A flawless (FL) diamond shows no inclusions at 10x, and they’re very rare—fewer than 1% of all diamonds receive an FL clarity rating. Flawless diamonds are incredibly rare because most diamonds feature naturally occurring inclusions.
An IF (Internally flawless) diamond like this one from Blue Nile has no visible internal inclusions but might have slight blemishes on the stone’s surface. They’re extremely rare, just like flawless diamonds, and represent less than 1% of all diamonds.
Only a professional gemologist can give an IF diamond its grading while looking at the stone under 60X magnification.
When you’re looking for a diamond that’s truly flawless, look for an IF or FL clarity grade. Internally flawless (IF) diamonds are free of inclusions under 10x magnification, but they may contain some surface blemishes.
A flawless (FL) diamond shows no inclusions at 10x, and they’re very rare—fewer than 1% of all diamonds receive an FL clarity rating. Flawless diamonds are incredibly rare, because most diamonds feature naturally occurring inclusions. IF and FL are the top tiers of clarity grade.
When you see a diamond labeled as Flawless (FL) or Internally Flawless (IF), you might think it’s the best diamond clarity to buy. The truth is, buying a diamond with such a high Clarity grade won’t be noticed.
Diamonds with lower clarity grades, such as VS2 and SI1 diamonds, appear eye-clean just like a flawless diamond but cost thousands of dollars less. So while FL and IF represent the peak of the Clarity grade, they’re not a smart buy, since they’ll appear the same as lower graded diamonds.
