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Different dealers may use different methods and symbols to describe the grade of a gemstone. Many use "commercial", "good", "fine" and "extra fine" to describe the stones. You will also often see "AAA","AA","A","B" etc. The grade of a stone takes into consideration the clarity of the stone, the color and to a lesser extent, the cut.
Color is the most important consideration for colored gemstones. There are 3 factors affecting the color of a stone. They are Hue, Saturation, and Tone.
Hue is the color of the stone: red, yellow, blue, etc. Generally, the more pure colors are more desirable. For instance, a red ruby is better than a orangish-red ruby.
Saturation refers to the intensity of the color. Saturation is usually rated from 1 to 6, 1 being grayish or brownish and 6 being "vivid". Generally the more vivid color, the better .
Tone is how dark or light the looks. They are rated on a scale of 0 to 10 with colorless being 0 and so dark as to appear black being 10.
Grading can be very subjective and standards vary from one type of gemstone to another. For example, inclusions are more acceptable in an emerald than in, say an Amethyst. The Gemological Institute of America has attempted to standardize clarity standards for Colored Gems. They have divided Gemstones into 3 types and have defined the clarity grades for each type.
Below is the GIA grading standards for clarity.
Type I - Gemstones Beryl Aquamarine Green Morganite Heliodor Chrysoberyl Green Yellow Quartz Smokey Spodumene Kunzite Green Topaz Blue Yellow Orange Pink Red Tourmaline Green Zircon Blue Zoisite Tanzanite
Type I - Clarity
VVS - Very, Very Slightly Included (the best) Minute inclusions that are difficult to see using 10X, and are not visible at all to the naked eye.
VS - Very Slightly Included Minor inclusions that are easier to see using 10X, but still not visible to the naked eye.
SI1 - Slightly Included I The inclusions are easily seen using 10X, and are noticeable with the naked eye.
SI2 - Slightly Included 2 The inclusions are more easily seen using 10X, and are quite visible with the naked eye.
I1- Included 1 The inclusions are very obvious and they have a moderate negative effect on the over-all appearance or durability of the gemstone.
I2 - Included 2 The inclusions are very obvious and they have a severe negative effect on the over-all appearance or durability of the gemstone.
I3 - Included 3 The inclusions are very obvious and they have a sever negative effect on both the over-all appearance and durability of the gemstone.
Type 2- Gemstones Andalusite All Chrysoberyl Alexandrite Corundum All colors (Sapphire and Ruby) Garnet All species and colors Iolite - All Peridot - All Quartz Amethyst Citrine Ametrine Spinel - All Tourmaline Blue Orange Yellow Multi-colored (except watermelon color) Zircon Green Orange Red Yellow
Type 2 - Clarity VVS - Very, Very Slightly Included (the best) Minor inclusions that are somewhat easy to see using 10X, but still not visible to the naked eye. VS - Very Slightly Included Noticeable inclusions that are easier to see using 10X, and may be slightly visible to the naked eye. SI1 - Slightly Included I The inclusions are easily seen using 10X and are large or numerous, and are noticeable with the naked eye.
SI2 - Slightly Included 2 The inclusions are easily seen using 10X and are large or numerous, and are very noticeable with the naked eye.
I1 - Included 1 The inclusions are very obvious and they have a moderate negative effect on the over-all appearance or durability of the gemstone.
I2 - Included 2 The inclusions are very obvious and they have a severe negative effect on the over-all appearance or durability of the gemstone.
I3 - Included 3 The inclusions are very obvious and they have a sever negative effect on both the over-all appearance and durability of the gemstone.
Type 3 - Gemstones Beryl Emerald Tourmaline Red Pink Watermelon
Type 3- Clarity
VVS - Very, Very Slightly Included (the best) Noticeable inclusions that are easy to see using 10X, but usually not visible to the naked eye.
VS - Very Slightly Included Obvious inclusions that are easy to see using 10X, and usually visible to the naked eye.
SI1 - Slightly Included I The inclusions are large and numerous using 10X, and prominent with the naked eye.
SI2 - Slightly Included 2 The inclusions are large and numerous using 10X, and very prominent with the naked eye.
I1 - Included 1 The inclusions are very obvious and they have a moderate negative effect on the over-all appearance or durability of the gemstone.
I2 - Included 2 The inclusions are very obvious and they have a severe negative effect on the over-all appearance or durability of the gemstone. I3 - Included 3 The inclusions are very obvious and they have a sever negative effect on both the over-all appearance and durability of the gemstone.
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