GREAT ARTICLES ABOUT DIAMOND CUT

Let’s talk About cut.

The cut of a diamond is so crucial to the overall beauty of a diamond.

In fact, it’s the most important.

Cut is vital.

It makes a huge impact on brilliance, fire, and the life of a diamond. Other things that affect the beauty are: color, clarity and carat weight.

But cut…

Cut is the topic today.

Cut is hard for most people to understand. There is so much to learn. Plus, it’s difficult to look at diamonds and tell if they are cut good or bad. You really have to study them and compare diamonds. There’s no easy way around it.

I’ve written a lot of articles about cut over the years, topics like symmetry and facets, girdles, culets, ideal cuts, brilliant cuts and diamond bow-ties. What can I say, it’s a grand subject.

So here they are. Many of my bets Jewelry Secrets articles regarding cut…

Enjoy!

4C’s Diamond Cut:

Diamond cut and the 4C’s – Out of all the 4C’s to explain, cut is not only the hardest, but the most confusing and complex subjects known to diamonds and diamond quality. Cut can mean so many different things to so many different people. And this vague and complicated issue is what allows many jewelers to pull the wool over your eyes and to sell you low quality diamonds for good amounts of money. You see… Read more: 4C’s diamond cut.

Brilliant Cut:

Brilliant cut diamond – The round brilliant cut diamond is the best selling diamond on the market. It has been for almost 100 years. The main reason why it’s been so popular is because the brilliant cut gives off more brilliance and sparkle than any other cut of diamond. It makes it the number one choice for engagement rings and solitaires. It truly is brilliant. The modern brilliant didn’t get that way… Read more: Brilliant cut diamonds.

Ideal Cut:

Ideal cut diamonds – Ideal cut diamonds are solely determined by proportions and percentages that maximize the appeal of the diamond. The ideal cut was created by a man named Marcel Tolkowsky. Marcel created the ideal cutting style in 1919. To understand the percentages of an ideal cut, you also need to understand the width of its girdle. The girdle, the outer edge of the diamond, is the widest part of the… Read more: Ideal cut diamond.

Diamond Girdle:

Diamond girdles – What’s up with the girdle? You hear jewelers babbling on about the girdle and whether it’s polished or rough, thick or thin, but does it really matter? Most people don’t really know anything about the girdle. A diamond’s girdle is the outside band that runs around the entire outer edge of the diamond. Almost like a belt. The girdle literally is the widest part of the diamond… Read more: The girdle of a diamond.

Diamond Culet:

Diamond culets – If you look at a diamond certificate, you’ll see something interesting listed on the report called a “culet”. It will be listed on a GIA diamond report under “proportions“, which is also listed under a category called “shape and cutting style“. But I just refer to that whole section simply as “cut“, because it makes up the entire cut of a diamond. The cut not only contains the culet, but it also contains fun… Read more: The culet of a diamond.

Symmetry and Facets:

Diamond symmetry – Have you ever really studied your diamond under a microscope? I mean, really, really studied it? A good portion of the public has looked at their diamond under 10x magnification (what diamonds are graded under) and have seen flaws and inclusions inside their stone. Many people have compared these imperfections to a diamond plot so they could better understand… Read more: The symmetry of a diamond.

Princess Cut:

Princess cut diamonds – If you were to ask women “What’s the name of the square cut diamond?” 99.9% of all of them would answer “princess cut.” Very good (Men’s answers would be all across the board “princess cut” “emerald cut” “square cut”…) But women, women know their cuts of diamond (except that .01%). Women know princess cuts are square. No problem. But are they right? Not… Read more: The princess cut diamond.

Trilliant Cut:

Trilliant cut diamonds – Trilliant cut diamonds used to be all the rage. They were so popular in the 90’s. It seemed like every woman out there had to have a trilliant cut diamond. (also called trillion cuts). They sold like hot cakes. We couldn’t even keep them in stock. Every person walking in the jewelry store was like “We’re looking for trilliant cuts.” It was crazy. Then suddenly trilliant cuts just… Read more: The trilliant cut diamond.

Single Cut:

Single cut diamonds – “Single cuts? What?” That’s what most customers think when they hear that interesting term “Single cut diamonds?” You can almost see their eyes glaze over. And here’s the really funny part: Most people have single cuts in their jewelry… And don’t even know it. It’s true. Start pulling out your jewelry, rings, pendants, bracelets and watches, you’ll see (that’s if you look good enough… Read more: The single cut diamond.

Cut Versus Clarity:

What’s better: cut or clarity? – Which is better when it comes to quality and the 4C’s? Cut or clarity? It’s a great debate. Here’s a little story to illustrate my topic: A guy walks into a jewelry store (sounds like the beginning of a joke), and he’s come prepared. He wants to see a certified round diamond, VS1 clarity, G color. I smile and walk him to our loose diamond counter. I proceed to pull out certified diamonds… Read more: Cut versus clarity.

Extra Faceted Diamonds:

Diamonds with extra facets? – What’s up with the jewelers that sell diamonds that are “supposed” to be better than regular diamonds? They claim their diamonds have more sparkle and fire and life in them. Diamonds with extra facets and extra flashes of light. But are they better than a normal brilliant cut diamond? Or is it just a big marketing ploy? Let’s take a look… Before we jump into those… Read more: Special faceted diamonds?

Diamonds with extra facets:

Why diamonds have extra facets? – Extra facets sometimes get confused with diamonds with extra facets… See, I told you it was confusing. :) There are 2 types of extra faceted diamonds; 1) Diamonds that are specially cut with more facets than a brilliant cut diamond. These are not called “brilliant cut” but something different like the “centillion cut”, which is a diamond with 100 facets… Read more: Extra facets on your diamond?

Best Shape for a Marquise:

Marquise diamond shape – The marquise cut diamond is an odd creature. It used to be a really popular cut of diamond back in the 90’s. Then the princess cut diamond stole most of its glory and spotlight. Just recently the marquise diamond is making a come back. I’m actually surprised that more and more couples are coming in and asking for it. The marquise cut diamond is so different in shape than the… Read more: Best marquise diamond shape.

Diamond Bow-Ties:

The bow-tie of a diamond – Depending on who you talk to, you’ll hear different conflicting stories about the diamond bow-tie. Jewelry salespeople will either tell you that the diamond bow-tie is a good thing or a bad thing. It can really get confusing. So what is a diamond bow-tie and what really does it all mean? Let’s dive in… A diamond bow-tie is basically a shadow that falls in the center of a… Read more: Bow-ties and diamonds.

Diamond MM Size:

The MM of a diamond – A lady comes into the jewelry store looking to trade in her diamond engagement ring because it was dull and didn’t sparkle. The appraisal she got with the ring said her diamond was a 1.00 carat, round brilliant cut diamond, SI1 clarity, G color. So I start showing her loose diamonds, GIA certified, round brilliant cuts, over 1.00 carats in Size. VVS, VS, E-F… Read more: MM sizes and diamonds.

Want more cut articles?

See many more articles about cut in my diamond guide cut section here.

Cheers! :)