For nearly two decades, round brilliant diamonds have carried something fancy shapes never had: an official cut grade. That gap is about to close. GIA has confirmed plans to introduce cut grades for select fancy-shape diamonds starting in 2027, beginning with oval, pear and marquise cuts, in what is being described as one of the most significant changes to diamond grading in years.
Here is what has actually been announced, why fancy shapes have gone without a cut grade for so long, how IGI already built a working version of this years ago, and what the change is likely to mean for buyers.
What GIA Has Announced
According to Rapaport, which received a statement directly from GIA, the institute plans to launch a cut-grading system for fancy shapes in 2027, starting with marquise, oval and pear diamonds. GIA stated that additional details about the launch and related laboratory services will be shared in early 2027, meaning the specific grading scale and proportion ranges have not yet been made public.
In its statement, GIA said the effort has been underway since the introduction of its round brilliant cut-grading system in 2006, and that it is aligned with the organisation's consumer-protection mission. The rollout is expected to be supported by GIA education programmes, laboratory services and manufacturer-focused tools, rather than launching as a grading change alone.
The plans were first previewed publicly by Tom Moses, GIA's executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer, at the Jewellery & Gem World Hong Kong show, where he raised the possibility of fancy-shape cut grading without confirming which shapes would be included. That detail, naming oval, pear and marquise specifically, came later in GIA's statement to Rapaport.
It's worth separating this from another change happening around the same time: starting in the fourth quarter of 2026, GIA will also begin adding fluorescence-related comments to grading reports for natural diamonds in the color range of D to Z. That update is unrelated to cut grading, but the timing means buyers are likely to see both changes discussed together in industry coverage.
Why Fancy Shapes Have Never Had a Cut Grade
Round brilliant diamonds follow a single, highly standardised facet structure. Because every round diamond shares the same basic geometry, GIA's researchers were able to model how proportions affect brightness, fire and scintillation across thousands of variations, eventually producing the five-grade cut scale (Excellent through Poor) introduced in 2006.
Fancy shapes do not offer that consistency. An oval, a pear and a marquise can each be cut to a wide range of length-to-width ratios, crown heights and pavilion depths, all while still being recognisably the same shape. Two diamonds with similar proportions can behave very differently depending on facet alignment, and shape-specific issues like the bow-tie effect, the dark shadow that often appears across the centre of elongated cuts, are difficult to predict from numbers alone.
GIA has been studying this problem directly. In a 2024 research paper examining oval-, pear- and marquise-shaped diamonds, the institute explored what a usable cut grading system for fancy shapes would need to achieve, underscoring that any system has to hold up to scrutiny from both gemologists and everyday buyers, not just function as a technical exercise. That research will likely set the foundation the 2027 system is expected to build on.
In practice, this grading gap has meant that buyers shopping for fancy shapes have had to rely on polish and symmetry grades, plus their own visual inspection of video or photos, since no major certificate has told them whether a stone's overall cut quality is strong.
IGI Already Built a Version of This, Back in 2022
GIA is not the first lab to attempt fancy-shape cut grading, and it's worth being upfront about that. IGI began issuing cut grades for loose fancy-shape diamonds in 2022. The system combines IGI's existing polish and symmetry analysis with a separate light-return assessment built specifically for fancy shapes.
IGI's guideline process works in four steps:
- Polish and symmetry: A diamond must score Very Good or Excellent in both before it can be considered for an overall Excellent cut grade.
- Proportions next: IGI applies proportion ranges developed from observing which combinations produce the most consistently attractive results for each shape.
- Shape-specific requirements: For ovals, marquise and pear shapes, this includes a check for bow-tie severity. Shapes can also have their own criteria. For instance, princess cuts are checked for even chevron patterns, and pears for a rounded base and even shoulders.
- Light return: A final assessment of how much light the diamond returns overall, described by IGI as an evaluation of fundamental light behaviour rather than a measure of fire or scintillation specifically.
The system now covers nine shapes: pear, oval, marquise, princess, heart, emerald, square emerald, square cushion modified brilliant, and cut-cornered square modified brilliant, and is available across IGI's network of laboratories worldwide.
Other laboratories such as AGS Laboratories and GCAL have also offered narrower fancy-shape cut assessments for some time, covering shapes like princess, oval and emerald.
Why This Actually Matters for Buyers
It is tempting to read this as a technical update that only matters to the trade, but the practical effects for buyers could be significant.
- Comparable shopping. Once live, buyers may be able to filter and compare oval, pear and marquise diamonds by cut grade the way they already do for round brilliants, rather than relying solely on measurements and a retailer's word.
- Less guesswork on bow-tie and light return. A formal grade should reduce, though probably not eliminate, the need to study video footage and ASET scope images just to judge whether a fancy-shape diamond will look lively or flat.
- Possible pricing shifts. When GIA introduced cut grading for round brilliants in 2006, well-cut diamonds gradually began commanding a clearer premium over poorly cut stones of the same carat, color and clarity. A similar effect is plausible for fancy shapes once a recognised grade exists.
- Good timing. Oval, pear and marquise shapes are among the most searched and purchased fancy shapes in the current market, so the rollout lines up with genuine consumer demand rather than introducing a system nobody is asking for.
What's Still Unknown
GIA has not yet published the specific proportion ranges, scoring methodology, or grading scale it will use, so direct comparisons with IGI's existing system aren't possible yet. It also isn't clear whether the new grade will apply to lab-grown diamonds as well as natural ones, whether grading fees will change, or whether shapes like cushion, emerald and radiant will be added in a later phase. GIA has said it will share further detail in early 2027, so most of these questions should be answered closer to launch.
Where This Leaves Buyers Today
For buyers shopping now, that makes IGI-certified stones the most straightforward way to start from a verified cut grade rather than proportions alone. As GIA rolls out their grading of fancy-shape cut diamonds, the transparency surrounding the quality and performance of the diamond will gradually become more widely available to consumers and to support their purchase decisions..
That said, certificates have never told the whole story for fancy shapes, and that won't change overnight. Reviewing video for bow-tie behaviour, checking symmetry visually, and comparing several stones side by side will remain good practice even after a GIA fancy-shape cut grade exists. If you're shopping for an oval diamond in the meantime, our buyer’s guides on certain fancy shaped diamonds here: oval diamonds and pear diamonds
