ID Cut

What ID Cut Means for Buyers

Cut grade measures how well a diamond's facets have been proportioned, polished and aligned to return light to the eye. It's the one grade that actually determines how the diamond looks alive. A D/Flawless with poor cut will look dull; an H/SI1 with Excellent cut will sparkle across a room. Note that GIA and HRD grade cut for round brilliants only. A cut grade shown against a fancy shape is the retailer's assessment rather than the report's, so weigh proportions and finish more heavily there.

Right now we're tracking 14,034,416 active ID cut listings across our retailer network. The typical natural ID diamond trades around €2,729/ct while the lab-grown equivalent sits at €452/ct. Roughly a 83% gap that reflects the broader natural-vs-lab pricing gap, not a quality difference at this grade.

The jump to ID is a significant 28.0% step up from the neighboring VG grade. A real budget decision. If the stone will be set in a ring with a visible profile, the upgrade can be worth it. If not, VG is the value play and the difference rarely shows face-up.

ID shows up most often in ROUND. About 5,679,099 listings at this moment. Followed by OVAL. Most of the supply clusters around the 3.0ct+ carat range, where demand is strongest and retailers keep the deepest inventory. If you're shopping an unusual shape or carat, expect thinner selection.

Never compromise on cut. The tier between Excellent (or Ideal) and Very Good is worth every dollar. It's where brilliance and fire come from. Good or Fair cut grades are a false economy: you save a few percent and lose the single most important visual property of the stone. If you only buy one grade at the top tier, make it cut.