Our purchasing decisions and valuation of the colored gemstones we offer for sale depend on color, clarity, cut and carat weight. We grade each gemstone by GIA (Gemological Institute of America) standards, which are somewhat complex.

For example, GIA clarity grades vary depending on what "Type" of stone is being examined. GIA has three categories for stone Type (Type 1, Type 2, and Type 3) and variations for clarity scale, such as VVS (a very clean stone) and SI (a slightly included stone). Because a Type 1 gemstone frequently has minimal eye-visible inclusions and a Type 3 gemstone almost always has eye-visible inclusions, a VVS clarity rating would be more easily achieved for the Type 3 gemstone than the Type 1 gemstone. To put it another way, an included Type 3 gemstone would "grade higher" than a Type 1 stone with similar inclusions.

Because of the complexity of the "sliding scale" for clarity from GIA standards, we describe clarity for all gemstones on the same scale on our website, regardless of whether the gemstone is a Type 1, Type 2, or Type 3 gemstone. Therefore, a stone that is described as "eye-clean" will not have eye-visible inclusions, whether the stone is a Type 1 (Tanzanite, for example), Type 2 (Garnet, for example), or Type 3 (Emerald, for example), in the clarity descriptions on our website.

Following is the list of the abbreviations we use for "Clarity" that appear in the details section for each Gemstone we offer, listed in ranking order from our highest clarity rating (Loupe Clean) to our lowest clarity rating (Minor Inclusions):

1. Loupe Clean	No detectable inclusions at 10x magnification.
2. Almost Loupe Clean	Only very, very slight inclusions detected at 10x magnification and no eye-visible inclusions.
3. Clean	Only slight inclusions detected at 10x magnification and no eye-visible inclusions.
4. Eye Clean	No eye-visible inclusions (gemstone face-up).
5. Very Slight Inclusions	Only very slight eye-visible inclusions (gemstone face-up).
6. Slight Inclusions	Slight eye-visible inclusions (gemstone face-up).
7. Minor Inclusions	Eye-visible inclusions that are apparent.

Also see Gemstones Enhancement Codes Explained.