All you Need to Know about Diamond Cut

A diamond’s cut should not be mistaken with its shape. It is actually the proportion, polish, and symmetry of the diamond. The most important quality that affects the beauty of a diamond is its cut. It is extremely difficult to quantify and analyze too.

The cut of a diamond has three main effects on its appearance:

• Brilliance, which is the combined sparkle created by the white light reflections coming from the insides and outer surface of the diamond;
• Scintillation, which is the alternating flashes of light and dark, which appears when the source of light or the diamond is moved; and
• Fire, which is the flashing of the component colors of light due to the dispersion of light when it passes through a polished diamond.

In the process of diamond cutting, the most important and difficult task is to maintain an optimal cut while keeping the yield at a maximum. Due to a better visual appeal and the illusion of a profitable buy, many customers are ready to pay for a larger diamond that is fairly cut rather than a smaller diamond with excellent cut qualities. This means that there is pressure on the diamond cutter to sacrifice appearance for the weight of the diamond. Hence,, the cut grade is extremely important. It allows the purchaser to identify stones with a fair or poor cut in order to add carat weight.

A single rough diamond could give you two possibilities. Either you can get a deep cut diamond that would give the cutter a huge profit, or you can get a smaller diamond with excellent cut properties. This may sell for lesser than the larger diamond due to the size. However, its price per carat would be much higher. This is mainly because of the higher efforts required and also the amount of rough diamond that is lost during the creation process

Diamond Cut Proportions

Diamond proportion refers to the relation between the shape, size, and angle of a diamond. The possibilities of combinations are endless, and hence, the way of interaction with light is possible in different ways.

When light falls on a diamond, 20% of it is reflected back off the surface, while the remaining 80% passes through the stone. A part of this will exit through the backside of the diamond. The faceting of a diamond comes to play during this interaction. If the facets are provided appropriately, the light will travel through the interior of the diamond only to be reflected back at the face of the observer. This is the cause of scintillation, brilliance, and fire.

In case the diamond is too shallow cut, the incident rays will strike the pavilion facet at a very low angle. Hence, it will pass through the bottom of the diamond leaving no brilliance

• Diamond Depth:It is the difference in measurement between the culet at the bottom of the diamonds and the table. It is expressed in millimeters, and referred to as the third number after the length and width. The depth percentage of a diamond is found out by calculating the ratio of depth to width of a diamond.
• Diamond Table:The diamond table percentage is calculated by taking the ratio of the width of the table facet to the width of the diamond.

Remember that the two above properties should not be used as a deciding factor while you select a diamond from best online diamond dealers or from in-store dealers. This is because the attributes are already included while determining the cut grade of a diamond. Apart from this, you can use this property if you are concerned with a particular dimension of your diamond.

Diamond Proportion Diagram

A diamond proportion diagram is a representation of the diamond’s original properties. Properties such as culet size, depth percentages, girdle size, and table are included in the proportion diagram. Other measurements include pavilion, angles, and crown as well. With each dimension measured using an electronic light scanner, the proportion diagram can be termed as the fingerprint of your diamond.

Grading Diamond Cut

Note that the appearance of a diamond is affected by various factors such as symmetry, girdle width, culet size, facet shapes and angles, and polish. This makes the determination of the best diamond makes a difficult task for experts. Therefore, during the process of grading a diamond cut, all these factors are taken into due consideration.

The cut grade provides a single value that helps you to consider all the above aspects in one selection. Furthermore, it is also a vital property when it comes to the evaluation of a diamond. So when you purchase a diamond, the cut grade should be given the first priority. Only in cases where the cut grade is similar, you may choose to compare diamonds using the individual components included in a diamond cut.