Editorial Tarannum from Ground Zero Health & Fitness Humour Beauty Jewelry Column Short Story Prev Issue Next Issue

During my last few visits to India I realised the switch from gold to Diamond jewelry. People in India are buying much more diamond than they did a decade ago. I remember the times when most Indians would not buy a diamond without asking an astrologer if their stars are favourable in possessing a precious gem like diamond. I have heard many stories of the downfall of individuals because of wearing a diamond. I do not hear people rushing to astrologer before buying a diamond any more.

Not all owners of this precious stone are fully familiar with what is a good diamond and what does it take for a diamond price to be so low or steep.

To learn about diamonds its essential to learn about the 4 Cs of dimaonds.:

• Cut
• Clarity
• Color
• Carat weight

In this article I will elaborate on the most important factor of a dimaond, Cut

Cut is the most important factor of a diamond. It can be safely said that its beauty is unlocked by its cut. Diamond cut and shape are two different things. Shape refers to the general outward appearance of the diamond, such as round, emerald or pear. When there is a mention of the diamond 'cut', that's a reference to the diamond's reflective qualities, not the shape. Quality of the cut makes a differnece how a diamond looks and this is the most important factor of a diamond. A diamond's beauty, cost and durability is dependant on its cut.

A good cut brings out the brilliance in a diamond. The angle and finish of the cut determines a diamond's ability to handle light, which leads to its brilliance, the sparkle. it is the cutting that affects the way light travels through the stone, how much is reflected back to the eye, and how much leaks out the back. An inferior cut gives a more watery and glassy look to the diamond.

To understand about the cut of a diamond we first should learn about the anatomoy of a diamond.

Diameter
The width of the diamond as measured through the girdle.

Table
This is the large, flat top facet of a diamond.

Crown
The upper portion of a cut gemstone, above the girdle. Girdle
The narrow rim of a diamond that separates the crown from the pavilion. It is the largest diameter to any part of the stone.

Pavilion
The lower portion of the diamond, below the girdle. It is sometimes referred to as the base.

Culet
The tiny facet on the pointed bottom of the pavilion, which is the portion of a cut gem below the girdle.

Depth
The height of a gemstone, from the culet to the table.

In a well cut diamond, light enters through the table and travels to the pavilion where it reflects from one side to the other before reflecting back out of the diamond through the table and to the observer's eye. This fiery, flashing sparkle is what makes a diamond the most exotic of all the gems.

Proportions are important when it comes to a dimoand cut. Best cut diamonds follow a set of formulae to maximize its brilliance. The formulae is in how the depth compares to the diameter and how the diameter of the table compares to the diameter of the diamond. Though only an expert can make out the difference between an ideal cut and a poor cut.

Diamond industry has developed different grading methods to make it easier for a customer to understand the cut. In general these grades are:

Ideal : This is the finest diamond and this category applies to only roud diamonds. Smaller table in this cut maximizes the brilliance. This is a smaller stone with greater math. You pay most for this kind of cut diamond because you are paying for the time of a highly qualified diamond cutter which takes hours to get all the angles and proportions that fall with in the ideal range. Plus a lot of diamond is lost in the cutting. This is not the heaviest diamond but the best performing diamond.

Premium : This is close to ideal cut but has subtle variation from the angles and proportions of the ideal cut. A premium cut diamond can be found at slightly cheaper rates than ideal cut.

Very Good : Price of this cut is slightly lower than premium cut. When the cutter tends to provide a larger size of a dimond then the parameters change and the brilliance is affected.

Good : Here the cutter has chosen to create the largest possible diamond from the original rough crystal rather than give a premium cut. Customers who want to save on money can go for this cut but there is defintely a compromise in the beauty here.

Fair & Poor : This diamond reflects only a small proportion of the light that enters it because the diamond has been cut maximum to retain the carat weight over other considerations. This diamond has only fraction of its beauty.

In addition to proportion and symmetry, how a diamond is polished affects the final result of the cut grade. A well polished diamond produces undistorted brilliance. A poor polishing can make a most propotional and symmetrical diamond look dull and fuzzy. AGS (American Gem Society) Diamond Grading Scale of 0-10 reserves 0 grade for the ideal cut.

Credits

Diagrams and information provided by: The Diamond Buying Guide

View and Post comment on this article