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Cut
Cut is perhaps the most important of the four C's. It is
the cut of a diamond that releases its brilliance. A well-cut
H, SI stone will look better than a poorly cut E, VVS stone
when they are placed together. The facets are what create
the sparkle and scintillation of a diamond, assuming that
the color and clarity are of a responsible grade, i.e. not
industrial or commercial grade.
Grading the Cut of a Diamond
Just as color and clarity have a grading system, so does
cut. In 1919, Marcel Tolkowsky calculated proportions that
have become the benchmark for cutting round, brilliant diamonds
called the "Ideal Cut" or "American Cut Ideal
Brilliant."
The most widely recognized grading laboratores have developed
their own terminologies in evaluating cut. Some are: excellent
ideal cut, Tolkowsky ideal cut, AGS 000 and premium cut. All
of these terms represent proportions ranging from poor to
fair to good to very good to excellent.
Shape
Here are some specifics on shape:
| Round |
This is technically the most brilliant
of the diamond shapes. |
| Princess Cut |
This is a square-shaped stone and is
the second-most brilliant. It is also the second in popularity
to the round brilliant. |
| Emerald Cut |
This shape has the fewest facets. Because
of this, it is usually best to stick with a higher color
and clarity rating. Though it has the fewest facets, it
is a very elegant and traditional shape. |
| Pear, Oval and Marquise |
These shapes have one inherent flaw
known as the "bow tie effect." Due to the way
the diamond must be cut to form these shapes, they exhibit
a dark bow tie shaped area in the center of the stone.
This is more obvious in poorly cut stones. Look for this
and choose a diamond that minimizes this effect. |
| Heart Shape |
This is a very unique cut that is not
easy to create. This may increase the price of a dimaond
compared to some of the other fancy shapes. |
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