4 Best Places to Buy VS Diamonds (VS1 & VS2 Clarity)

Last Updated on February 5, 2024 by Juli "Jewels" Church

Looking for the best place to VS Diamonds online?

Perfect! In this LearningJewelry.com guide, you’ll learn:

  • What are VS Diamonds?
  • What are red flags to look out for when buying VS diamonds?
  • Are VS diamonds worth the price tag?
  • And much more!
vs1 and vs2 diamond info

Below is a quick list of all my top picks. Keep scrolling to learn more about my best buying tips and tricks, as well as a comprehensive FAQ section. 

Top 4 Best Places to Buy VS Clarity Diamonds Online

  1. James Allen (My Top Pick)
  2. Blue Nile (Best GIA Certified VS Diamonds)
  3. Brilliant Earth
  4. Whiteflash

What Are VS Diamonds?

When talking about "VS" diamonds, we're talking about the clarity of a diamond. All diamond quality is determined by the 4Cs as put forth by the Gemological Institute of America.

Diamond Clarity is one of those Cs. Clarity is how free of natural inclusions and blemishes your stone is. 

VS clarity diamonds consist of two individual grades, VS1 and VS2. They are the 3rd tier of diamond clarity on the clarity scale.

VS stands for Very Slightly Included, which means that very slight and minor inclusions can be seen when the diamond is under 10x magnification. 

For more info on VS diamonds, you can check out the FAQ at the bottom of the page. 

#1 Buying VS Diamonds At James Allen

jamesallenbanner

When you're buying VS diamonds, James Allen is our number one pick. The reason why we think it's the best is because of their flawless 360ˆviewer. 

Since VS diamonds can have visible inclusions, you don't want to buy from a chain store like Jared, Kay, or Zales. These places sell preset diamonds and most of them are I1 or SI clarity in store. Online, you might find a VS diamond on their sites for probably double what you'd find at James Allen. 

Not to mention that James Allen has lots of loose diamonds for you to look at from the comfort of your own home. Using their viewer, you can ensure that you don't receive a diamond with a dark inclusion in the center. 

Check out the video below of two VS2 diamonds (similar in price and other grades) using James Allen's 360˚viewer.  

Can you see how much more clear the first VS2 diamond is than the second? 

The price difference is about $130, but visually it makes a major difference. The reflections in the second diamond really show where all the dark inclusions are. This is why you need a clear 360˚ viewer. 

James Allen also carries certified diamonds for half the cost those stores do as well. They carry mostly GIA and IGI certified diamonds, but you should only purchase GIA or AGS diamonds when buying natural VS diamonds (mined, not lab created).

GIA certified diamonds are the most accurate grading labs, so you can be sure you're getting what you're paying for.

Read also: Best places to buy GIA diamonds

The other thing is about James Allen is they have the largest selection of loose VS diamonds. A viewer is great, but it means nothing if you don't have a wide selection to pick from. 

James Allen carries around 6,200 VS2 diamonds (min H color, min 1 ct, Very Good+) and almost 5,900 high quality VS1 diamonds of different diamond shapes. That's about 12,000 different VS diamonds to choose from. 

The price of a 1 carat colorless and near colorless, ideal cut VS diamonds from James Allen will start out in the low end at about $3100.  On the high end, it can reach up to over $500,000 for a 10 carat ideal cut diamond with a clarity grade of VS1

In addition to a large selection and crystal-clear viewer for VS diamonds, they also include a free lifetime warranty with all your jewelry. So whether you've built your own ring, earrings, or IF diamond pendant, you get a free warranty.

A lot of brands won't cover routine maintenance like James Allen does.

Pros

  • Clear 350˚ view on diamonds
  • 12,000 VS diamonds
  • Half the cost of chain store diamonds
  • One on one with diamond expert
  • Free lifetime warranty

Cons

  • offers IGI diamonds

#2 Buying VS Diamonds At Blue Nile 

Blue Nile is the godfather of all online diamond retailers. They have been around since 1999, earning them a good standing reputation as a safe online diamond store. 

Like our other picks, they sell loose diamonds and ring settings as well as a large collection of gemstone jewelry. I really like Blue Nile's selection of ring settings to choose from when you build your own ring. They have plenty of their own style settings like their Gallery Collection, which are high quality rings set in platinum. Or, you can opt for a brand designer like ZAC Posen or Monique Lhuillier. 

They have around 40,000 different VS2 diamonds (from small carat to large) and almost 40,000 different VS1 diamonds with assorted grades and shapes. That's more than any of our other picks and all of their diamonds are GIA certified. 

The drawback is that not all of Blue Nile's loose diamonds have 360˚ viewing. You can filter the diamonds to reflect the ones that do, which is nice. Being able to visibly see your diamond before you buy it is essential when purchasing diamonds online. 

If we narrow it down using the 360˚ filter, we are left with about 13,000 loose diamonds for each VS grade. Still a ton, but consider other grading factors like carat weight and cut grades. That'll narrow the search down even more. 

On the low end, a VS2 diamond (with same qualities above) at Blue Nile will run you around $5000. Top quality ideal cut round VS2 diamonds will run a max of $11,000. Not too bad in comparison to some of the other high dollar items. But while the maximum may be smaller, the minimum is much higher than some of our other picks. 

Still, people often choose Blue Nile over most online retailers, so it's clear that price isn't everything to all. 

Lastly, I really wish they had a real warranty, not a manufacturer's one. Any routine maintenance to your jewelry will have to be done at an additional cost. 

Pros

  • Only carries GIA certified diamonds
  • Wide selection of ring settings
  • Long standing reputation
  • Buyback

Cons

  • Warranty doesn't cover routine repairs
  • Doesn't have 360˚ viewing on all diamonds
  • More expensive on average


Read also: Best Lab Diamonds

#3. Buying VS Diamonds at Brilliant Earth

brilliantearth

Brilliant Earth is a diamond company whose name and mission is getting around. They pride themselves on providing ethical diamonds and gemstones, including their natural diamonds. 

In their catalog, Brilliant Earth carries over 17,000 high quality natural  VS diamonds and around 1,100 lab created VS diamonds. They don't have the biggest selection of lab diamonds, but their natural diamonds are far more interesting. 

When buying natural diamonds with Brilliant Earth, you are getting beyond conflict free diamonds. The company takes steps to ensure that it covers more human rights protection than simply what's required by the Kimberley Process. 

With their special blockchain diamonds, customers can feel secure and comfortable with their purchase of an earth mined diamond. Blockchain diamonds have a secure technology in which only you have the passcode. It will show you everywhere your diamond has been, from where it was mined, and through every pair of hands until yours. 

I really like that you can pretty much browse the catalog without having to open up each individual diamond. It makes it much easier to sort out the ones you like without having a bunch of windows or tabs open. 

There's a lot of fun little benefits that Brilliant Earth adds to their site to set them apart from some of the other retailers on the list. You're able to superimpose a potential created engagement ring on to your own finger using your camera phone to give you an idea of what it might look like before you buy it. 

Additionally, they also have a tone changer that allows you to choose the skin tone for your ring. This is great for those who aren't quite sure if they like certain metals with their skin tone. 

Out of all of the guys on our list, I think Brilliant Earth has the most stunning engagement ring settings. Both James Allen and Blue Nile have what's popular and trendy. Brilliant Earth does too, but there's tons of variations of classic styles. 

Brilliant Earth doesn't have a service plan within their company to protect your jewelry. They do have a lifetime manufacturer's warranty for defects and design flaws. You have the option of buying a protection plan with their company partner, Extend. They can cover repair and even loss of jewelry. 

#4 Buying VS Diamonds at Whiteflash

Whiteflash is a specialty diamond retailer that has exceptional cutting standards. While they carry VS diamonds with lower cut grades, they have many ideal cut diamonds available for purchase too. 

If sparkle and fire is what draws you to a diamond, you've got to get yourself one from Whiteflash. They carry both mined and lab created diamonds. Currently there are over 5,500 VS mined diamonds of various grades and sizes. 

Like Brilliant Earth, they allow you to get a preview without clicking it, but at least for me, the loading is really slow and there's a lot of lag. I'm not a huge fan of the desktop site, especially with the footer. Thankfully, you can hide that. 

You don't need to take my word for Whiteflash's superior cut diamonds. Each diamond allows you to see its ASET and Idealscope images. These images can show you exactly how much light is going into your diamond and being reflected back out. 

If you diamond isn't cut well, the light in your diamond doesn't reflect back out. Instead, it results in what we call light leakage. It's not possible to cut every diamond to perfection, but Whiteflash sure tries!  

Most online and even in-store retailers don't share that kind of info with you about your diamond. But Whiteflash wants you to know that you're in good hands 

You'll find that Whiteflash's diamonds are more expensive than the average online retailer, mainly due to their specialty cutting. Their settings can be even more expensive because they carry a lot of brand name ring settings. However, the quality is worth it. 

Whiteflash's warranty is a free one year service plan. Anything and everything repair wise is covered. They call it the Whiteflash Guarantee. All work and damage is covered within the first year. 

FAQs on VS Diamonds

Are VS diamonds real?

Believe it or not, but this is really asked a lot. VS Diamonds are real diamonds. The only reason people might think it's fake is because a lot of people know that natural diamonds have inclusions. 

But since VS1 and VS2 diamonds can appear flawless, some might assume they're fake like a moissanite or cubic zirconia. Thankfully, there are many ways to check if a diamond is real or fake

Which is better, a VS or VVS diamond?

If we're talking from a diamond expert's opinion, VVS diamonds are more valuable than VS diamonds. They are on a higher clarity tier, so they will cost more and fetch higher prices. 

That's not to say that you can't have a crappy VS or VVS diamond though. Your other diamond grades are crucial in determining best quality. A 1 carat round VVS2 diamond with a Good cut grade and D color is going to be worse quality than an ideal/excellent cut VS1 diamond with the same grades. 

The reason for this is because you should never compromise on diamond cut, especially with round diamonds. You should always choose ideal/excellent cut and very good cut grades for other fancy diamond shapes. 

What's the difference between VS1 diamonds and VS2 diamonds?

The difference is minimal between the VS1 and VS2, but you will find VS1 diamonds generally cost more and are more valuable. They are also more likely to be free of visible imperfections . 

But as carat weights get larger, you'll notice the difference between the two VS grades. VS1 diamonds may have one or two dark inclusions, while VS2 diamonds may have more. 

If you buy from an online retailer with a 360˚ viewer, the difference between the two is the price you're paying by choosing an eye-clean VS2 diamond that looks flawless. 

Do VS diamonds need certification?

EVERY diamond need certification. 

VS diamonds might not be the highest clarity grade, but it doesn't mean they aren't expensive. That being said, how would you feel if you bought what you thought was a fantastic VS1 diamond, only to find out it was an SI2 diamond?

You probably wouldn't be too happy. You paid VS1 prices for a diamond that is two clarity grades lower. You'd assume this is because the jewelry store is a scam. That's not quite true. 

If you're buying a VS diamond, you'll want to only purchased certified diamonds. Certified diamonds are looked at by a professional diamond lab to ensure that said diamond is exactly what it's advertised at.

Read also: Which diamond certifications should you avoid?

But you can't just get any certified diamond. You should only get diamonds certified by the GIA or the American Gem Society. Both the GIA and AGS are the top diamond grading labs and are the standard for diamonds.

gia cert report

Many brick and mortar stores like Kay and Zales sell IGI certified diamonds. James Allen does too. We don't recommend buying any IGI diamonds because their diamond grades are not as strict as the other two.

It's actually possible to take an IGI diamond and get it certified from the GIA. You'd be surprised to know that it could come out differently than it was advertised, because of the grading report, not the actual store. But they don't tell you this at the stores either.

Stick to shopping for VS diamonds at trusted retailers like James Allen and you'll be happy you did.

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