Did you know that when you oooh and ahh over a sparkly diamond, to a large extent you are reacting to its cut?
The GIA Diamond Cut Grading System uses a scale of 5 grades:
- Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair & Poor
to determine the quality of the diamond (for Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds).
Diamonds are renowned for their ability to transmit light and sparkle so intensely. We often think of diamond cuts as referring to the shape (round, emerald, pear), but a diamond’s cut grade is really about how well a diamonds facets interact with light. You may think of Cut as the Shape however there is much more to cut that the basic shape!
How a diamond is cut and polished directly affects the amount of sparkle and brilliance that comes off the stone when it interacts with light. A polished diamonds’ proportions affect its light performance which in turn affects its beauty and overall appeal.
Diamond Cuts and How They Influence Final Diamond Quality
Precise artistry and workmanship are required to fashion a stone so its proportions, symmetry and polish deliver the magnificent return of a light only possible in a diamond. Every individual facet of a diamond matters, a diamonds appearance arises from the combined contribution of all its proportions. Therefore, for round brilliant diamonds, GIA considers how a diamonds proportions relate to each other, rather than considering individual proportions in isolation.
The GIAs cut grade also considers the design and craftsmanship of the diamond, including its weight relative to its diameter, its girdle thickness (which affects its durability), the symmetry of its facet arrangement, and the quality of polish on those facets.
A magnificent diamond achieves its beauty through three optical effects: Brightness, Fire, and Scintillation.
- Brightness refers to all the diamonds internal and external reflections of white light.
- Fire is the word used to describe the flashes of color you see in a polished diamond.
- Scintillation describes the flashes of light and the contrasting dark areas you see when the diamond, the light, or the observer moves, a combination of sparkle (spots of light) and pattern (arrangement of lights and darks).
Because there are so many variables and options to consider when cutting a diamond, the diamond cutters choices (whether man or machine) can produce two otherwise identical diamonds with vastly different levels of beauty, quality and value. This is particularly true of the standard round brilliant cut diamond. The quality of cut is crucial to the diamonds final beauty and value.
To learn more about cut, colour and clarity, watch this 3 minute video, provided by the GIA, or visit our Know Your Diamonds page.
Watch this video for a Tour of the 4Cs and the GIA Laboratory
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Are You Ready to Choose Your Diamond?
Once you have a better idea of the criteria that you desire for your diamond, use our database search tool to see which diamonds we have available. Make your selection, and we will be in touch with you to confirm your diamond selection to arrange an appointment in our private showroom.
At your private viewing our expert diamond specialists will explain and discuss all your options to fit within your requirements. Once you have selected your diamond we start the creative process by you choosing the perfect setting for this diamond. Believing that diamonds are special from the inside out, this is how we treat our process, choosing the perfect diamond and then designing the perfect setting to bring out the best attributes of the diamond in a ring setting.
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