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WHAT DOES VVS2, E, MEAN?

WHAT DOES VVS2, E, MEAN WHEN IT COMES TO DIAMOND QUALITY?

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What Does Diamond Color E Clarity VVS2 Mean?

People see Letters and Numbers next to Diamonds in showcases.

They see them in Catalogs, Online, on Price tags and Rings… and it all looks pretty meaningless.

Mumble Jumble!

How is anyone supposed to understand what it all means?

Really, why is it so confusing? Does it need to be?

For Example:

What does E VVS2 mean?

And there are multiple combinations (264 to be exact). Things like:

SI1 H VVS2 K I1 M
I1 J VS2 G FL G
VS1 D I2 I VVS2 D
VVS1 E IF F SI2 F
SI2 E I3 L VS2 H

And some Letters are the same Letters, Like FL L or FL F… as well as I1 I. Really?

Yep!

And the Letters could be in different order. F FL, I I3, IF I… WOW!

It really can be overwhelming if you don’t know anything about Diamonds. So let me give you a quick breakdown just to give you the basics.

Diamonds have 4 main categories that will be seen listed on Price Tags or Websites. They are the 4C’s: Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat Weight.

Let’s dive in…

Cut

Cut is simple. The tag will say something like RD (for Round Diamond), MQ (for Marquise Diamond), PR (for Princess Cut Diamond), or something of this nature. The Cutting Style and Shape of the most popular Diamonds is here:

Diamond Shapes And Cutting Styles

But you could also just look at the Shape of the stone and figure that one out! :)

Carat Weight

Carat Weight (abbreviated as CT or CW) is simple as well. The tag will list how big the Diamond is, like 1.00 CT (for a One Carat Diamond), .50 CT (Half-Carat), .34 CT (34 Points, a little over 1/3 Carat).

Take a look at the Carat Weight Chart Below…

Actual Diamond Carat Weights

And then we get into the real Letters and Numbers that most find confusing

Color and Clarity

I’ll take them one at a time so you can grasp their meanings…

Color

Diamond Color is the simplest of the two. It will always ALWAYS be one letter per Diamond (unless you’re looking at a ring with multiple Diamonds, then it could be a combo letter and hyphen like: H-I).

Letters in the Diamond Color Chart start with D (the Best) and go all the way down the alphabet to the letter Z.

Take a quick look…

Diamond Color Grading Chart

The most common Colors seen are the higher quality of Colors D-M. D is the cream of the crop, but very rare and very expensive.

D-E-F are Pure White Diamonds and exhibit zero Color in them whatsoever (Colorless Range).

G-H-I-J are the next range down. They fall in the Near Colorless Range (common on the market). G-J look good, pretty white, and to most people, they will never see any off color or Yellow in the stone.

Colors K and lower, yeah, you’ll probably see some tinge of Yellow or Brown in them. That’s why most people, and Jewelers, like to stick with whiter Diamonds. They just look better and appear brighter!

Personally, I prefer Pure White (Colorless Diamonds). E is Awesome!

So if the tag says F, it means the stone has F Color, is Pure White, and in the very best Color Range you could buy. :)

Now onto…

Clarity

Clarity can be listed with 2 Letters, or 3 Letters, and often followed by a Number as well (a 1, 2 or 3, meaning Level 1, Level 2 and Level 3).

Take a look at the Clarity Chart below to understand what I’m talking about…

Diamond Clarity Grading Chart

SI1 Clarity and Higher generally is considered Good or Great Quality!

FL is Flawless, at the top of the chart, and is about as perfect as perfect can be. Which also means, it’s hard to find and ultra-expensive!

More than likely you’ll find the Clarity Grades of VVS, VS, SI and I in the Jewelry Stores Today.

So if a Diamond says:

E VVS2 1.02 CT RD

You’ll know that this means that the Diamond is slightly bigger than a One Carat Diamond (2 Points over), that it is a Round Brilliant Cut Diamond, and that it has E Color (Pure White and Awesome!), with a VVS2 Clarity, meaning it’s Very Very Slightly Included (Level 2), which also means that the Inclusions are so small and tiny that you’ll need a microscope to see them!

It’s an incredible stone to own!

Another Example

G SI2 .74 CT PR

You’ll know that it’s a Princess Cut (Square Cut) Diamond that’s almost 3/4 Carat (1 Point Shy), it has a G in Color (at the top end of the Near Colorless Range), and has an SI2 in Clarity, which means it has Flaws, some of them large enough that you’ll see them if you look at the Diamond from a side view.

A Diamond of this Quality is pretty average. It looks good, should face up well, and being a Princess Cut, it should look pretty large in Size! :)

Comparing Stones

The Numbers and Letters are your Guide to Understanding and Comparing Diamonds.

If you’re looking at a VS1 F in one store, look at a VS1 F in another to compare prices. Just keep in mind that the Carat Weights should be similar, and that you’re comparing the same Certificates as well (like both stones being GIA Certified Diamonds).

That way, you’ll know who’s giving you the better deal.

If not, it could be thousands of Dollars difference!

So what does H SI1 Mean?

After reading all of this, YOU should be able to answer that question!

If not, keep reading more about Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat Weight.

Good Shopping! :)

Recommended Jewelry Supplies:

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner Jewelry Steam Cleaner Complete Jewelry Cleaner Kit Diamond Dazzle Stick
Gold Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloths Jewelry Making Supplies Kit Gold Acid Test Kit Watch Tool Repair Kit
Ring Adjusters EMT Emergency Ring Cutter 10x Jewelers Loupe Jewelers Microscope

Recommended Jewelry Supplies:

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner Jewelry Steam Cleaner
Complete Jewelry Cleaner Kit Diamond Dazzle Stick
Gold Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloths Jewelry Making Supplies Kit
Gold Acid Test Kit Watch Tool Repair Kit
Ring Adjusters EMT Emergency Ring Cutter
10x Jewelers Loupe Jewelers Microscope

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