Unlike diamonds, rubies, and other gems, emerald is the only major gemstone expected to have visible inclusions. "Jardins" or "gardens" are the terms for the natural inclusions you find in all emeralds.

Each emerald is comprised of a unique set of jardins, which serves as a "fingerprint" for the emerald. Any emerald without them is immediately suspect as being a synthetic emerald or an imitation emerald.

Emerald clarity is measured using a jeweler's loupe under 10X magnification. Emeralds are considered a Type III gemstone, which include gems that tend to be moderately to heavily included by nature. The best clarity achievable for emeralds is VVS, based on the GIA scale of measurement.

Watch out for inclusions that reach the surface of the emerald, particlarly in the table, as they can pose durability problems for the emerald.

Related to emerald clarity is transparency. For more information, see emerald transparency.