Become an educated expert in diamonds, jewelry, rings, precious metals like platinum and gold as well as gemstones and pearls. Make the best purchase possible with our comprehensive education pages.
Buying diamonds and jewelry can be an overwhelming experience, but that can always be changed. Understanding a piece’s quality and characteristics is straightforward and simple. You can learn here about diamond shapes, diamond cuts, diamond color, diamond calrity, and diamond carat weight.
Our education pages are designed to answer all your questions. It explains how those characteristics influence appearance, and which are more important than others. Once you're done, you'll know everything you need to find your perfect piece.
DIAMOND CUT
Cut is considered by many to be the most important "C". A poorly cut diamond, no matter how great its color and clarity is will not compare in the sparkle and flicker than that of a better cut diamond with comparatively lower color and clarity. There are several types of cuts such as asscher cut diamonds and cushion cut diamonds, for example.
There will always be different opinions on the best diameter of the largest facet on the top of the stone and the best depth for a diamond, because these factors alone are not sufficient to accurately judge a diamonds cut.
Other diamond factors such as crown angle, girdle thickness, pavilion depth-percentage (the ratio of depth to girdle diameter), cutlet size, polish, and symmetry also play a role in judging a diamond's overall cut quality and should also be learned.
The cut of a diamond also determines its brilliance and refers to its proportions, symmetry and finish as described in such a manner like above. The Cut of a diamond is determined by the human hand and is in our opinion definitely the most important part of the 4 C’s. The angles and proportions determine a diamond’s ability to handle and reflect light and generate brilliance. In a diamond that is well-cut, light enters through the table and travels through the stone where it is reflected from one side to the other before the light is returned back to the viewer’s eye refering to how much light is reflected back to your eyes. Many people will refer to this effect as how much “sparkle” or “fire” a diamond may have. This is mainly contributed to the angles and proportions of a diamond.
When light enters the top of the stone, it is important for as much of the light to return back up to your eye to be at its maximum. If a diamond is cut with the proportions that it is cut too deep or too shallow the light will be lost through the sides or bottom of the stone.
Diamond Cut Chart
Each lab uses its own terminology which can sometimes be confusing, in example, GIA calls its top grading "Excellent" followed by “Very Good”, while other labs use the terminology “Very Good” as their top grade. A diamond graded “Very Good” by GSL, for example, would therefore be the equivalent of a diamond graded “Excellent” by GIA.
GIA: Excellent - Very Good - Good - Fair – Poor
HDR: Very Good - Good - Medium - Fair – Poor
AGS: Ideal - Excellent - Very Good - Good - Fair – Poor
DCLA: Excellent - Very Good - Good - Medium – Poor
GSL: Very Good - Good - Medium - Poor
While grades are not the same, it is typically recommended to buy a diamond with a “Good” grade or better regardless of who has provided a certificate. It’s recommended to buy diamonds with grades of “Medium”, “Fair” or “Poor”, as the alignment of their facets may misdirect light so severely that it affects the brilliance of the diamond.
