GIA clarity question

[Bijouxboyd 1]

Spending too much time on the Internet looking at all these lovely old stones so again a question for you wise people  I noticed that many times the GIA report will have clarity features such as bruises or  chipping or a cavity yet the clarity grade is still good. For example I am posting a picture of a plot that shows these imperfections yet the clarity is still VS2. I’m just wondering why this is? There’s another stone I saw and unfortunately the report does not have a plot. However it is noted as I1. The notes just say the word “feather“. I do have a picture of the stone but that’s all and I honestly can’t see much. but I do not have a trained eye.
 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2020 by Bijouxboyd

[davidelevi 599]

The clarity grading is not just based on "the amount of stuff". The type, colour, size and location of the inclusion (pardon me, 'characteristic') matter too, but none of those things are marked on the report as such. The plot is just meant to be a rough guide to inclusion location and approximate size when seen from above.

This is one reason why leaping to conclusions about whether a stone is eye-clean or not based on the report plot is usually very premature.

For example, an I1 with a single large feather may have the feather going from top to bottom of the stone, creating an integrity risk. The feather itself may be relatively invisible, unlike a black diopside crystal bang under the table - graded VS2 and annoyingly visible.

[Bijouxboyd 1]

Interesting that a black spot could still be VS2!

[denverappraiser 491]

Are you sure it's the right document for the stone?

 

[davidelevi 599]

I think the image is of

20 hours ago, Bijouxboyd said:

another stone I saw and unfortunately the report does not have a plot. However it is noted as I1.

 

[Bijouxboyd 1]

The GIA document I posted doesn’t correspond to the picture of the stone. Sorry if I was not clear (no pun intended haha). I was wondering how the Gia doc could have a VS2 grade despite notes of chips and cavity. And I was comparing to the fact that the pic of the stone I posted is I1, but the GIA notes (which I didn’t post a pic of) just say “feather”. But since there isn’t a plot I don’t know where it is or how big of a feather, whether there is more than one etc.