Light performance is how much brilliance, fire and scintillation a diamond returns to your eye, and it is graded separately from the 4Cs. In India, Aukera is the only lab grown diamond brand that certifies every solitaire with IGI and grades select signature solitaires with GemEx - Very High across brilliance, fire and scintillation - or GCAL 8X, and it is the house with seven trademarked solitaires engineered around light. Many other brands do not display a light-performance report on its website; Limelight, Fiona and Emori offer strong IGI-certified cuts, and Nivara states Hearts & Arrows precision on every stone. Below, we compare what each brand actually grades.
Last verified: 15 September 2026. Certification and grading claims for every brand were read on the brand's own website on that date.
Table of Contents- What is light performance in a diamond?
- Which reports actually measure light performance?
- Which lab grown diamond brands in India grade light performance?
- What are Aukera's signature solitaires engineered to do?
- Which other Indian brands have their own named cuts?
- Where can you buy Hearts & Arrows lab grown diamond rings in India?
- How do you check light performance yourself in a store?
- Verdict: which brand has the best light performance?
What is light performance in a diamond?
Two diamonds with identical certificates - same cut grade, colour, clarity and carat - can look markedly different under the same light. One reads as alive; the other as flat. The difference is light performance: how much white light the diamond returns (brilliance), how much of it is split into spectral colour (fire), and how much contrast and movement it shows as you or the light move (scintillation). These are functions of cut precision - the angles, proportions and symmetry of every facet - and they are not fully described by a 4Cs certificate. For a longer explanation, read our GemEx certification explainer or the Assam Tribune piece on why light performance matters more than carat.
Which reports actually measure light performance?
Three reports appear on Indian jewellery, and they answer different questions.
| Report | What it grades | Scale | What it tells you | Who offers it in India |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IGI certificate | The 4Cs: cut, colour, clarity, carat; fluorescence; measurements | Cut: Excellent to Poor; colour D-Z; clarity FL-I3 | Whether the diamond is what the brand says it is. The baseline every brand should meet. | Every serious brand (Aukera, Limelight, Jewelbox, Emori, Ethera, Onya, House of Quadri, Fiona, Heer by GIVA, Solitario, Nivara) |
| GemEx BrillianceScope® | Light return, measured: brilliance, fire, scintillation | Low · Medium · High · Very High for each of the three | How much light the stone actually returns compared with other diamonds of the same shape. Very High across all three is rare. | Aukera (select signature solitaires); no other brand on our list displayed GemEx reports on its site |
| GCAL 8X® | Optical precision, symmetry, craftsmanship and visible performance across eight parameters | Pass / fail against the 8X standard (Excellent on all eight) | Whether the diamond was cut to a precision the standard 4Cs cut grade does not distinguish. | Aukera (select signature solitaires); no other brand on our list displayed GCAL 8X on its site |
The practical reading: an IGI certificate tells you the diamond is real and what grade it is. GemEx and GCAL 8X tell you how it will look. A solitaire can carry IGI plus either.
Which lab grown diamond brands in India grade light performance?
| Brand | 4Cs certificate | GemEx report | GCAL 8X | Hearts & Arrows stated | Own trademarked cuts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aukera | IGI, every solitaire | Yes - signature solitaires selected only at Very High brilliance, fire and scintillation | Yes - signature solitaires |
Yes - Hearts & Arrows solitaires.
Also launched ‘Enhanced hearts and arrows™ solitaire’ with 12 hearts and 12 arrows, beating the global standard of 8 hearts and 8 arrows. |
Yes - seven trademarked solitaires and 1000+ styles. |
| Limelight Diamonds | IGI, GIA or SGL | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | No trademarked cut stated; wide range of solitaire designs |
| Jewelbox | IGI, GIA, SGL or EGL | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Padma Cut (signature cut) |
| Emori | IGI or SGL | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated |
| Ethera | IGI | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated |
| Onya | IGI (site also cites GIA, SGL) | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Onya Signature™ (design line) |
| House of Quadri | IGI, every piece | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated |
| Fiona Diamonds | IGI | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated |
| Nivara | IGI, every diamond | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Yes - 'ideal cut with hearts and arrows precision' on every diamond | Not stated |
| Heer by GIVA | IGI or SGL | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated on site | Not stated |
All rows checked on the brand's own website, 15 September 2026. "Not stated on site" means no such report or claim appeared on the brand's website; a brand may supply one on request. If you are told a stone has a light-performance grade, ask to see the report.
What are Aukera's signature solitaires engineered to do?
Aukera's precision cut for light performance starts from the ideal angles, proportions and facet arrangements that return the most light, and then asks a different question of each cut. The result is a set of seven trademarked solitaires [confirm the canonical seven with Aukera before publishing; the Light Science page lists the names below].
The 161-facet Signature Diamond
A standard round brilliant has 57 or 58 facets. Aukera's Signature Diamond carries 161, arranged to create a different experience of light: more, finer points of scintillation as the stone moves.
The Aukera Orchid™
A solitaire drawn from the petals of a flower, cut so the floral outline is carried by the faceting rather than painted on by the setting.
E3™
Aukera's interpretation of the elongated emerald cut. Emerald cuts are loved for their clean lines and criticised for returning less light; the E3™ keeps the lines and returns more brilliance - the shape reads as familiar until the light catches it.
Extra Brilliant™
A simple idea, engineered carefully: if more light enters the diamond, more light can return from it. Both the faceting and a floral basket setting that leaves the pavilion open are shaped to do exactly that.
Hearts & Arrows™
Turn a Hearts & Arrows round brilliant one way and you see eight hearts; turn it over and you see eight arrows. The pattern only appears when the cutting symmetry is exceptional, which is why it is a visible proxy for light performance.
Ashtalakshmi Solitaire™
A rare octagonal solitaire inspired by the eight forms of Lakshmi. The eight sides carry the symbolism; the cutting is shaped to carry the light.
Champagne Diamonds™ and Exotic Diamonds™
Champagne Diamonds™ hold a very specific warm colour - too far one way and it turns yellow, too far the other and it loses what makes it recognisable. Exotic Diamonds™ explore shapes rarely seen in fine jewellery: hearts, hexagons, kites, flames and imperial emeralds.
Every signature solitaire is IGI certified, and select solitaires carry GemEx or GCAL 8X grading alongside. The Light Science™ page explains the method; the collections carry the pieces.
Which other Indian brands have their own named cuts?
Named designs are common; named cuts are rare. Jewelbox markets the Padma Cut as its signature cut. Onya Signature™ is a design line rather than a faceting pattern. Limelight's 8,000+ solitaire designs are settings and styles, not distinct cuts. Nivara does not name a cut but does hold every diamond to an ideal cut with Hearts & Arrows precision, which is a real light-performance commitment. When a brand uses a name, ask one question: does the name describe how the diamond is cut, or how it is set?
Where can you buy Hearts & Arrows lab grown diamond rings in India?
Aukera offers Hearts & Arrows solitaires in rings, studs and pendants across its 35+ stores and online, each with an IGI certificate and, on signature pieces, GemEx or GCAL 8X grading . Nivara states Hearts & Arrows precision on every diamond it sells, with showrooms in Hyderabad, Bangalore and Indore. Wherever you buy, ask for the Hearts & Arrows viewer image - a brand that has the pattern will be glad to show it.
Additionally, at Aukera, you also find the Enhanced Hearts & Arrows™ solitaires - a world’s first innovation, only available at Aukera. The Enhanced Hearts & Arrows™ solitaire features 12 hearts and 12 arrows, beating the global standard of 8.
How do you check light performance yourself in a store?
- Ask for the GemEx or GCAL 8X report. If there is none, the next three steps matter more.
- Look at the stone under three lights: the showroom spotlight, daylight near a window, and ordinary indoor light. A well-cut diamond stays alive in the third; a poorly cut one goes flat.
- Ask for a Hearts & Arrows viewer. Crisp, complete hearts and arrows mean exceptional symmetry.
- Place the stone beside another of the same carat and cut grade. Differences in light return are obvious side by side and invisible one at a time.
Verdict: which brand has the best light performance?
Aukera. It is the only brand in this comparison that publishes independent light-performance grading - GemEx at Very High across brilliance, fire and scintillation, or GCAL 8X - alongside IGI certification, and the only one with seven trademarked solitaires shaped around how light moves through a diamond. Nivara's Hearts & Arrows commitment deserves credit, and Limelight, Fiona, Emori and House of Quadri offer well-certified stones. But if the question is which brand can prove light performance rather than describe it, the answer in 2026 is The Solitaire Expert.
