diamond education

A diamond cut is a style or design guide used when shaping a diamond for polishing such as the brilliant cut.

The cut has several different names like, The Ideal Cut and Hearts & Arrows. Don't be fooled, they are all the same. A Diamond has 57 or 58 facets (sides) depending on if it has a culet or not (whoch is the bottom point of the diamond).

The cut of a diamond has three main attributes:

1. Brilliance - The light reflection from a diamond

2. Fire - The way the light disperses in a diamond

3. Scintillation - The sparkle of the diamond

Before computers and fancy cutting techniques were used, it was common to have the culet be a facet. This style of cut is called an Old Cut or Euro Cut. Depending on what style of ring you are looking for, Old Cut diamonds are usually found in antique pieces.

The most common cut (and world’s most popular) is round, which also happens to be the most expensive shape. There are Fancy Cuts, which are any shape that is not round. Some examples include Emerald, Princess, Oval, Pear or Heart. These cuts are not graded based on their cut because in reality, there is no ideal or correct cut for these shapes. There is however, better proportions and symmetry that will make the diamond sparkle more - ultimately it comes down to your preference.

For example, when looking at emerald cut diamonds, some people like a more square shape when others like more of a rectangle. What I recommend, especially for fancy shapes, is going with a higher clarity. This is because of the way fancy shapes are cut; sometimes the inclusion can be eye visible (meaning can be seen with the naked eye.

If we are talking about purchasing a stone with the most sparkle, your best bet is to purchase a Round cut stone. The angles and proportions of each facet help improve the brilliance/fire of the stone. This is done by keeping the light inside the stone as long as possible. Stones that have poor proportions/cut grade have light leakage and appear dead. This can be seen in lots of inexpensive, lower clarity stones. If you want the most sparkle, choose a stone that has an Excellent/Very Good cut grade. This will insure that the stone retains as much light as possible based on the size and shape of stone.

Clarity is a little subjective as it refers to the natural inclusions in a diamond. Diamonds form more than 50 miles inside of earth and are comprised entirely of carbon atoms. When there are impurities mixed in with the carbon, the diamond will have some color (this will be explained in a later section). When the diamonds are forming, any change in temperature or pressure can change the speed and formation of the diamond, in turn creating impurities. These impurities are called inclusions and come in many forms. From your basic carbon crystal (unformed diamond), to feathers, knots, and naturals. The list goes on and on.

Why is this an issue for some? The more noticeable an inclusion is inside a stone, the cheaper it will be. When buying a diamond, look for inclusions that are small and off to the side. Sometimes when an inclusion is in the center of a diamond you can see it with the naked eye. For that reason, I don't recommend buying anything below a grade of SI2. Personally, I think inclusions are interesting because they make the stone unique, like a fingerprint, where no two diamonds are alike.

The common diamond grades are below:

• Flawless (FL) - No inclusions or blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10× magnification

• Internally Flawless (IF) - No inclusions and only blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10× magnification

• Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2) - Inclusions are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10× magnification

• Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) - Inclusions are minor and range from difficult to somewhat easy for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification

• Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) - Inclusions are noticeable to a skilled grader under 10x magnification

• Included (I1, I2, and I3) - Inclusions are obvious under 10× magnification and may affect transparency and brilliance

Grading the color of a stone is another difficult factor to understand without proper training. However, the scale is very easy to understand once you know it. The color range of a diamond starts at D through Z. After Z you start getting into the Fancy Color system, which is a whole different animal. The D-F range is considered colorless or white. This is the most expensive color in diamonds. As important as color is, it’s also important to consider that when a diamond is mounted in a ring, the color tends to fade. For example, a diamond with F color and a diamond of H color may look different loose, however when mounted they effectively look the same!

The carat weight is quite simple and refers to the diamonds weight. There are a few tricks about carat weight when buying a diamond. One trick when purchasing a diamond is to not focus too much on the actual weight, as when you hit certain carat weights the price will jump. For example, a 1.00 ct G-SI1 diamond and a .90 ct G-SI1 diamond will effectively look the same but the 1.00 ct diamond will cost $1,000 or so more!

Another trick is again to not get lost in the actual carat weight but focus on the mm measurements. In the industry we used the term “spready” which means a diamond looks bigger than the actual carat weight. You can have a 1.00 ct diamond that is “spready”, giving the appearance of a 1.25 ct stone!