For others who might be having this same question and find/read this thread, I found the following online also:
Feathers in VVS grades
Older methods of bruting (shaping a diamond’s girdle) caused what’s called bearding; tiny, microscopic feathers along the girdle. In some cases this is so insignificant that the diamond could remain VVS1 or VVS2.
Whether bruted or faceted, hairline feathers at the girdle tend to fall into VVS1-VVS2 much of the time.
VVS1-VVS2 feathers may even be considered to have less impact than pinpoints, needles or clouds.