Diamond Tips : Diamond Cut

Diamond Tips

Diamond Cut

How important is diamond cut?

While there are many factors to bear in mind when choosing a diamond, diamond cut is probably the most important to consider, as it has a direct correlation to a diamond's appearance. A diamond with Ideal/Excellent cut grade proportions will return the maximum amount of light to the viewer's eye, the diamond will appear more brilliant and beautiful as a result. Blue Nile recommends selecting the highest cut grade possible within your budget in order to maximize the brilliance of your diamond. Diamond cut is graded by the GIA as Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. The Excellent cut grade from the GIA is only available for round brilliant diamonds. AGS grades diamonds as Ideal, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Blue Nile does not carry diamonds with a cut grade of Poor.

How will diamond cut affect a diamond's appearance?

Diamond cut affects a diamond's light return properties; also known as scintillation, fire or brilliance. Brilliance refers to the white light that is reflected up through the surface of a diamond, scintillation is the sparkling pattern on a diamond's surface, and fire describes the flashes of rainbow-colored light which reflect off a well-cut diamond. A well-cut diamond will display brilliance throughout. By contrast, a poorly cut diamond will appear dull or glassy and may have dark areas where light is not optimally returned to the viewer's eye.


What is the difference between diamond shape and diamond cut?

Diamond cut refers to a diamond's finish, proportions and measurements and is graded as Ideal/Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor. Diamond shape, by contrast, refers to the shape into which the diamond is cut. When diamond cutters receive rough, uncut diamonds, they typically assess the natural shape of the diamond and determine which shape to cut the diamond into. The most common diamond shape is a round brilliant diamond. Princess, Emerald, and Asscher cut diamonds are other popular shapes. You can learn more about diamond shape here.


How does cut affect diamond value?

The better cut grades are likely to display more fire and brilliance and since their appearance is more desirable, they are priced accordingly. The cut grade of a diamond also depends on the skill of the diamond cutter. Cutting a diamond with the degree of precision required to produce an ideal cut stone is a rare and valuable skill, therefore diamonds of this grade are more expensive. Blue Nile recommends selecting a diamond with the highest cut grade your budget will allow in order to maximize the brilliance of the diamond.


Why is there no Ideal cut grade for the diamond shape I've selected?

The GIA and AGS have only extended ideal/excellent cut grade parameters to round brilliant stones at this time. There is no industry standard for ideal/excellent cut diamonds that are not round brilliant diamonds. The round brilliant diamond is the most popular and most researched diamond shape. It is always perfectly symmetrical, making it possible to consistently grade these diamonds as ideal/excellent according to their measurements and proportions.


This article was taken from: bluenile