What Is Diamond Cut?
THE 4C SERIES
By now, you’re close to calling yourself a diamond connoisseur! We’ve discussed diamond color and clarity but what makes a diamond truly glitter? For that unmistakable sparkle it’s all about the diamonds’ cut. This is the ‘C’ you want to put the most emphasis on because even a diamond that grades well in color and clarity can look lifeless or be prone to breakage if it isn’t cut just right.
DIAMONDS AND CUT
The cut is the most complex part of a diamond because it is the quality of workmanship and arrangement of the facets that gives a diamond its brilliance. Unfortunately, because it is harder to define the cut is often ignored. The common mistakes made when evaluating cut are listed below and will help you choose wisely to get the maximum sparkle in your diamond.
DIAMOND CUT SCALE (EXCELLENT TO POOR)
Diamonds are graded as Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair or Poor. The cut grade is given based on the proportion, symmetry and polish that create the diamond’s ‘face-up’ appearance. This is what makes a diamond interact with light and give off three desirable effects:
Brightness: The internal and external white light reflected from a diamond
Fire: The scattering of white light into all the colors of the rainbow
Scintillation: The sparkle a diamond produces; the pattern of light and dark areas caused by reflections within the diamond
WHERE CAN I FIND DIAMOND CUT INFORMATION?
As we’ve stressed before, be sure to carefully review the GIA diamond grading report or a suitable alternative such as an IGI report. Since diamond cut is impossible to determine without the proper equipment, it is especially important that the report be from a scientific source.
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR WHEN EVALUATING DIAMOND CUT
The main factors to watch out for are diamonds cut too shallow or cut too deep.
Shallow Cut Diamonds = This makes a diamond look a little bigger, but gives off less light and sparkle
Deep Cut = This cut conserves the weight of a diamond, but makes the center look dark
Never accept a diamond grading report unless it is from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), American Gemological Society (AGS) or International Gemological Institute (IGI). For example, if a jeweler shows you reports from a local gemologist in Gilbert, Mesa or Chandler but can’t show you reports from the GIA, AGS or IGI, then they may not be authentic.
Throughout our 4C’s series we’ve covered diamond color, diamond clarity and now diamond cut. The final ‘C’ – carat weight is what’s up next. Like us on Facebook to see other fun tips we share!
At Forever Diamonds we take great care in ensuring our loose diamonds are clearly marked and have GIA or IGI reports ready for you to help guide your decision. We can answer your diamond questions about cut or any of the other 4C’s. Come visit our Gilbert showroom and we’ll help you become more comfortable with your diamond knowledge.
