Sometimes I think customers can get a little confused about diamond clarity. From what I can tell, customers do a lot of their research online before buying their diamond. On the one hand, this is great but on the other hand sometimes not so great. Not only is there a lot of misinformation out there but sometimes it can be hard to translate the information into actually buying the right diamond. I think this is the reason some customers get ‘scared’ and think they need to buy a diamond with super high clarity, like VVS1 or VVS2.
It has been my experience that customers think they need a VVS1 or VVS2 quality diamond versus a diamond of a slightly lower clarity grade because otherwise the diamond won’t sparkle or look quite as nice. I understand their concerns and why they want to go really super high in clarity. However, in my opinion, 99% of the time, inclusions in a VS graded clarity diamond will never negatively affect the brilliance and/or sparkle in that diamond. Take a look for yourself! Can you see a difference?
1.00ct F VVS1 Excellent cut GIA certified diamond
Here is an example of a 1.00ct F VVS1 Excellent cut GIA certified diamond. The current price of this diamond is $11,150.00.
1.00ct F VS2 Excellent cut GIA certified diamond
Here is an example of a 1.00ct F VS2 Excellent cut GIA certified diamond. The current price of this diamond is $8,755.00.
To me, you can’t see much difference in these diamonds even under magnification. However, the difference in price is pretty significant. Of course, I’m not saying to throw caution to the wind and buy I1 clarity diamonds… I just think that customers do not need to spend extra money going so high on clarity when there will be basically zero difference to how the diamond actually looks. Can you see a $2400 difference? I sure can’t!
If you need assistance with a diamond search, we have three GIA gemologists on staff eager to help. Many factors do go into finding that perfect diamond and a GIA gemologist is trained to know the ins and outs of loose diamonds. If you would like our gemologists to complete a custom diamond search for you, please fill out a request on our Personal Diamond Shopper Page. We are looking forward to hearing from you!