Cut (Part 2 of 4): Understand the 4 C's and Save Thousands of Dollars!

I recently had a client come into my business, Maharani Jewels to set his 1.01 carat round diamond into an engagement ring for his soon-to-be fiancée. He was delighted about the ‘deal’ he got on the diamond (somewhere else) based on its high colour, clarity, and carat weight... until he examined the diamond in proper lighting, where he quickly realized that something wasn’t right.

The diamond wasn’t as ‘sparkly’ as he always imagined diamonds to be. Why? Because it was poorly cut. 

My client had not been informed or educated about the relationship of a diamond’s cut to its beauty and value.  What this meant for the client was that he paid nearly 30% more than the diamond was worth; he most definitely wasn't getting a good deal. What upset him most was that his diamond lacked the sparkle and brilliance associated with well cut diamonds.

So to help prevent you from making the mistake the above client made, I have made a list...

THE TOP 5 most important things to know when it comes to a diamond’s cut:

1. The cut of any diamond has three attributes: brilliance (the total light reflected from a diamond), fire (the dispersion of light into the colors of the spectrum), and scintillation (the flashes of light, or sparkle, when a diamond is moved).  All 3 of these attributes bring out the beauty of a diamond.
   
   
2. A diamond can be cut into virtually any shape possible.  The standard round brilliant is the shape used in most diamond jewelry. All others are known as fancy shapes. Examples include the princess, marquise, pear, oval, emerald, hearts, cushions, triangles and etc.  It is important to understand how differently light interacts and behaves in diamonds of different shapes.  The round brilliant, in particular, delivers excellent brilliance, fire, and scintillation when compared to any other cut.
   
   
   
3. Cut also refers to a diamond’s proportions, symmetry and polish. For example, if you look at a side view of the standard round brilliant, the major components, from top to bottom, are the crown, girdle, and pavilion. A round brilliant cut diamond has 57 or 58 facets, with the 58th being a tiny flat facet at the bottom of the pavilion that’s known as the culet. The large, flat facet on the top is the table. The proportions of a diamond refer to the relationships between table size, crown angle and pavilion depth and ultimately affect the stone’s interaction with light.
   
   
   
4. In 2005, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) introduced a diamond cut grading system for round diamonds in the D-Z color range This system assigns an overall diamond cut grade ranging from Excellent to Poor.  And excellent cut diamond is one that has been cut to perfection, with maximum light return.
   
   
5. The distance from the bottom of the girdle to the culet is the pavilion depth. A pavilion depth that’s too shallow or too deep will allow light to escape through the sides or the bottom of the stone. A well-cut diamond, however, will direct light in and out of the diamond in the most optimal manner.

When purchasing a diamond, it is crucial that you understand the impact of cut on both the value and beauty of a diamond.

Stay tuned for the upcoming parts of my blog series on the 4 C's in which I will take about color, and clarity, and share many more industry secrets that will save you thousands of dollars!