inclusion, provided that they don’t come too far into the centre of the stone. Even if the claw doesn’t cover 100% of the inclusion, when an inclusion comes out of a claw, it is much less noticeable as the eye is not draw to a blank space. Inclusion here is near 12 o’clock, perfectly located to be covered by a claw. 

At Xennox Diamonds, our specialty is hand picking eye clean SI2 inclusions. We are always aiming for the “perfect” inclusion that you can cover with a claw. This leaves more money in your budget for maximizing your cut grade, colour grade or size.  Please make sure to always avoid “Clarity Enhanced” diamonds, as these do not follow the same guidelines outlined here. If you have any questions about this blog or about what to look for when choosing a diamond, please post a comment below as I always enjoy responding.