VVS Diamonds: Full Form, VVS1 vs VVS2, and Is It Worth the Money

VVS Diamonds Explained: Full Form, Clarity Grades, and Whether They Are Worth Paying For -

VVS is one of those terms that escaped the jewellery trade and became something people say without a precise definition attached. It turns up in rap lyrics, in resale listings, and in WhatsApp forwards about what to look for when buying a diamond. Somewhere along the way it picked up a reputation as the grade you should want.

The truth is more useful and slightly less exciting. VVS is a real, specific clarity grade with a clear definition, it sits near the top of the scale, and for lab grown diamonds it is exactly where we recommend the money goes. Understanding why requires knowing what the scale actually measures.

VVS full form and what it means

VVS stands for Very Very Slightly Included.

Every natural and lab grown diamond forms with tiny internal characteristics: crystals, feathers, clouds, pinpoints. Graders call these inclusions. Clarity grading is the process of examining a stone under 10x magnification and judging how visible those inclusions are to a trained grader.

A VVS diamond has inclusions that are very difficult for a skilled grader to see even at 10x magnification. Not invisible, and not absent. Very difficult to see, under magnification, by someone trained to find them.

That last part is the whole point. Clarity grading happens under 10x, and a VVS stone holds up even there. If it is clean under a loupe, it is clean on your hand, in bright shop lighting and in close-up photographs.

The full clarity scale

IGI uses the standard scale, running from flawless to included.

VVS sits in the top third. Only flawless and internally flawless rank above it.

VVS1 vs VVS2: the difference is mostly about location

Both grades describe inclusions that are very difficult to see at 10x. What separates them is usually where the inclusion sits rather than how big it is.

In a VVS1 stone, the inclusion is typically positioned so that a grader has to look from underneath, through the pavilion, to find it at all. In a VVS2 it is more likely to be visible from the top, though still with real difficulty.

To the naked eye, in a mounted ring, there is no visible difference between VVS1 and VVS2. Both stay clean even under magnification, which is why we recommend either grade.

VVS vs VS: what you actually get for the money

This is the comparison most buyers are really making, so it deserves a straight answer.

VS stands for Very Slightly Included. A VS1 stone has inclusions a grader finds difficult to see at 10x. A VS2 has inclusions that are somewhat easy to see at 10x.

At arm's length many VS stones can look clean. The difference shows up under a loupe, in bright shop lighting and in close-up photographs, where VS inclusions can be found and VVS inclusions are extremely difficult to find even for a trained grader.

So the clear answer is this. Moving from VS to VVS buys you a stone that stays flawless under close inspection, and in lab grown that step costs very little. That is why VVS1 and VVS2 are the grades we recommend.

VVS vs SI: here the difference can be real

SI stands for Slightly Included, and this is where visible differences start to appear.

SI1 stones often have inclusions that can be found without much effort, particularly in larger stones and step cuts. For fine jewellery we do not recommend them.

SI2 is where it becomes a genuine gamble. Some SI2 stones are eye clean. Others have an inclusion you can spot without magnification once you know where to look, and once you have seen it you cannot unsee it.

Our practical guidance: stay at VVS1 or VVS2. SI grades require inspecting the actual stone, and buying SI sight unseen from a description is where people end up disappointed.

Clarity matters far more in some shapes than others

This is the single most useful thing to know about clarity, and it rarely makes it into buying guides.

Step cuts expose inclusions. Emerald cuts and Asscher cuts have long, flat, parallel facets that work like windows into the stone. There is very little sparkle to distract the eye and very little facet complexity to break up an inclusion. An SI1 that would vanish in a round brilliant can be plainly visible in an emerald cut of the same weight. In step cuts, higher clarity earns its money, and VVS1 or VVS2 is the right choice.

Brilliant cuts hide inclusions. Round brilliants, ovals, pears, marquises, cushions and radiants all have many small facets throwing light in every direction. That visual noise conceals a lot. Even so, VVS1 or VVS2 is what keeps the stone flawless under close inspection.

Size changes the calculation. The same inclusion occupies a larger proportion of the face-up area in a bigger stone, and there is more surface for the eye to scan. Above about two carats, most buyers are more comfortable at VVS2 or better regardless of shape.

Clarity does not affect sparkle

A widespread misunderstanding worth correcting directly. Sparkle comes from cut, and only from cut. It is a function of how precisely the facets are angled and polished so that light entering the stone is returned to your eye rather than leaking out the bottom.

A flawless diamond with a poor cut looks dull. Cut and clarity work together: a well cut VVS stone gives you both sparkle and purity.

If you have a fixed budget, cut quality is the highest return per rupee of the four Cs, and in lab grown VVS clarity costs only a little more, so you can have both. Our 4Cs guide goes through the full trade-off.

What VVS means specifically in lab grown diamonds

Here is where the advice for lab grown genuinely differs from the advice for mined stones, and where a lot of buying guides simply copy across mined diamond logic without checking whether it applies.

In mined diamonds, high clarity is scarce. Nature produces far more included stones than clean ones, so VVS carries a genuine rarity premium.

In lab grown diamonds, growth conditions are controlled. High clarity material is not scarce in the same way, and VVS is common rather than exceptional. The premium structure that exists in mined diamonds does not carry over, which is why VVS clarity is so affordable in lab grown.

The practical consequence is that in lab grown you can reach VVS without the kind of price step you would face in a mined stone. You get a top clarity grade, certified by IGI, for a small premium, which is why VVS1 and VVS2 are the grades we recommend.

Two more things worth knowing about lab grown clarity specifically. Some CVD grown stones carry faint graining or a very slight cloudiness that a certificate records under comments rather than in the clarity grade, so it is worth reading the whole report and not just the grade line. And fluorescence, which is common in mined diamonds, is far less frequent in lab grown, which removes one variable from the decision.

How to read clarity on an IGI certificate

Every IGI report has a clarity line and, for most stones, a plotted diagram showing where the inclusions sit and what type they are.

Three habits make the report useful rather than decorative.

Read the plot, not just the grade. Two stones of the same grade can be very different buys depending on whether the inclusion sits under a crown facet where the pattern hides it or dead centre under the table where it does not.

Read the comments section. Notes about graining, clouds affecting transparency, or extra facets live there rather than in the grade.

Check the report number is laser inscribed on the girdle and that it matches. That is what ties the certificate to the specific stone in front of you. Our guide comparing IGI and SGL covers how the labs differ on grading strictness and what that means for comparing stones across certificates.

So should you buy VVS?

Yes. Here is why it is the grade we recommend.

Buy VVS if you are choosing an Emerald, Oval or Princess cut, you are buying a large stone where the table is a big open window, you know you will inspect the stone with a loupe and want it to hold up, or you simply want a diamond that stays flawless under close inspection. In lab grown, the step in price is small.

Choose VVS2 if you want the best result per rupee. It looks flawless in every shape and size and, in lab grown, costs only a little more than lower grades.

Avoid SI grades for fine jewellery. Their inclusions can often be found without much effort, and the saving in lab grown is small.

Do not trade cut for clarity. With lab grown pricing you can choose an Excellent cut and VVS clarity together, and that combination looks better than any trade-off between them.

Frequently asked questions

What is the full form of VVS? Very Very Slightly Included. It describes inclusions that are very difficult for a trained grader to see under 10x magnification.

Is VVS better than VS? Yes. VVS stones stay clean even under magnification, and in lab grown the step up costs very little.

Can you see inclusions in a VVS diamond? Not without magnification, and even under 10x a trained grader has to work to find them.

Is VVS the best clarity? No. Flawless and Internally Flawless rank above it. VVS is the third tier from the top.

Does VVS mean the diamond is more sparkly? No. Sparkle is determined by cut quality. Clarity and sparkle are unrelated.

Is VVS worth it in lab grown diamonds? Yes. High clarity material is not scarce in lab grown, so the premium is small and VVS is worth it in every shape, from Emerald cut, Oval cut and Princess cuts to larger stones and smaller brilliant cuts.

What does eye clean mean? No inclusion is visible to an unaided eye at normal viewing distance, usually taken as about 25 to 30 centimetres. VVS1 and VVS2 stones go further: they stay clean even under magnification.

Which is more important, clarity or cut? Both matter. Cut determines how the diamond behaves in light, and VVS clarity keeps it flawless under close inspection. In lab grown you can have both: an Excellent cut with VVS1 or VVS2 clarity.

Where to go from here:

Our 4Cs guide covers how clarity trades off against cut, colour and carat when you have a fixed budget. If you are leaning towards a step cut, the emerald cut guide explains why clarity carries more weight in those shapes. And our certification guide covers what IGI actually grades and how to read a report properly.

We supply IGI certified loose lab grown diamonds and set them to order, and every quote separates the stone from the gold, the making and the GST, so you can see exactly what a change in clarity grade costs before you decide whether it is worth it.

Related Reads: diamond shape guide for indian buyers, diamond cuts and shapes guide