Best Colour and Clarity for a Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement Ring

For most lab-grown engagement rings, the best choice is any colourless grade from D to F, picked on price, with VVS2 clarity. All of those look colourless and clean to the eye. On our live stone feed VVS2 costs about the same as VS1 at every size, colour barely tracks price until 3 carats, and VVS1 costs much more at larger sizes for a difference you cannot see.

That advice is different from what you will read for mined diamonds, where G to H colour and VS2 clarity are often recommended as the value picks. Lab-grown diamonds are graded on the same scales, but they are made in a much narrower band of quality and priced differently, so the grades that save you money are not the same.

Every figure on this page comes from the 5,265 lab-grown diamonds on our live feed on 17 September 2026, across eight shapes, all IGI certified.

On the same scales as mined diamonds. Colour runs from D, completely colourless, down to Z, and IGI groups D to F as colourless and G to J as near colourless. GIA notes that many colour distinctions at the top of the scale are so subtle they are invisible to the untrained eye.

Clarity describes inclusions and blemishes under 10x magnification. On GIA's clarity scale, VVS1 and VVS2 inclusions are difficult for a skilled grader to see at 10x, VS1 and VS2 inclusions range from difficult to somewhat easy to see at 10x, and SI inclusions are noticeable at 10x.

Lab-grown diamonds sit near the top of both scales. When GIA stopped using these grades for lab-grown stones, it said more than 95% of them fall into a very narrow range of colour and clarity. The stones we source are all D to F colour and VS1 or better, which is why this page compares those grades.

Yes, because it barely costs more. Across all eight shapes, VVS2 stones had almost the same median price as VS1 at every size, while VVS1 cost clearly more, and the gap grew with carat weight:

Median prices in Australian dollars, with the number of stones in brackets.

At 1 carat, VVS1 cost about 20% more than VS1. At 3 carats it cost roughly double, $6,941 against $3,494, while VVS2 was $3,699. VVS2 gives you inclusions a trained grader struggles to find under magnification, without paying the VVS1 premium.

VS1 is still a sound choice on brilliant shapes, which hide small inclusions in their sparkle. Choose it when you have seen a video of that exact stone and nothing stands out.

The premium for VVS1 over VS1 depends on the shape and grows quickly past 2 carats:

Marquise already carried a 54% premium at 2 carats, and at 3 carats the VVS1 price roughly doubled for princess, round, cushion and pear, although only three round VS1 stones were listed at that size. If a VVS1 report matters to you, check the price gap for your shape and size before you commit, and our shape price pages break these figures down further, starting with 2 carat round and 2 carat oval.

Not usually. D, E and F are all colourless, and on our feed price did not follow the colour grade: at 1 carat F had a higher median than D and E, and at 2 carats the three sat within about $80 of each other:

Median prices in Australian dollars, with the number of stones in brackets.

At 3 carats F became the clear value pick, at a median of $3,794 against $4,967 for D. A larger stone shows colour a little more readily, but F is still colourless, so the saving comes without a visible difference.

Yes, for step cuts. Emerald and asscher cuts have long, open facets and a large flat table, so an inclusion that a round brilliant would hide can be easier to see. For those shapes, choose VVS2 or better. Brilliant shapes, including round, oval, pear, marquise, radiant, cushion and princess, scatter light across many small facets and hide small inclusions well, so VS1 or VVS2 both work.

The metal matters for colour. Yellow and rose gold reflect warmth into the stone, so colour is the least important grade in a warm gold setting. In white gold or platinum, stay in the colourless D to F range, which every stone on our feed already is.

Cut matters more than either grade for how the diamond looks on the hand, so compare a video of each stone before you choose between two with similar reports. Our guides to VS1 vs VS2, IGI vs GIA reports and the 1 carat price chart go further on each of these choices.

Is VS2 good enough for a lab-grown diamond?

Often, yes, on brilliant shapes, where VS2 inclusions are usually not visible to the eye. We do not show VS2 prices here because every stone we source is VS1 or better, and at 1 to 2 carats VVS2 costs little more than VS1 anyway.

Is G colour good for a lab-grown diamond?

G is near colourless and looks white in most settings, particularly yellow or rose gold. The stones we source are D to F, and on our feed F was no cheaper than D or E at 1 or 2 carats, so we cannot show what dropping to G would save.

Do lab-grown diamonds have inclusions?

Yes. Lab-grown diamonds can have inclusions from the growing process, which is why they are clarity graded the same way as mined diamonds. A report grade of VS1 or better means those inclusions are difficult to see even under 10x magnification.

Should I buy the highest colour and clarity I can afford?

Only if the top grades matter to you for their own sake. On lab-grown diamonds, F colour and VVS2 clarity look the same to the eye as D and VVS1, and the money saved, especially above 2 carats, is better spent on cut, carat weight or the setting.

Thanks for reading, Jared and Brie