GD Polish

What GD Polish Means for Buyers

Polish grade measures how smooth each facet's surface is after cutting. At Excellent, no polish lines are visible even at 10× magnification. Polish becomes visible to the naked eye only at Good or worse, and even then, typically only in strong directional lighting. It's one of the least consequential of the grading dimensions.

Right now we're tracking 1,558,451 active GD polish listings across our retailer network. The typical natural GD diamond trades around $2,347/ct while the lab-grown equivalent sits at $1,219/ct. Roughly a 48% gap that reflects the broader natural-vs-lab pricing gap, not a quality difference at this grade.

The jump to GD is a significant 27.3% step up from the neighboring FR 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, FR is the value play and the difference rarely shows face-up.

GD shows up most often in ROUND. About 280,713 listings at this moment. Followed by ROUND. 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.

Polish is cheap at the top grades, so there's rarely a reason to buy less than Very Good or Excellent. The premium is typically just a few percent over Good. On a GIA-graded stone we'd expect Excellent polish by default. Don't pay extra premiums for it, but don't accept Good or lower either.