What Are VVS Diamonds? The Grade Behind the Slang

VVS is shorthand for Very Very Slightly Included. It is two steps on GIA's 11-grade clarity scale, sitting just below Flawless and Internally Flawless and just above VS1. Clarity grades describe how many tiny crystals, feathers or clouds sit inside a diamond and how hard they are to find at 10x magnification.

Two things VVS is not. It is not a gem species: moissanite, cubic zirconia and glass are different materials altogether. And it is not a guarantee of sparkle: a VVS stone with a poor cut still looks dull. VVS only tells you how clean the inside of a diamond is.

The line between VVS1 and VVS2 is drawn by a grader with a microscope, not by a buyer at a counter. In a VVS1 stone the inclusions are typically so small, or positioned so well, that they show only when the stone is viewed through the pavilion. In VVS2 a grader can find them from the top with effort. Both read as perfectly clean to the eye.

The practical difference is price and paperwork. VVS1 costs more than VVS2, which costs more than VS1, for a difference you can only document under magnification. If a seller cannot show you a report that says VVS1 or VVS2, you have no way to know which one you are paying for.

GIA's own guidance is that VVS and VS diamonds usually look the same without magnification. The inclusions in a VS1 stone are small enough that, face up at a normal distance, nothing shows. Here is what that means for a real purchase.

The full head-to-head lives on our VVS vs VS comparison. Our house rings are graded VS1 with E color for exactly this reason: the stone faces up white and clean, and the budget goes into size. The Round Lab Diamond Ring 3.96 ct, 14K White Gold ($5,400) is a good example of where that money ends up.

In rap lyrics and Instagram captions, "VVS" has come to mean "real diamonds that hit hard in the light." That is a vibe, not a grade. Plenty of chains sold as "VVS" online are moissanite or cubic zirconia, and some sellers use "VVS moissanite" to describe a clean simulant. Moissanite can be internally clean, but it is still silicon carbide, not diamond, and US rules say a diamond simulant must be identified as what it is.

The FTC Jewelry Guides also bar sellers from using words like "real" or "natural" for lab-grown stones and require lab-grown origin to be disclosed. So when you read "VVS diamonds" on an iced piece, ask two separate questions: what is the stone, and who graded the clarity? Our iced out jewelry is described by stone origin and metal, and the tools to check any seller's claims are in how to spot fake diamonds.

On a chain or pendant set with hundreds of small stones, insisting on VVS for every stone is rarely worth it. Stones of 1 to 2 mm almost never carry individual reports, and at that size VS and VVS look identical. What makes an iced piece look expensive is consistent color across every stone (no yellow or grey ones), tight setting, and good polish on the metal. A piece like the Round Lab Diamond Necklace 18.48 ct, 14K Yellow Gold ($6,500) is judged by how even the line of stones looks, not by a clarity letter on each one.

For most buyers, no. VVS makes sense in three situations:

• Large step cuts. An emerald or asscher above about 3 carats shows its interior plainly, and some buyers want zero risk of a visible inclusion.
• Collectors and investors in natural stones. Top clarity is part of what makes a rare mined diamond rare.
• Peace of mind. Some people simply want the higher grade, and that is a fair reason if the budget allows.

Everywhere else, VS1 delivers the same face-up look. With lab-grown diamonds the premium between VVS and VS has shrunk, but it still buys a difference that only a loupe can see.

A simple way to decide: put a VVS2 and a VS1 stone of the same size and color side by side, face up, without a loupe. If you cannot pick which is which (most people cannot), ask yourself what the extra money is buying. If the answer is "knowing it is VVS," that is a valid reason, as long as you know that is what you are paying for.

Clarity is one of four grades, and on its own it says nothing about how a diamond looks. A VVS1 stone with K color looks warm. A VVS1 stone with a deep, poorly proportioned cut looks dark in the center. A VVS1 stone of 0.30 carat looks small. Those trade-offs are why experienced buyers start with cut, then pick a size, then a color, and only then a clarity grade.

Stone B is the profile of the house rings: E color, VS1 clarity. Stone C is what many people think they need. For more on the other grades see the 4Cs guide.

Clarity means the same thing in both origins, but the inclusions look different and the price logic differs.

The practical upshot: if a lab-grown VVS stone costs only a little more than a VS1 of the same size, it can be a reasonable buy. If a natural VVS costs far more than a natural VS1, ask yourself whether you are buying a look or a number on a report.

1. Ask for the report. A VVS claim on a center stone should come with a grading report from an independent lab such as GIA or IGI.
2. Verify the number. Enter the report number on the lab's website and match the carat weight and measurements to the stone.
3. Check the inscription. Many reported stones carry the report number laser-inscribed on the girdle, readable with a loupe.
4. Confirm the material. A diamond tester that measures thermal and electrical conductivity separates diamond from moissanite. A clarity grade means nothing if the stone is not a diamond.
5. Get it in writing. Stone type, origin (lab or natural), carat weight and clarity on the receipt.

For a refresher on all four grading factors start with our 4Cs guide, see the full scale on the clarity chart, and read how reports differ in GIA vs IGI certificates.

Any honest seller can answer these quickly. Hesitation is your answer.

1. "What is the stone?" Diamond, lab-grown diamond, moissanite or cubic zirconia. Only the first two can carry a real diamond clarity grade.
2. "Who graded it?" An independent lab report, an in-house grade, or no grade at all. In-house grades are opinions, not reports.
3. "Is the clarity for the center stone or the whole piece?" A chain described as "VVS" usually has hundreds of small stones that were never individually graded.
4. "What is the total carat weight and the color?" VVS on a yellowish stone is a strange trade-off. Clarity without color tells half the story.
5. "Can you write all of this on the receipt?" Stone type, origin, carat weight, color and clarity. Under the FTC Jewelry Guides a lab-grown diamond must be identified as lab-grown, and a simulant must never be called a diamond.

If the answers check out, VVS is a real grade on a real diamond. If they do not, the word was decoration.