What is a VVS Diamond? A Guide from Hatton Garden

Walk into any jewellery shop in Hatton Garden and you will hear the term VVS used with reverence. Customers say it. Salespeople say it. It appears in advertisements with an air of authority. But most people — even those who have just spent a significant sum on a diamond — could not tell you precisely what VVS means.

This guide exists to change that.

VVS stands for Very Very Slightly Included. In the GIA and IGI clarity grading systems, it is the second-highest clarity grade available, sitting just below IF (Internally Flawless) and FL (Flawless). A VVS diamond has inclusions so minute that they are invisible to the naked eye and extremely difficult to detect even under 10x magnification.

There are two sub-grades: VVS1 and VVS2. In a VVS1, the inclusions are positioned where they are hardest to find — typically toward the pavilion, the underside of the stone. In a VVS2, they appear in a slightly more visible position, though still invisible without magnification.

Does it matter to the naked eye?

Here is the honest answer that some jewellers hesitate to give you: for most people, in most lighting conditions, a VS1 diamond looks identical to a VVS1. The human eye cannot perceive inclusions at either grade. The difference lives in the certificate and in the price.

So why choose VVS?

There are two legitimate reasons. The first is confidence — knowing that your stone is, by any objective measure, exceptional. The second is value retention. The highest clarity grades have historically held their value better, though this is not guaranteed.

At Jabour & Co., our Impérial Collection is set exclusively with D VVS2 and above. We made this choice not because lesser grades would be visible, but because we believe that a ring commissioned to last generations deserves the very best of what the earth produces.

The grade on the certificate is a promise. It is a record of what the stone is. That matters — even if your eye cannot tell the difference.