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Triple Excellent and Very Good sit one grade apart on the cut scale. Cut is the biggest single driver of how a diamond sparkles, so that one grade can decide whether a stone looks alive or merely fine. Excellent and Very Good are not single points but ranges of angles and proportions, and the ranges overlap less than most buyers assume. This guide sets out what separates the two, the actual numbers behind each grade, how to read cut, polish and symmetry on a certificate, whether the difference shows at three carats, and when the upgrade is worth paying for.
For the centre diamond, choose Triple Excellent — cut drives sparkle more than colour, clarity or carat, and the premium over Very Good is usually small next to the whole ring. Very Good is a sensible saving on side stones. Montare sets Triple Excellent as the floor, so the stone everyone looks at is never a compromise.
- Key takeaways
- What the cut grades actually mean
- What is a Very Good cut diamond?
- Excellent, Ideal and Triple Excellent
- Very Good vs Ideal cut
- Very Good vs Excellent cut
- The numbers behind Excellent and Very Good
- Excellent is a range, not a target
- Triple Excellent vs Very Good, side by side
- How to read cut, polish and symmetry on a certificate
- Does the difference actually show?
- Good vs Very Good cut
- If you buy a Very Good cut: a checklist
- When Very Good is fine — and when to insist on Triple Excellent
- Cut grades on fancy shapes
- Very Good vs Excellent on a lab-grown report
- The Montare standard
- Frequently asked questions
Key takeaways
- Triple Excellent means Excellent cut and Excellent polish and Excellent symmetry, the top of the scale on all three lines of a report.
- Very Good is one step down: still bright, but returning slightly less light, because an angle, the polish or the symmetry falls just outside the top band.
- The ranges are measurable. On GIA's published cut-estimation tables, Excellent allows a pavilion angle of 40.6–41.8° and Very Good allows 39.8–42.4°. That small window is where most of a round's light return is decided.
- Excellent is a range, not a target. A round can grade Excellent with a table anywhere from 52% to 62%. Montare's window for rounds is 54–57%, so we hold a narrower band inside the top grade.
- "Ideal" is a trade word, not a grade. On a GIA or IGI report the top cut grade is printed as Excellent.
- The gap is most visible on a round brilliant, under direct light and at larger sizes. On a 3 carat centre stone there is simply more diamond for the eye to read.
- Montare sets Triple Excellent plus ideal table and depth for each shape as the floor for every centre diamond.
What the cut grades actually mean
Cut is graded on a scale that runs Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. It measures how well a diamond's proportions, symmetry and polish work together to return light to your eye. "Triple Excellent" is shorthand for a stone that earns the top mark in all three areas: cut, polish and symmetry. "Very Good" typically means the cut grade, or one of the other two lines, lands a single step below Excellent. For a fuller primer, see Triple Excellent cut, explained and how it ties back to table and depth.
One important note: on a GIA report, a formal cut grade is given only to round brilliants. Fancy shapes such as ovals, emeralds and pears are graded on polish and symmetry, and their proportions have to be judged separately. That is why "Triple Excellent" is clearest and most meaningful on a round, and why fancy shapes need a proportion standard of their own (more on that below).
What is a Very Good cut diamond?
A Very Good cut diamond is graded one step below the top of the cut scale. It returns most, but not all, of the light its shape is capable of returning, because its proportions, its polish or its symmetry deviate slightly from the top band. On a laboratory report it appears simply as "Very Good" on the cut, polish or symmetry line.
In practical terms, a Very Good stone is a genuinely good diamond. Seen on its own, most people could not fault it, and it looks bright in ordinary light. What it will not do is perform at the very top of what the shape allows, and the shortfall becomes easier to see in two situations: beside an Excellent stone, and as carat weight climbs. It is a legitimate purchase, not a defective one. The only question is whether it belongs in the centre of the ring.
Excellent, Ideal and Triple Excellent
Shoppers comparing Very Good vs Ideal cut are usually comparing the same two rungs as Very Good vs Excellent. The labels just come from different places.
- Excellent is the top cut grade on a GIA or IGI report. It is the wording you will actually see printed on a certificate.
- Ideal is a trade term rather than a grade on most reports. It entered the vocabulary through the American Gem Society's AGS 0 scale and is still used loosely by retailers to mean "top of the scale". Worth knowing: AGS Laboratories closed at the end of 2022 and merged into GIA, which acquired its technology and facility. The AGS Ideal grade now survives only as a paid digital supplement to a GIA report, so any retailer describing AGS in the present tense as an independent grading authority is working from out-of-date information. The word is also used a second way: to describe a stone whose table and depth fall in the ideal range for its shape.
- Triple Excellent is not a fourth tier. It means one stone earned Excellent three times over: cut, polish and symmetry.
So "Ideal vs Very Good" and "Excellent vs Very Good" describe one step on one ladder. What actually changes how a diamond looks is whether all three marks are Excellent, and where inside Excellent the proportions sit, not which word the retailer prints.
Very Good vs Ideal cut
Very Good and Ideal are two different rungs on the same ladder, one step apart. "Ideal" describes the top of the cut scale. "Very Good" is the grade immediately beneath it. They are not two naming systems for the same thing, and they are not interchangeable.
The confusion is understandable, because the trade uses "Ideal" in two different ways. It can mean the top cut grade, which a GIA or IGI report prints as Excellent. It can also mean a stone whose table and depth sit in the ideal range for its shape, which is a statement about proportions rather than an overall grade. Either way, a Very Good stone sits below it.
The practical answer when comparing the two: if a retailer offers you an "Ideal" stone, ask what the certificate actually says. If the report reads Excellent for cut, polish and symmetry, the word is doing honest work. If the report reads Very Good anywhere and the listing still says Ideal, the word is doing marketing work instead.
Very Good vs Excellent cut
Excellent is the top cut grade. Very Good is one step below it. This is the same comparison as Very Good vs Ideal, using the wording that actually appears on the certificate.
The difference is one of degree rather than kind. An Excellent stone is cut to return close to the maximum light its shape permits, with crisp, well-defined flashes. A Very Good stone loses a little of that, usually because an angle sits marginally outside the top band, or because polish or symmetry falls a grade. Neither stone is poorly cut.
Where it matters is the compounding effect. A diamond can be Excellent in cut but Very Good in symmetry, or the reverse. That is precisely why the trade uses the shorthand Triple Excellent: it is the only phrase that confirms all three marks are top of scale, not just the headline one. A stone advertised as "Excellent cut" may still carry Very Good polish or symmetry, so always read all three lines, not just the first.
The numbers behind Excellent and Very Good
Most guides stop at "Excellent returns more light". The reason it does is measurable. GIA publishes the proportion ranges it uses to estimate the cut grade of a round brilliant, and the difference between the top two grades comes down to a few degrees and a few percentage points.
| Measurement (round brilliant) | Excellent range | Very Good range | What it controls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pavilion angle | 40.6–41.8° | 39.8–42.4° | Whether light bounces back up through the top, or leaks out of the bottom and sides |
| Crown angle | 31.5–36.5° | 26.5–38.5° | The balance of white brilliance and coloured fire |
| Table size | 52–62% | 50–66% | The size of the central window that lets light in and out |
| Star facet length | 45–65% | 40–70% | The fine pattern of the sparkle across the crown |
| Lower half facet length | 70–85% | 65–90% | The size and crispness of the flashes in the pavilion |
| Culet | None to small | None to medium | A visible culet reads as a dot in the centre of the stone |
Two caveats keep these numbers honest. First, GIA grades the combination, not each number on its own: a crown angle and a pavilion angle that are each inside the Excellent band can still combine into a Very Good result, and the published ranges are estimating tools rather than a guarantee. Second, the pavilion angle is the tightest window on the list, at just 1.2 degrees for Excellent. That angle decides whether light returns through the table or leaks away, which is why it is the first thing to look at on any proportions diagram.
Excellent is a range, not a target
This is the point the "is Excellent worth it?" debate usually misses. Excellent is a band, and two diamonds can both print Excellent while sitting at opposite ends of it. A round with a 52% table and one with a 62% table can both earn the top grade if their angles work together, but they do not look the same. The smaller table tends to show more fire (coloured flashes). The larger table tends to show more white brilliance and can look slightly flatter.
That is why the Montare standard does not stop at the grade. On top of Triple Excellent, every centre diamond has to fall inside an ideal table and depth window for its shape. For a round brilliant that window is a 54–57% table and 59–62.5% depth, a narrower band inside GIA's Excellent range. In other words, "Triple Excellent" tells you a diamond passed. Table and depth tell you where it passed. The full reasoning is in ideal cut, table and depth explained, and the shape-by-shape numbers are in table percentage by shape and depth percentage by shape.
Every centre diamond is Triple Excellent, D–E, VVS and at least three carats — the hard calls are made for you.
Design your ringTriple Excellent vs Very Good, side by side
| Very Good | Triple Excellent | |
|---|---|---|
| Light return / brilliance | Strong | Maximum the shape allows |
| Pavilion angle window (round) | 39.8–42.4° | 40.6–41.8° |
| Crown angle window (round) | 26.5–38.5° | 31.5–36.5° |
| Symmetry | Minor deviations allowed | Excellent |
| Polish | Very Good | Excellent |
| Fire and sparkle | Slightly softer | Crisp, lively |
| Where you notice it | Beside an Excellent stone, in direct light | In any light, especially at size |
| Typical price | Lower | A small premium |
| Best for | Side stones, budget-led builds | The centre diamond |
How to read cut, polish and symmetry on a certificate
A grading report lists three lines that matter here, usually in this order: Cut, Polish and Symmetry. Retailers often quote only the first. Here is what the common combinations actually mean:
| Cut / Polish / Symmetry | What it is | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent / Excellent / Excellent | Triple Excellent | Top of scale on all three lines. Next, check table and depth. |
| Excellent / Excellent / Very Good | "Excellent cut", not Triple Excellent | Proportions are top band, finishing is a step down. Often sold as "Excellent". |
| Excellent / Very Good / Excellent | "Excellent cut", not Triple Excellent | Faceting is accurate, but the surface finish is slightly less refined. |
| Very Good / Excellent / Excellent | Very Good cut | Beautifully finished, but the proportions sit outside the top band. This is the one that matters most for light. |
| Very Good / Very Good / Very Good | Triple Very Good | A good diamond that will look softer beside a Triple Excellent one. |
| Good on any line | Below our floor | Visible compromises, usually made to keep carat weight. |
Two habits will protect you. Read all three lines, never just the headline. Then check the proportions printed on the report (table, depth, and on a round the crown and pavilion angles) against the ranges above. Our guide on how to read a diamond certificate walks through every field, and symmetry and polish grades explained covers the two finishing lines in depth.
Does the difference actually show?
Honestly, it depends on the stone, the light and the size. Under a jeweller's spotlight, a Triple Excellent round brilliant will out-sparkle a Very Good one: the light return is cleaner and the flashes are crisper. In soft, everyday light the gap narrows, and a well-cut Very Good stone can look excellent.
Where the difference reliably shows is at size. A 3 carat round measures about 9.4 mm across, so every facet is physically larger than on a one carat stone. That makes the flashes bigger and slower, and it makes any area of light leakage bigger too. A slightly shallow pavilion that is invisible on a small stone can show as a faint glassy ring (a "fisheye") on a large one. A slightly deep pavilion can leave a darker centre. The bigger the diamond, the more the cut is on display, and the more the top band earns its premium.
Good vs Very Good cut
Very Good sits one rung below Excellent. Good sits one rung below Very Good, and that is where the visible drop-off begins in earnest.
| Cut grade | What it does to light | Where you notice |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent / Ideal | Returns close to the maximum light the shape allows | Crisp, even flashes in any lighting |
| Very Good | Returns slightly less; minor proportion or symmetry deviations | Hard to fault alone; softer beside an Excellent stone |
| Good | Noticeably more light leaks through the pavilion | Duller centre, visible windowing as carat weight climbs |
| Fair / Poor | Substantial leakage; often cut to preserve weight | Flat or glassy even in bright light |
The honest summary of Good vs Very Good: Very Good is a legitimate stone that most people would happily wear. Good is where you start paying for carat weight instead of beauty, because the stone is heavier than it looks bright. On a 3 carat centre diamond that compromise is difficult to hide, which is why Montare's floor sits well above it.
If you buy a Very Good cut: a checklist
Very Good can be a sensible choice, especially for side stones or a smaller diamond. If you go that way, these checks separate a strong Very Good from a weak one:
- Find out which line is Very Good. A Very Good cut grade matters more for light than Very Good polish or symmetry.
- Check the pavilion angle on a round. Inside 40.6–41.8° is a good sign even when the overall grade is Very Good. Outside 39.8–42.4° means the stone sits beyond the Very Good band entirely.
- Look at the depth. A very shallow stone can show a glassy window. A very deep one looks smaller than its weight and can look dark in the centre.
- Ask for a light-performance image. An ASET or Ideal Scope image shows where a diamond leaks light. Most serious sellers can provide one.
- See it in diffuse light, not just under spotlights. Showroom lighting flatters every stone. Daylight by a window is a fairer test.
- Don't pay for a word. If a listing says "Ideal" and the report says Very Good, price it as Very Good.
When Very Good is fine — and when to insist on Triple Excellent
Very Good is a sensible choice for melee and side stones, where the centre carries the show, or on a tighter budget where size or clarity matter more to you than the last few percent of brilliance. For the centre diamond, the one stone everyone actually looks at, Triple Excellent is where your money works hardest. Cut outranks colour, clarity and carat for sheer visual impact, and the premium over Very Good is usually modest next to the whole ring. On a centre stone, it is the upgrade we would always make.
Cut grades on fancy shapes
On a GIA report, there is no overall cut grade for an oval, emerald, pear, marquise, cushion or radiant. You get polish and symmetry, and the proportions are printed but not graded. That makes "Triple Excellent" harder to apply to a fancy shape. The answer is to judge the proportions directly against a window built for that shape. These are the windows every Montare centre diamond must fall inside:
| Shape | Table % | Depth % | Length-to-width |
|---|---|---|---|
| Round | 54–57% | 59–62.5% | 1.00 |
| Oval | 54–58% | 58–62% | 1.35–1.50 |
| Pear | 54–58% | 58–62% | 1.45–1.70 |
| Marquise | 54–58% | 58–62% | 1.85–2.10 |
| Cushion (elongated) | 60–62% | 61–67% | 1.25–1.35 |
| Radiant (elongated) | 62–66% | 61–67% | 1.20–1.40 |
| Emerald | 62–66% | 61–67% | 1.30–1.50 |
Step cuts (emerald) and mixed cuts (radiant, cushion) are built differently from brilliant cuts, which is why their tables and depths run higher. The length-to-width ratio is part of the proportions too, because it decides whether a shape looks balanced. Our length-to-width ratio guide explains each range.
Very Good vs Excellent on a lab-grown report
For lab-grown diamonds specifically, this comparison changed on 1 October 2025. GIA stopped printing individual grades on lab-grown reports and replaced them with two labels, Premium and Standard, and the cut line is drawn exactly where this article sits:
- Premium requires Excellent polish and symmetry, plus an Excellent cut grade on round brilliants.
- Standard accepts Very Good polish, symmetry and cut, alongside a much wider colour and clarity band.
In other words, on a GIA lab-grown report the Very Good/Excellent decision is now folded into a single word, and you can no longer read the individual grades that produced it. IGI made no such change and still grades lab-grown stones on the full scale, which is why every Montare centre diamond is IGI certified: a fixed house standard needs the precise grades to be legible. The full breakdown is in what changed in GIA's lab-grown grading.
The Montare standard
That is why we do not offer anything below it. Every Montare centre diamond is Triple Excellent, with ideal table and depth for its shape, alongside D–E colour, VVS1–VVS2 clarity, a three-carat minimum and IGI certification. Lab-grown is our standard, and a mined diamond can be sourced as a special commission, held to exactly the same floor. There is no lower tier to choose from: a floor you can negotiate downward is not a floor. Each ring is designed first, the diamond is sourced to the design, and every setting is cast and then finished by hand at the bench in Toronto, with nothing built for stock and nothing hurried.
Design your ring in minutes. Every centre diamond is D–E colour, VVS clarity, Triple Excellent cut and at least three carats — IGI certified, made to order in Toronto.
Open the ring builder →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Triple Excellent and Very Good cut?
Triple Excellent means a diamond earns the top grade for cut, polish and symmetry. Very Good is one step below in one or more of those areas: still bright, but returning slightly less light than a top-band stone.
Is Triple Excellent cut worth the extra money?
For the centre diamond, usually yes. Cut drives brilliance more than any other factor, the difference is most visible on a large stone, and the premium over Very Good is typically modest next to the whole ring.
Can you see the difference between Very Good and Excellent cut?
Under bright, direct light and on a round brilliant, yes: a Triple Excellent stone sparkles more crisply. In everyday light the gap is smaller, but it becomes easier to see as carat size increases, because the facets and any light leakage get physically larger.
What angles make an Excellent cut diamond?
On GIA's published cut-estimation tables for round brilliants, Excellent allows a pavilion angle of about 40.6 to 41.8 degrees, a crown angle of about 31.5 to 36.5 degrees and a table of 52 to 62 percent. Very Good allows wider ranges. The final grade depends on how the measurements combine, not on each number alone.
Is an Excellent cut always an ideal cut?
No. Excellent is a range, and a diamond can grade Excellent anywhere inside it. Ideal table and depth describe a narrower window within that range. For a round, Montare requires a 54 to 57 percent table and 59 to 62.5 percent depth on top of Triple Excellent.
Does cut grade apply to fancy shapes?
On a GIA report, an overall cut grade is given only to round brilliants. Fancy shapes are graded on polish and symmetry, with proportions printed but not graded, so ideal table, depth and length-to-width ranges for each shape become the real measure of cut quality.
Is Very Good cut the same as Ideal cut?
No. They are two different rungs. "Ideal" is a trade term for the top of the cut scale, which appears on GIA and IGI reports as Excellent. Very Good is the grade immediately below it.
What does Excellent, Excellent, Very Good mean on a certificate?
It means Excellent cut and polish with Very Good symmetry. The stone can be sold as an "Excellent cut", but it is not Triple Excellent. Always read all three lines rather than the first one.
What is the difference between Good and Very Good cut?
Very Good returns slightly less light than an Excellent stone but still looks bright on its own. Good lets noticeably more light leak through the bottom of the diamond, which reads as a duller centre and becomes easier to see as carat weight increases.
What is a Very Good cut diamond?
A diamond graded one step below the top of the cut scale, because its proportions, polish or symmetry deviate slightly from the top band. It returns most of the light its shape allows and looks bright on its own, but falls short of an Excellent stone beside one, and the gap widens as carat weight increases.
Is a Very Good cut diamond worth buying?
It can be, on a smaller stone or in a side setting where the diamond is not the focal point. On a large centre diamond the cut grade is doing most of the visual work, so the step up to Triple Excellent is usually the better place to spend.
Is Very Good cut good enough for a lab-grown diamond?
The same optics apply to lab-grown and mined diamonds, so the same answer holds: fine for side stones, a compromise for a centre stone. Because lab-grown diamonds cost far less than mined stones of the same size and quality, the step up to Triple Excellent costs less too, which makes it easier to justify.
Every centre stone, Triple Excellent. Design a ring in the ring builder or book a consultation.
The Montare standard
Lab-grown · D–E colour · VVS clarity · Triple Excellent · Ideal proportions · 3ct minimum · IGI certified
Only about 1 in 350 lab-grown diamonds on the wholesale market meets this standard. Most jewellers don’t hold a floor this high. We do.
Every ring is made to order in Toronto and backed by our lifetime setting upgrade, with free, fully insured shipping.
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