SearchVVS diamonds: what VVS means, VVS1 vs VVS2, and whether you can see it
From the counter at TraxNYC, 47th Street.
The short answer
- VVS means very, very slightly included. A clarity grade: the marks inside are so small that a trained grader has a hard time finding them under 10x magnification.
- VVS1 vs VVS2: VVS1 is one step cleaner. Both sit between IF and VS on the clarity scale.
- Can you see it? No. On a ring, an ear or a chain, VVS, VS and most SI1 diamonds look the same. What you see is the cut, the color and a clean stone.
- In our case: about 1 in 20 of our listings that print a clarity grade name VVS, three in four of them lab-grown diamonds, counted September 27, 2026.
Choosing a grade? Text us or call 212-872-9692. Our team texts back 10 AM to 10 PM ET; later texts are answered the next day.
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What VVS means on a diamond
Clarity is the C for what sits inside a diamond and on its surface, graded under 10x magnification by the size, number and place of the marks. At VVS they are pinpoints and tiny feathers that take a trained eye and a loupe to find.
| Grade | What it means | Seen by eye, face up? |
|---|---|---|
| FL, IF | Flawless, or Internally Flawless: nothing inside under 10x. | No |
| VVS1 | Very, very slightly included: marks a grader has a hard time finding at 10x. | No |
| VVS2 | One step below VVS1. | No |
| VS1, VS2 | Very slightly included: small marks, found with some effort at 10x. | No; a VS2 rarely |
| SI1, SI2 | Slightly included: marks seen easily at 10x. | SI1 usually not; SI2 sometimes |
| I1 to I3 | Included. Marks obvious under 10x. | Often |
GIA's scale, as our 4 C's guide lays it out. The last column is our experience at arm's length, not a lab test.
VVS1 vs VVS2
The difference is how hard the marks are to find. A VVS1's marks often show only from the back of the stone; a VVS2's are a little easier to find, still only under magnification.
Neither shows across a table; choose for the paper and the price. Where our listings give the number, VVS2 is about five times as common as VVS1. About half print a range instead, such as VS to VVS, because a piece with many small diamonds is graded as a group.
Can you see the difference between VVS and VS?
Not with your eye. A VVS, a VS and most SI1 diamonds face up the same. Your eye reads light: how well the stone is cut, how white it is, and whether it is clean.
Clarity reaches the eye in two places: a big stone graded SI2 or lower, and a step cut such as an emerald, whose long open facets show the marks inside more than a round does.
Try it: which cross is set with VVS diamonds?
Three 14K gold crosses from our listings: one graded VVS, one VS2, one SI1. Pick, then open the answer.
A. Cross
B. Cross
C. Cross
See the answer
- A: SI1, G color. See the listing for A.
- B: VVS, E to F color. See the listing for B.
- C: VS2, G color. See the listing for C.
All three are natural diamonds. Nobody can tell from a photo, or on the neck. The listing tells you.
Clarity, sourcing and shine. What to know about a diamond, from our channel. 150,000 views on YouTube, read September 26, 2026.
What VVS means on an iced-out piece
In hip hop, VVS became the word for diamonds that look clean, white and bright; on a grading report it means clarity only. That look comes from the cut, the color and a clean setting, so ask about those first.
A chain or a pendant set with many small diamonds is graded as a group. Our men's diamond chains and tennis chains mostly print VS, some SI.
Share of our listings that print VVS, by kind of piece: highest on rings, lowest on chains
Read the clarity line on each listing: men's diamond pendants, men's diamond rings and men's diamond stud earrings.
VVS in lab-grown diamonds and natural diamonds
Most VVS in our case is lab-grown: about one in five of our lab-grown diamond listings that print a clarity grade name VVS, against about 1 in 75 of our natural diamond listings.
Share of our listings that print VVS, by origin
A lab-grown diamond grows under controlled conditions, so high clarity is common. In 2025 GIA said most fall in a narrow color and clarity range and began describing them in words; IGI still grades them.
A natural VVS is rarer, and priced that way: other grades equal, every step up the clarity scale moves the price, and so does the origin.
From the counter
“Choose lab-grown diamonds if you want the look, you do not mind wearing lab-grown, and you would rather put your money into gold or other gems. Choose natural diamonds if the piece is meant to be passed down to someone you love, because that question always comes up.”
VVS pieces from our case
Text us or call
Want VVS? Ask for the grade of every stone in the piece.
Every stone is shown in person or on video before you decide.
Questions we hear at the counter
What does VVS mean in diamonds?
Very, very slightly included: a clarity grade below FL and IF and above VS. By eye, a VVS and a VS look the same.
Are VVS diamonds real?
VVS is a grade, not a kind of stone. A stone sold as "VVS" with no diamond in its name may not be a diamond at all: here is how to tell if a diamond is real.
Is a VVS lab-grown diamond a real diamond?
It is diamond, the same carbon crystal as a natural one, and it must be sold as a lab-grown diamond. Our listings say which.
How much does a VVS diamond cost?
There is no single number: carat, color, cut, clarity and origin all move it, and a lab-grown diamond costs far less than a natural one of the same grades. The listing carries the price.
Keep reading
More answers from the counter: all TraxNYC buyer's guides.
See the grades at the counter
64 W 47th St, Booth F-1, New York, NY 10036, on 47th Street since 2004. Monday to Friday 11 am to 6 pm ET, Saturday and Sunday 12 pm to 4 pm ET; around a holiday, text first.
Call or text 212-872-9692, or read our showroom page first.