A Triple Excellent Diamond is often called a GIA XXX diamond is the highest quality for cut, polish, and symmetry. If all three features are graded as “Excellent” according to the Gemological Institute of America, then a diamond is certified as a triple excellent one.
Such a process of defining is fundamentally important as it directly impacts the stone’s brilliance, fire, and beauty as visual characteristics in general.
Owing to optimal proportions and cut in particular, polish, and symmetry, the stone will reflect and refract light in a way that highly increases its intensity and sparkle making the diamond especially highly demanded by those who are looking at their most beautiful diamond.
In other words, the term “triple excellent” is often closely associated with high shine in visual characteristics, and that is one of the reasons why these stones are often preferred by those choosing really qualitative diamonds.
However, it is also vital to remember that while GIA XXX is a powerful definition in terms of cut, more aspects such as color, clarity, and carat also add to the stone’s general visual characteristics. read our detailed blog on Baguette Diamond: Origins, Facts & Why You would Probably Love It to understand better about Baguette Diamond cut.
“Many diamond buyers choose Triple Excellent diamonds for their superior craftsmanship, knowing they deliver the best in brilliance and fire. Exceptional craftsmanship guarantees that these diamonds not only radiate maximum light but also showcase a beautifully precise pattern, making them truly captivating.”
–Gemological Institute of America (GIA)
If you’re in the market for a Triple Excellent cut diamond, we suggest purchasing from trusted online retailers like James Allen or Blue Nile. Both offer extensive selections of GIA excellent cut diamonds at highly competitive prices. You can read our full review of blue nile’s inventory and shopping experience here.
For example, this 1.00 carat round diamond from James Allen has been graded “excellent” in cut, polish, and symmetry, as per its GIA report, making it a triple excellent diamond.
What Makes a Diamond ‘Triple Excellent Diamond aka GIA XXX’?
This is the rating given to a Triple Excellent diamond which receives an “excellent” grade in each of three particular categories from the GIA grading system: Cut, Polish and Symmetry. Each of these will be explored as I tell the story behind what makes a Triple Excellent diamond so desirable later, but for now, knowing each element is critical to appreciating why this high denomination has great value.
GIA Grading System
GIA is among the top and also one of the highly respected authorities grading diamonds. Their system covers a range of elements of quality which collectively determine the appearance and value of diamonds, Cut being amongs most crucial to its overall beauty alongside others like Polish and Symmetry. Now, let us seen how each of them are contributing to development:
Cut
Cut Refers to how well a diamond has been crafted from its rough state. It is what gives the diamond its brilliance and fire, which causes it to sparkle. A good cut indicates that the diamond has been optimally designed to reflect and refract light in a way as amazing as possible.
Polish
The term polish is used to indicate how smooth the surface of a diamond turns out after being cut. Without any visible marks or blemishes on their surface, a diamond with excellent polish allows light to penetrate through the facets unimpeded and gives you optimal light performance.
Symmetry
Symmetry measures the proportion in which a diamond is cut circuitously. A Grade of an excellent symmetry means the diamond has been crafted at such precision that it will practically split light into perfect proportions on a mass-scale all through and through, giving you enhanced shots sparking brilliance and balanced looking stone in plain sight!
For example, take a look at this 1.00 carat, H color, VVS1 clarity diamond from Blue Nile. According to its GIA report, it has been graded excellent for cut, polish, and symmetry, making it a triple excellent diamond.
Impact on Light Performance
When a diamond does an exceptional job (super-ideal) in all three — cut, polish and symmetry, it will interface with light in amazing ways. Its facets align perfectly, its surfaces are smooth and the cut is precise to reflect an optimal amount of light making them shine with high sparkle, fire and brilliance.
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The Importance of Proportions in Triple Excellent Diamond
With a Triple Excellent diamond, keep in mind that the GIA’s Cut, Polish and Symmetry grades won’t guarantee an ideal performance for your stone. Major elements contributing to a diamond’s beauty include its depth, table size and overall dimensions—the proportions of the diamond.
At first glance, this diamond seems like a great option for optimal brilliance and light performance. However, upon examining its proportions, it becomes clear that it falls short of ideal in terms of light performance.
The importance of depth, table & overall proportions
The depth of a diamond is the distance from its table (the flat top surface) to the culet, which is at or near the bottom. Table Size: It is the largest facet on the diamond that affects how light enters and exits from a stone. These percentages altogether decided how light refracts and reflects from the diamond making it look sparkly or brilliant.
- Perfect Depth: A depth of between 59%-62% is usually considered to be the perfect engagement. This means that too much depth (a deep cut) will cause more light to escape out of the bottom part of the diamond, resulting in less sparkle.
- Optimal Table Size: A table ratio measuring somewhere between 53% and 58% is ideal for brightening. It should not be either too big or small as that would affect the general light performance of the diamond.
For instance, the diamond’s height (known as “depth” in the industry), its width, and the size of its table (the flat top facet) all significantly impact how well it reflects light.
Common Error: Emphasizing Only the GIA XXX Grade
A common mistake is to select a diamond based on the Triple Excellent (GIA XXX) grade without consideration of proportions. Regardless of how good the cut, polish or symmetry are; if a diamond’s proportions lay outside ideal ranges it may look dull and lifeless.
For instance, it is not uncommon to find an excellent cut diamond with a shallow depth or deep crown that light would leak through the side rather than being reflected out of the top. Accordingly, it is important not to stop at the Triple Excellent grade but that all proportions of a diamond meet ideal standards for brilliance and fire.
Working towards the perfect ration
The Excellent Cut of a Triple Excellent diamond results in high levels of brilliance, therefore making sure that the table and depth percentages are within ideal ranges will help you benefit from that perfection. This balance enables the diamond to perform with its optimal light performance making it sparkle and shine beautifully.
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Debunking the Triple Excellent Myth
While the Triple Excellent (GIA XXX) grading in principle is cut, polish and symmetry are of the highest quality there it must be noted that not all Triple Excellents diamonds are equal. Just because it says Triple Excellent does not mean they are automatically the best quality one could buy as there are other characteristics that contribute to both a stones overall appearance and how well one will look at once worn.
Why Not All Triple Excellent Diamonds Are Equal
The cut, polish and symmetry of a diamond are equally-important factors that contribute to its overall brilliance and sparkle—which is why GIA Triple Excellent graded diamonds are highly sought. But these are only three reasons; there’s more to it than this.
But if that diamond has a perfectly cut mechanism but is lacking in another area such as color, clarity or fluorescence, it will not perform to the level of brilliancy people would anticipate.
Appearance: Color and Clarity of the Diamond
- Color: Diamonds are rated on a scale, where D is colorless and Z light yellow or brown. A Triple Excellent diamond, however white it might be in artificial light may posses tints (as is evident with high color grade J or K stones), which can influence its overall appearance when seen under natural lighting.
- Clarity: In this category, inclusions or blemishes within a diamond are given grades from Flawless to Included. A diamond with Triple Excellent grading (in terms of cut, polish and symmetry) may still contain inclusions visible to naked eye that affect how it looks.
Fluorescence: How It Affects the Diamond’s Look
As per GIA, This does also plays an important role with how a Triple Excellent diamond looks, as the visible light that is shown when we hit by Ultraviolet rays to deep inside of us can determine material through fluorescence (which in simple words means Diamond emitting after being exposed in ultraviolet).
So, for example a diamond with strong fluorencence that has smaller color grades might look hazy or milky in the sunlight because of it and suppress fire.
The Bottom Line: Look Beyond the XXX Grade
Keep in mind the Triple Excellent Diamond grade (GIA XXX) is only one aspect of a diamond’s total value. Color, clarity and fluorescence are just a few of the factors that define how beautiful or valuable a diamond is. At the least, look at all of them together to be sure that you are choosing a diamond which shines in the ways appropriate for your personal preferences.
Shopping Tips for Triple Excellent Diamonds
If you are considering the purchase of a Triple Excellent diamond it is important to understand that just buying any GIA XXX stone will not be enough, as these stones may well meet all the highest cut standards but at the same time fall short when applying your personally preferred criteria for overall quality and brilliance.
Things that Add Value Over a Triple Excellent Grade
The Triple Excellent means that the cut, polish, and symmetry of a diamond are top-tier but there are other things to consider too:
- Color: Try to match or complement the location and your skin tone. D-F color diamonds are the most expensive because they have no visible color and EGI graded D-GI size will give you warm white appearance while being more affordable.
- Clarity: In the case of clarity, be on the lookout for few flaws within a diamond. These clarity grades are usually eye-clean at VS2 and up, but examine the diamond carefully or talk to an expert as inclusions may impact both beauty and light performance.
- Fluorescence: Only buy diamonds with strong fluorescence if they have a low color grade, and even then be careful. Under the natural light, fluorescence can cause a diamond to appear hazy or even milky in appearance, lessening its overall brilliance.
Where to Buy: Blue Nile and James Allen
James Allen and Blue Nile are few of the most reputed e-commerce websites to buy GIA Triple Excellent diamonds. Both platforms house substantial diamond inventories and come complete with full 360° views of every stone, GIA reports for each diamond as well to keep you informed through your purchase.
Blue Nile
One of the most famous online jewellery stores for its unrivalled quality and customer service, Blue Nile offers some of the best prices on GIA Triple Excellent diamonds. Browse Blue Nile Triple Excellent diamonds here.
James Allen
Known for its well-designed and clear-cut interface, JamesAllen enables an in-depth analysis of diamonds. You can even see images in HD 360° video, which will give some ideas about how beautiful the diamond is on top of a stone grade. View James Allen’s Collection of Triple Excellent Diamonds Here.
Make sure you ask for the GIA report when shopping to check those Triple Excellent grade and color, clarity and fluorescence of your diamond.
Conclusion
A Triple Excellent diamond is a great investment, because as we mentioned earlier it represents the best there is in term of cut quality. But keep in mind, GIA XXX grade by itself won’t assure the perfect diamond. Do not forget to consider together the color, clarity, and fluorescence of a diamond in combination with its cut quality for meeting beauty-related standards.
If you are ready to check out Triple Excellent diamonds then the unparalleled selection and transparency at Blue Nile or James Allen is your best bet. They both have great you with large inventories, detailed GIA reports and hi-res images of the diamonds to help you make a decision.
Blue Nile is the largest and most well-known internet jewelry seller. They have a very large exclusive online inventory. Their high-quality images are catching up to James Allens' and their prices are amazing. Right now, Blue Nile offers up to 30% savings on jewelry during a limited-time sale.
WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THEM:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. Blue Nile will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisal
- One free resizing within the first year of purchase
- High quality images of about half of their diamonds
- 24/7 Customer Service
- 100% credit towards future upgrades (must be at least double in value)
- Best in class fulfillment
James Allen is the leader in online diamond sales. Their imaging technology is the same as inspecting a diamond with a jeweler's loupe. They have the largest exclusive loose diamond inventory online and fantastic prices. They also have the nicest collection of lab-created diamonds online. They currently run a 25% discount on selected lab-grown diamonds!
WHAT WE LOVE ABOUT THEM:
- No questions asked returns within 30 days of shipment. James Allen will send you a paid shipping label to return the ring.
- Lifetime Warranty
- Free International Shipping
- Free prong tightening, repolishing, rhodium plating and cleaning every 6 months
- Provide insurance appraisals
- One free resizing within 60 days of purchase
- Free ring inscriptions
- Best-in-class high quality imagery of all diamonds in stock
- 24/7 Customer Service
- Best-in-class packaging
