The 4 Best Places to Buy VVS Diamonds Online (in 2023)

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 Places to Buy VVS Diamonds Online

1. James Allen (My Top Pick)
2. Blue Nile 
3. Brilliant Earth
4. Whiteflash

What Are VVS Diamonds?

VVS Diamonds are the second highest tier of diamond clarity. Diamond clarity means essentially how eye-clean, or free of natural inclusions, a diamond is. Diamond's clarity is one of the 4Cs of diamond quality, a system put forth by the Gemological Institute of America. They are the world's leading unbaised authority in all things diamond and gemstone.

The GIA's clarity scale for clarity grading contains the following grades and their respective acronyms:  

The abbreviation or acronym VVS in VVS diamond stands for Very Very Slightly Included. VVS diamonds have two levels:

• VVS1 (Very Very Slightly Included 1) and 
• VVS2 (Very Very Slightly Included 2)

A VVS diamond is considered eye-clean, because very tiny blemishes are only visible under 10x magnification in the anatomy of VVS2 diamonds. VVS diamond inclusions are difficult to see unless you're a jeweler. 

I go really deep into VVS diamonds in this post.

#1 Buying VVS Diamonds at James Allen

James Allen has an online store with a large selection of VVS diamonds online for you to choose from. They offer complete 360˚ degree viewing that you can control and images with high definitions, catching your vvs diamond or any other diamond from every angle in the light. 

The company holds trust in high regard, which is why they make sure you're well-educated. They offer a selection of diamond education articles for you to quickly learn the basics of buying diamonds of any clarity grade. If you need even more education, they offer Diamond Inspection appointment where you can go over the details of your GIA grading report, or answer any questions about the 4Cs. 

If you're looking for a showstopper VVS diamond, you might consider purchasing from James Allen's patented collection, True Hearts. These diamonds reflect a hearts and arrows pattern that will show the symmetry of your diamond through a special tool. 

James Allen has a big selection of VVS diamonds to suit your preference with over 900 different 1 carat VVS diamond center stones to choose from. Keep in mind these diamonds are all varying diamond shapes and grades. They also may have GIA, AGS, or IGI certifications. 

But still with that many to choose from, there's no doubt you can't find a VVS1 or VVS2 diamond fit for you. The average cost of a 1 carat VVS1 diamond ideal cut with H color on James Allen is between $5000-$6000. A similar VVS2 diamond will be between $4000-$5000. 

In addition to giving you a competitively priced almost-flawless-diamond, they have a bunch of different affordable ring settings and wedding rings to choose from that can still stay within your price range.

All James Allen engagement rings and wedding bands come with a free lifetime warranty that will cover all the routine maintenance your ring will need.

Read also>> Where to buy the best engagement rings online?

#2 Buying VVS Diamonds at Blue Nile

Blue Nile has the largest selection of 1 carat loose VVS diamonds of varying cut and color grades, making them the biggest inventory on our list. However, if you're looking for a shape other than a round diamond, you might have some difficulty as less than 400 of those results are other diamond shapes. 

Blue Nile has a solid reputation as a great alternative to brick and mortar jewelry stores. In fact, they're often the first name thought of when it comes to buying diamonds online. The average cost of a 1 carat round ideal cut VVS1 diamond with H color at Blue Nile is going to be between $6000-$7000. For the same grades but with a VVS2 diamond, the average cost is the same for the most part.

Blue Nile usually doesn't see a huge differentiation in price when it comes to different levels of VS and VVS diamonds.

Read also>> Should you buy a 1 carat diamond ring?

Blue Nile has 360˚ viewing on a lot of their diamonds, but not all. They're all certified by the GIA, which already lets you know they're high-quality. Still, they are more expensive.

The main thing that really bothers me about Blue Nile is that they don't offer a warranty that covers routine maintenance. They have a manufacturer's warranty, but it's just fancy speak for we'll only take care of your ring if it's a design flaw. 

#3 Buying VVS Diamonds at Brilliant Earth

Brilliant Earth is an online diamond retailer that puts a heavy emphasis on diamond sourcing. Though all our retailers follow the conflict-free Kimberley Process, Brilliant Earth's contribution to conflict-free diamonds goes beyond the minimum standard of jewelry companies. 

Brilliant Earth's ethical engagement rings are a big hit for those who are still wanting a mined diamond. Many people don't realize that natural diamonds can come from conflict-free sources using their blockchain diamond high tech tracing system. It shows you everywhere your VVS diamond has been. 

Blockchain diamonds, GIA Diamond Origin Reports, and lab grown diamonds are all offered at Brilliant Earth. Currently, they have over 800 mined 1 carat VVS diamonds. The lab diamond collection is considerably smaller, but around 25 lab created VVS diamonds. 

At the low end, the 1 carat VVS lab grown diamonds runs around $1,400. At the high end, around $3,000. For the natural diamond inventory, the prices run between $3000 and can go past $200,000. On average, the prices at Brilliant Earth are often higher than James Allen or Blue Nile. 

Brilliant Earth has got some neat little features when it comes to creating your engagement ring online. It has 360˚ viewing like the others-and all of them come with it. You can view your VVS diamond certificate online.

You can even use the skin tone changer if you'd like to match your chosen VVS diamond ring to your skin tone. You can also super-impose your customized engagement ring on your own hand using your phone. 

Choosing a setting from Brilliant Earth is so easy-well maybe not picking out the ring setting. That's because their selection is so great and beautiful, it'll be hard to pick a favorite. 

Aside from the above average VVS diamond prices, there's a bone to pick with them. Most recently they've gotten rid of their Brilliant Benefits 3 year service plan. It was a paid plan based on the cost of your item, much like the same policies Kay, Jared, and Zales have. 

However, they've done away with the service plan and allow the option to purchase additional repair and care through a partner company called Extend. Not only is this not a popular jewelry claims place, a lot of people won't want to work with an additional company for repair care. 

#4 Buying VVS Diamonds at Whiteflash

Whiteflash is a diamond company that specializes in diamond cutting. Unlike all the others on our list, Whiteflash can actually cut and facet a rough diamond to become your chosen VVS diamond. 

As a specialty diamond retailer, Whiteflash VVS diamonds come with a premium. Their prices tend to be higher than everyone else on the list-both diamonds and settings. 

Whiteflash's VVS diamonds come with additional features. One of the big features people really like is the special light performance images you receive of your diamond.

The ASET and Idealscope images of your VVS diamond can show you how well-cut your diamond is. The images indicate anywhere in your diamond that light doesn't reflect back out to the viewer. The term is known as light leakage. The better cut your diamond is, the less light leakage and more sparkle and brilliance. 

They do carry GIA certified diamonds, but most of their VVS diamonds are certified by the American Gem Society. The American Gem Society cuts their diamonds a little differently than the GIA. 

Read also: Difference Between Diamond Labs

They have the smallest selection of mined VVS diamonds with less than 30 available. They currently have no lab created VVS diamonds in their inventory. 

Whiteflash's inventory is very specific and small, so it might not be the best option for your VVS diamond ring. Still, if you manage to find one here, you can be assured you're paying for top notch quality and superior brilliance. 

What I can say is that they also offer customers a complimentary one year free service plan for any repair or rhodium plating your VVS diamond ring might need. 

Read also>> What is an eye clean diamond?

VVS Diamond FAQs

What Does VVS Mean and what does it stand for?

The acronym VVS means Very, Very, Slightly included diamonds. These diamonds have very, very slight flaws that can only be seen under 10x magnification. A VVS diamond is an eye-clean grade on the GIA’s clarity scale. VVS1 diamonds have less noticeable flaws than VVS2 diamonds. They are also more expensive. This clarity scale is used universally around the industry. You may see VVS diamonds spelled as BBS diamonds, but this is a misspelling.

What’s the Difference Between VS versus VVS Diamonds?

Both VS and VVS graded diamonds are considered to be eye-clean clarity grades on the GIA clarity scale. You can’t see flaws within these diamonds with the naked eye. VS stands for very slight inclusions, while VVS stands for very, very slight inclusions. 

VS1 and VS2 diamonds will have more noticeable flaws than VVS1 and VVS2 diamonds under 10x magnification.A high quality VS1 diamond compared to a VVS1 diamond can be a 20-30% price difference.

Diamonds with VVS quality when all other grades are high as well are more rare than diamonds with high grades and VS quality.

Are VVS diamonds expensive online?

In general, VVS diamonds are going to be pretty expensive in comparison to other clarity grades like VS, SI, or I. However, because diamond clarity is only one of the four contributing factors to the overall diamond quality, it's hard to pinpoint an actual number. 

The average cost of a VVS diamond is around $5,000. And if you think $5,000 is expensive for a diamond alone, you should know that these diamond prices are actually cheaper than what you'd find in a brick and mortar store like Kay Jewelers or Zales.

Even though these mega jewelry stores have online websites, they don't even carry anything higher than VS2 engagement rings—and you can't get a loose diamond online at either of these stores. 

But to give you an idea of how an online retailer like James Allen compares to the most popular jewelry store in America, here's the price of a 1 carat diamond engagement ring with a VS2 clarity and I diamond color in a simple solitaire cathedral setting:

Now, here's the cost of a similar ring from a mega retailer like Kay Jewelers: 

Kay doesn't break down the price between diamond and ring setting, but there's no way a simple solitaire setting accounts for that much of a difference. 

The James Allen engagement ring is practically half the cost of Kay's ring, yet statistically more people are likely to purchase from Kay because of their popularity as a brick and mortar store.

You could almost buy this engagement ring from James Allen twice for the cost of the engagement ring from Kay. How crazy is that? 

Read also>> Should you buy a solitaire engagement ring?

What's a good carat weight for VVS diamonds?

If you're going to buy a VVS diamond, I recommend that you buy in a carat weight over 1 carat to make the most of your money. You can buy VVS diamonds in carat weights under 1, but it's really unnecessary. Everybody likes saving money, even if they have more of it to spend. A VS clarity in a 1 carat diamond will have very little visible difference except under a jewelers loupe. 

But as you increase carat weight, the need for higher diamond grades become apparent. With a larger, clearer diamond, you diamond color starts to show a lot more. VVS diamonds that have lower color grades like J,K, or L might look more yellow in a 1.5 carat diamond than in a 1 carat.

The following diamonds are a 1 carat round diamond with an L in color and a 1.40 carat round diamond also with an L. See the difference?

If you're buying a round diamond, you always want to go for ideal cut diamonds or Excellent Cut diamonds. They have the most sparkle and the cut of diamond really sets the stage for it features. Ideal cut diamonds actually have so much brilliance that you can get away with buying lower clarity grades like SI because of all the sparkle. 

In fact, brilliant cut diamond shapes like round, princess, and cushion cut diamonds are better at hiding inclusions. Step-cut diamonds like Asschers or emerald cut diamonds show inclusions more because of their stairlike cuts. 

Knowing this, you don't necessarily have to go for ideal cut diamond with VVS diamonds. They will be very expensive and rare. But you don't absolutely need it. A Very Good cut VVS diamond is still a high quality diamond, but with a lower price. 

Should VVS diamonds be certified?

If you are buying a VVS diamond, it NEEDS to be certified by either the GIA or the American Gem Society. Both the GIA and AGS are the most reliable labs. These certifications will ensure you that your diamond is a VVS diamond. Many diamonds are IGI or EGL certified and cost significantly less than diamonds certified by the other two.

However, there have been instances where people have gotten their IGI or EGL diamond certified by the GIA and found that the clarity was graded lower than what was said on their IGI certification.