What Diamond Buyers Rarely Notice about Cut, Symmetry and Polish
Many of the buyers that flock the market looking for a Fancy Shape diamond, are actually looking for what experts would see as an “excellent” cut. Fancy shapes cover all those not under the Round Brilliant umbrella, such as the Cushion, Pear, Princess, Radiant, Emerald, and Oval. There are many other non-round shapes as well which come under this. Note that there is no such thing as an “excellent cut” when it comes to Fancy shaped diamonds.
Fancy diamond shapes actually lack a cut grading system, which means even the best online diamond store would try and divert your attention towards polish and symmetry instead. A buyer believing these attributes to be the prime determinant of quality, could easily fall prey to a swindle. The truth is that symmetry and polish have no relationship with cut, which is the paramount factor in the minds of gem buyers that know what to look for.
The Truth about the Cut of Any Diamond
There are several fancy shaped diamonds that look superlatively attractive, but also those less popular than Round Brilliants due to inferior looks. What generally determines beauty across the board is the cut, as already mentioned. Frequent buyers know though, that a “Good” grade for both polish and symmetry in any diamond tends to mean it is very beautiful. It is even possible sometimes for a diamond graded “Very Good” to look less appealing than one at “Good”, when polish and symmetry are poor. That said, these two things still play a much smaller role than cut when it comes to overall beauty.
What Appears On a Grading Report
Grading reports such as those from GIA always show the polish and symmetry grades of the diamonds which they accompany. This is what the consumer gets to see when buying a fancy shaped stone. Those two factors have very little bearing on a Round Brilliant’s beauty, and a lot more on that of a fancy shaped one. However, in some reports, the information which they present can be incomplete, especially if you fail to stress on a GIA-graded stone. For instance, factors like brilliance may sometimes be overlooked, as can the ratios between length and width, table and depth, etc. In short, you might find that simple outward appearance is a lot more indicative of true beauty. In such cases, that is also a more reliable aspect to base your purchase decision on.
Polish and Symmetry in the Two Cut Categories
The majority of fancy shaped diamonds are graded “Good” or “Very Good” with respect to Symmetry and Polish. This contrasts with what you see with rounded diamonds, which more frequently possess “Very Good” and “Excellent” grades. In other words, fancy shape diamonds rarely keep up in these two respects, so if you want to get technical, round brilliant is still a better option.
Buying a Diamond Based on a Spurious Grading Report
It is never advisable to buy a diamond based on a report issued by a sub-par grading lab. There is no denying the fact that many of these misinform the buyer about certain important details such as certification and authenticity. If you want to be sure you get the whole truth along those lines, it is best to stick to GIA-graded stones. Even then, relying exclusively on attributes such as polish and symmetry in judging a diamond is dangerous, as explained earlier. The beauty of a diamond is decided by how it looks in different light settings; cut more or less dictates the level of visual performance; and quality boils down to how close to ideal the technical aspects lie. Consider all three, and you can easily spot the true winner inside any jeweler case.
Round Diamonds vs Fancy Cut Diamonds
In round cut diamond production, there are several scientific methods used in order to achieve the desired balance of parameters. On the other hand, there are no formulae for cutting a fancy shaped diamond. In the majority of cases, cutting the latter requires the technician to work within the limits imposed initially by the rough stone. That means the achievable final the beauty of the diamond hinges on this same factor.
The making of a fancy cut diamond is sometimes compared to the work of a sculptor. The diamond cutter alters the shape and size of a diamond extracted from the surface of the earth. During that, minute details and subtleties only lightly influence the stone’s beauty, which draws more from the overall initial impression the finished diamond is able to make on a beholder.
To summarize, sticking to “Very good” or “Excellent” polish and symmetry grades makes sense, but a report cannot always tell you how this would play out in terms of visual beauty. Understand the dynamics of each diamond you consider buying, and look at other important factors that govern its beauty. Above all, trust in your own eyes while picking out something you or a loved one would hopefully love.