Choosing The Cut For Your Diamond
The diamond cut is one of the most important factors to consider. A diamond’s cut is measured using the GIA’s international grading system in which cut grades range from Excellent to Poor. At Designs By Kamni we only recommend very good and excellent cut grades because they guarantee a lovely sparkle and shine which lower grades may not be able to deliver. Cut refers to the quality of a diamond's proportions and symmetry. These angles allow the diamond to capture light and reflect it, producing sparkle. If a diamond's pavilion is too deep, for example, the center will be noticeably dark. A diamond's cut is crucial to the stone's final beauty and value. And of all the diamond 4Cs, it is the most complex and technically difficult to analyze.
The cut will affect the appearance of your stone in three ways:
- Brilliance: this is the brightness created by the combination of the white light’s reflections inside and on the surface of the stone.
- Fire: the spread of light into all of the colors of the visible spectrum.
- Scintillation: the flashes of light and dark, and the sparkle a diamond emits when the light is moved.
Producing a stunning diamond cut is to create near perfect symmetry that allows light to bounce from one facet to another, as if they are mirror images of each other. Again for diamond engagement rings, a Very Good or Excellent graded stone is the only way I would suggest.
A carefully polished diamond is not complete without its polish, which emphasizes the smoothness of the surface area of the diamond. A poor polish creates a dull surface area and minimum sparkle.
Note: Only round brilliant cut diamonds get a cut grade while all the other shapes do not have a grade as other shapes can have different length to width ratios. For example, a cushion cut diamond can be square or elongated, an oval cut diamond can be long and narrow or short and fat, the options are endless!
Working with a reputable diamond expert helps take away the guess work and adds value to each step of the diamond selection process helping you to understand the true beauty of each diamond that’s under consideration.