Is VVS Clarity Worth Paying More For? A Gemmologist's Guide

What does VVS clarity mean?

VVS stands for very, very slightly included. It covers two grades, VVS1 and VVS2, which sit third and fourth on the GIA clarity scale, just below Flawless (FL) and Internally Flawless (IF). Inclusions are tiny internal features, such as crystals of another mineral or minute cracks, that formed while the diamond grew. Blemishes are marks on the surface, such as a small nick or a polish line. A clarity grade describes how easy both are to find. If you want every grade explained in order, our walk through the full clarity scale from FL to I3 sets them out one by one.

Graders judge clarity at 10× magnification, using a loupe (a small folding hand lens) or a microscope, with the diamond face-up. In a VVS diamond the inclusions are extremely difficult for a skilled grader to locate at that power. In VVS1 they are often only visible when the stone is turned over and viewed through the pavilion (the pointed underside). In VVS2 they are still very hard to see, but a grader may find them face-up.

GIA weighs five factors when it sets a clarity grade: the size of each inclusion, the number of them, their position (one under the table, the large top facet, counts for more than one tucked near the girdle), their nature (what kind of feature it is and whether it reaches the surface) and their relief (how much it contrasts with the diamond around it). Clarity is only one part of a diamond's quality; our explainer on how clarity fits with cut, colour and carat shows how the four grades work together. Any unfamiliar term on this page is defined in our plain-English glossary of grading terms.

What is the difference between VVS1 and VVS2?

The inclusions in both grades are the same kinds of features; the difference is how hard the grader has to search for them. Typical VVS inclusions are pinpoints (tiny crystals that look like dots even at 10×), faint needles (thin crystals), a small wisp of cloud (a cluster of pinpoints), a tiny feather (a minute internal crack) or an indented natural (a speck of the original crystal surface left on the girdle).

• VVS1: inclusions extremely difficult to see at 10×, usually only from the pavilion side. Often a single pinpoint or a natural on the girdle.
• VVS2: inclusions very difficult to see at 10×, sometimes visible face-up to an experienced grader. Often a few pinpoints or a faint needle.
• Both: completely invisible without magnification, at any normal viewing distance, in any shape.

Read more about each grade in our guides to VVS1 clarity diamonds in detail and VVS2 diamonds and what graders find in them. Above VVS1 sit the two top grades: IF means no inclusions at 10×, only minor surface blemishes, and FL means no inclusions or blemishes visible at 10×. Those are covered in our page on flawless and internally flawless grades.

In practice, the gap between VVS1 and VVS2 is invisible to anyone not holding a loupe, and even with one it can take a trained eye some minutes to find. For most people the choice between them comes down to price and to how the stone's other grades line up.

Can you see the difference between VVS and VS clarity?

Without magnification, no. The question that matters for most buyers is whether a diamond is eye-clean, meaning you cannot see any inclusion with your naked eye from about 25–30 cm, face-up. Every VVS diamond is eye-clean. So is almost every VS1 and the large majority of VS2 diamonds, and many SI1 stones. Our pages on what VS1 clarity looks like up close and why VS2 is so often eye-clean show where those grades sit.

The line where eye-clean becomes hit and miss sits around SI1 and SI2, not around VS. Our guide to SI2 diamonds, where eye-clean becomes a stone-by-stone call explains how to check one. Moving from VS2 up to VVS2 changes what a grader records on paper; it does not change what you, your partner or anyone across the dinner table will see.

How much more does VVS clarity cost in Australia?

Each step up the clarity scale costs more, and the steps grow larger as the colour grade and carat weight rise. For a natural 1 carat round in G colour with an Excellent cut grade, moving from VS2 to VVS2 commonly adds somewhere around 15–40% to the price. For lab-grown diamonds the gap is much smaller, because high-clarity lab-grown stones are far more common.

These are broad ranges only. Prices move with the market, and two diamonds with identical grades can differ in price because of cut quality, fluorescence (a glow under ultraviolet light) or where the inclusions sit. The pattern is what matters: in natural diamonds the VVS premium is often a four-figure sum at 1 carat and more again at 2 carats, while in lab-grown diamonds it may be only a hundred or two dollars.

If you are torn between grades, VS1 as a middle ground on price is worth a look. It usually costs less than VVS2 and is eye-clean in nearly every shape and size most people buy.

Is VVS clarity worth it in a lab-grown diamond?

Lab-grown diamonds are real diamond, with the same hardness (10 on the Mohs scale) and refractive index (about 2.42) as natural diamond, but grown in a laboratory rather than mined. They are made either by HPHT (high pressure, high temperature, which recreates the conditions deep in the earth) or CVD (chemical vapour deposition, which builds diamond layer by layer from a carbon-rich gas).

Because growth conditions are controlled, a much higher share of lab-grown diamonds reach VVS clarity than natural diamonds do. That is why the price step is small. Their inclusions also differ: HPHT stones can contain tiny metallic flux inclusions, and CVD stones can show dark pinpoints of graphite. At VVS grades these are just as invisible to the eye as any natural inclusion.

So in lab-grown diamonds, VVS is often a reasonable pick simply because it costs little extra. In natural diamonds, the same choice can tie up a sum that would otherwise buy a better cut, a whiter colour or a larger stone. Lab-grown diamonds are graded mainly by IGI (GIA also issues lab-grown reports but has moved to simplified quality descriptions rather than the full FL–I3 scale); the report states clearly that the diamond is laboratory-grown, and the girdle is usually laser-inscribed to match. Our comparison of natural and lab-grown VVS1 stones goes further into the differences.

Does VVS clarity make a diamond stronger or hold its value better?

No to the first. Clarity does not change a diamond's hardness, and at eye-clean grades it has no visible effect on how it handles light. In the VVS, VS and most SI grades, inclusions are far too small to affect durability. Clarity starts to matter for strength only in the lower grades, where a large feather reaching the surface can make a stone more likely to chip if it takes a hard knock. Our guide to included grades, where clarity can affect durability covers that in detail.

On value, a higher clarity grade keeps a higher price relative to lower grades of the same stone, but every diamond resells well below its retail price, and lab-grown diamonds have very limited resale value. Neither natural nor lab-grown diamonds should be bought expecting to make money. Choose a clarity grade for how the diamond will look and how you feel about it, not for what it might fetch later.

When is VVS clarity the smart pick?

There are honest reasons to choose VVS. They come down to shape, size and personal priorities.

• Large step cuts: emerald and Asscher cuts have long, open facets and a large table that act like a window. Inclusions that a round brilliant would hide can be easier to spot, especially above about 2 carats.
• Larger stones generally: an inclusion of a given grade is physically bigger in a 3 carat diamond than in a 0.5 carat one, so the eye-clean margin narrows as size rises.
• Top colour grades: if you have chosen D–F colour and want every grade on the report to sit near the top, VVS keeps the set consistent.
• Lab-grown diamonds: the price step is small enough that VVS often costs little more than VS.
• Peace of mind: some people simply value knowing the stone is nearly free of inclusions. That is a fair reason, as long as you know you are paying for knowledge rather than for anything visible.

Brilliant-style shapes hide inclusions best, because their many small facets break light into busy patterns that disguise tiny features. Our overview of how each diamond shape shows inclusions and the full list of 34 diamond cuts show which family each shape belongs to. If you like an elongated look but want clarity to matter less, oval diamonds with their forgiving brilliant faceting are a practical choice.

What matters more than clarity for sparkle?

Cut, by a long way. Cut quality decides how much light the diamond returns to your eye as brightness, fire (flashes of colour) and scintillation (the sparkle of light and dark as it moves). A VVS2 round with a Good cut grade will look noticeably duller than a VS2 with an Excellent cut. Our guide to the four Cs ranked by what you actually see explains why cut comes first, and our page on what hearts and arrows cutting really adds looks at the premium end of cut quality.

Colour comes next for most people, then carat, with clarity usually last once a diamond is eye-clean. One exception worth knowing: a diamond with a large, dense cloud can look slightly hazy even at SI1 or VS2, and the report may not say so. That is a reason to look at the stone or a good video, not a reason to pay for VVS.

How do you decide whether to pay for VVS clarity? Step by step

1. Fix the shape and size first. A round under 2 carats rarely needs VVS; a large emerald or Asscher cut might benefit from VS1 or higher.
2. Set the cut and colour. Choose an Excellent or Ideal cut where graded, and the colour you want, before you look at clarity.
3. Start at VS2 or SI1. Check whether the stone is eye-clean in person or on a 360° video at actual size.
4. Read the plotting diagram. The report maps each inclusion; our explainer on how graders plot inclusions on a report shows how to read it. Avoid feathers near the girdle or under the table.
5. Price the step up. Compare the same diamond specification at VS2, VS1 and VVS2, and note the difference in dollars.
6. Decide what the difference buys. If it would buy a better cut, a higher colour or a larger stone you would notice, take that. If not, and VVS gives you peace of mind, VVS is a fair choice.