A diamond’s clarity refers to the imperfections or defects that each diamond contains by nature. The size, location, kind, and colour of these inclusions determine the diamond’s grade.
The better the clarity grade, the fewer the inclusions (a scale that goes from Flawless to Included). Diamonds have established a high bar for clarity. All the diamonds are eye clean, meaning they have no obvious imperfections to the untrained eye.
Key Takeaways
- VVS1 diamonds have fewer inclusions and are of higher clarity than VVS2 diamonds.
- VVS1 and VVS2 diamonds are considered high-quality due to their barely visible inclusions.
- VVS1 inclusions are located near the edges, making them harder to see than VVS2 inclusions.
VVS1 vs VVS2
VVS1 is the higher grade of the two, indicating that the inclusions or blemishes are extremely difficult to see even under 10x magnification. VVS2 indicates that the inclusions or blemishes are slightly more visible, but still very small and difficult to detect without under 10x magnification.
Very slightly included VVS1 & VVS2 inclusions are minor and difficult to discern with 10X magnification, even for an experienced gemologist.
A VVS1 diamond is an outstanding quality diamond with a clarity grade. VVS1 includes naturally occurring characteristics called inclusions that give the diamond a unique fingerprint.
A diamond’s purity is inferred by its clarity of a diamond. It refers to a diamond’s ability to be free of flaws and imperfections.
VVS2 is another clarity grade. With a 10x magnification, VVS2, which is a slightly larger inclusion, can still rarely be seen, but it is slightly simpler to trace and find by a well-trained eye.
These types of diamonds are considered to be the perfect ones. You might see some flaws under 10x magnification, but it would be a flawless diamond for the naked eye.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | VVS1 | VVS2 |
|---|---|---|
| Stand for | Very very slightly included 1 | Very very slightly included 2 |
| Definition | Highly brilliant and stunning looking diamonds with apparent deficiencies such as fractures, cracks, and feathers, etc on top are considered VVS1 diamonds. | Perfectly fine polished glanced diamonds with fewer flaws like a scratch or a chip are considered VVS2 diamonds. |
| Clarity grade | Higher clarity grade. | Lower clarity grade. |
| Inclusions number | One or two. | More than two. |
| Names of Inclusions | Cloud, pinpoint, feather, and natural, etc. | Cloud, feather, crystal, needle, and indented natural, etc. |
What is VVS1?
VVS1 indicates that the diamond material has a Very Very Slight inclusion. The clarity grading VVS1 for diamonds stands for “very very slight, one.” Diamonds with no flaws are extremely rare.
An extremely small diamond could have a “natural” inclusion on the corset or another minor flaw that cannot be noticed without magnification.
It’s a grade in the Gemological Institute of America’s grading system, which is slightly stricter than the European standard.
With a 10X loupe, a VVS1 diamond has a microscopic inclusion or two that are very exceptional to see.
Few imperfections/inclusions may only be noticed if the pavilion is opened. Pinpoint, grain centre, internal graining, and feather are the most common inclusion types.
A VVS1 feather is not noticeable at the front, is confined to the corset, or sometimes just beneath the corset on the bandstand.
Small feathers or two on corset facets that do not penetrate, which is extremely impossible to heed at 10X, may be overlooked.
VVS1 diamonds are the perfect diamonds that can be found.
This would be impossible to observe with the naked eye and even with a 10-power loupe that magnifies the stone’s innards 10 times (standard in the diamond industry).
What is VVS2?
The VVS2 clarity grade is characterized by the presence of minute imperfections that are hard to see with 10x magnification.
Precise, feather, grain centre, internal graining, bruising, needle, and cloud are examples of inclusions that are imperfection types.
Three pinpoints are plotted together to form a small cloud, whereas two pinpoints are plotted separately. The location of a VVS2 insertion and the difficulties of discovering and seeing one are highlighted.
The VVS2 has a feature that is only noticeable through the crown and is only confined to the corset or the pavilion.
It is difficult to detect a VVS2 clarity characteristic, but once found, it’s difficult to overlook.
A diamond’s highest VVS2 grading is determined by a bearded face-up beard with piercing feathers.
Allowance can also be made for the ease with which VVS2 flaws on the surface, such as an external feather or tangle, can be reduced with minimal or no weight loss in the diamond during repolishing.
As previously stated, several grade-maker–size imperfections are conveniently dealt with grading them as an equivalent inclusion with a similar overall area.
The combination of four similar level features is more probable than the inclusion of a single such feature to impair the clarity of one level.
Main Differences Between VVS1 And VVS2
- VVS1 being an extraordinary quality diamond and clarity grade, there are somewhat fewer impurities in VVS1 clarity diamonds than those in VVS2 clarity diamonds.
- We can barely see inclusions in the VVS1 type diamond with 10x magnification of diamonds but we can see the inclusions with the same magnification in the VVS2 type diamond even though they are very tiny.
- Only 1% of all the diamonds in the world belong to the VVS1 category, whereas 7% of all the diamonds in the world belong to the VVS2 category.
- VVS1 refers to a diamond with a greater clarity grade, whereas VVS2 refers to a diamond with a lower clarity grade.
- VVS1 has limited blemishes on top, whereas VVS2 has more blemishes compared to VVS1.
- https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10691898.2001.11910659
- https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-011-7463-3_10
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A diamond’s clarity and purity are indeed key factors in determining the quality of a diamond. VVS1 and VVS2 clarity diamonds have minor imperfections that are difficult to see without magnification, making them a coveted choice for connoisseurs.
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