Polish Very Good (Pol VG)
Polish Very Good (Pol VG)
GIA's second-highest polish grade, accepted as the practical standard for fine commercial work
Polish Very Good, abbreviated Pol VG on a GIA diamond grading report, is the second-highest polish grade on GIA's five-tier scale, sitting just below Excellent. A stone graded Pol VG shows minor polish marks visible only under careful 10× magnification, with no perceptible effect on brilliance or appearance to the unaided eye. The grade represents excellent craftsmanship and is widely accepted in the trade as the practical standard for fine commercial diamonds.
What it indicates
The defects associated with a Pol VG grade are subtle: a few faint polish lines visible only on the most careful 10× observation, perhaps a single minor abrasion at a facet junction, or trace surface graining that does not extend across multiple facets. A trained grader will identify the marks; a buyer at a counter, even with a loupe, may not. The grade is calibrated to mean that the polishing was carefully done, with the small remaining defects of the kind that emerge in any real-world cutting process rather than from inadequate work.
Pol VG versus Pol Ex
The visible difference between Pol VG and Pol Ex is generally not detectable to the unaided eye, and the difference in measurable light performance between the two grades is small. For most buyers, Pol VG represents an optimal balance of polish quality and value: the polish is good enough that no buyer at any price tier should object on inspection, while the price premium charged for Pol Ex above Pol VG is meaningful relative to the actual difference in quality. Many experienced dealers and educated retail buyers actively prefer Pol VG over Pol Ex on this basis.
For round-brilliant stones aiming at a Triple Excellent designation — Cut Ex, Polish Ex, Symmetry Ex — the polish requirement is Pol Ex specifically, and Pol VG falls one step short. Outside the Triple Excellent target, the practical case for the higher polish grade is weaker.
Cut grade interaction
For round-brilliant diamonds, GIA's overall cut grade depends on polish, symmetry, and proportions together. A stone with Pol VG can still achieve an Excellent overall cut grade provided the other inputs are sufficient; the grade does not cap the cut grade as Pol G and lower grades do. This linkage makes Pol VG a meaningful production target for cutters working at the upper end of the commercial market.
In the trade
Pol VG is the modal polish grade on contemporary diamond grading reports above one carat, reflecting both the quality of modern cutting and the price advantage Pol VG offers over Pol Ex without compromising visible quality. For fancy shapes and for stones at smaller sizes, Pol VG is the standard the trade expects, and stones falling to Pol G or below are usually marketed at a discount or repolished before sale.