Guide · 4 min read · Updated
What Is VVS Moissanite? Clarity, D Color and What It's Worth
Short answer
VVS moissanite is moissanite with very, very slight inclusions: flaws so small they are hard to see even at 10× magnification. VVS is a clarity grade borrowed from the diamond grading scale, and D is the top, colorless grade of the diamond color scale. VVS D moissanite is real moissanite that looks clear and white, but it is not diamond and does not have a diamond's resale value.
What does VVS mean?
VVS stands for “very, very slightly included”. It comes from the clarity scale developed for diamonds at the Gemological Institute of America in the 1950s, where it sits just below the Flawless and Internally Flawless grades. The scale judges a stone at 10× magnification.
On moissanite, VVS describes stones that look clean to the eye and under a loupe, which is what makes a pavé bezel look bright rather than milky.
What does D color mean?
Diamond color is graded on a scale from D to Z. D is completely colorless, and the grades move toward pale yellow or brown as the letters go on. D color moissanite is the whitest moissanite, with no yellow or gray tint.
Is VVS moissanite real?
Yes. VVS moissanite is real moissanite, a lab-created gemstone made of silicon carbide. It is not a diamond and is not sold as one when it is sold honestly.
Moissanite is usually graded by its maker or seller rather than by an independent diamond laboratory, so read “VVS” as a description of clear stones, not as a certificate of value.
Does VVS moissanite pass a diamond tester?
It passes the common thermal diamond testers, because moissanite conducts heat almost as well as diamond. A tester that measures electrical conductivity tells moissanite and diamond apart.
Is VVS moissanite worth anything?
Moissanite costs far less than diamond and resells for little. Buy it for how it looks and how well it wears, not as an investment. Its hardness, about 9.25 to 9.5 on the Mohs scale, means it keeps its polish through daily wear.
VVS moissanite on a G-SHOCK bezel
Most of our stone-set bezels use VVS moissanite in D color on a plated brass base. The stones of each bezel are listed on its product page.
Common questions
Does VVS moissanite exist?
Yes. Sellers use the diamond clarity term VVS for moissanite with inclusions that are extremely hard to see, and D for the most colorless stones.
Is VVS moissanite the same as a VVS diamond?
No. They share a clarity description, but moissanite is silicon carbide and diamond is carbon. They differ in hardness, sparkle and price.
Does VVS moissanite tarnish?
The stone does not tarnish or cloud. On a plated piece, the plating around the stones can wear with chemicals and friction, so keep it away from chlorine and perfume.
Does VVS moissanite have resale value?
Very little. Moissanite is affordable to buy new, so used pieces sell for a small fraction of their price.