Diamond Cut - How to buy diamonds, 4Cs, ideal cut diamonds, and diamond buying made easier


	Diamond Buying Made Easier > Diamond Cut Diamond Cut The MVP of Diamond Grading's 4Cs.... Diamond cut does not refer to the diamond shapes. Instead diamond cut refers to the placement and angles of the facets around a diamond. This is by far the most important consideration in how to buy a diamond. I cannot stress this enough!.... diamond cut is responsible for the liviness of a diamond!!!! The beauty of a diamond is released when its optical characteristics are maximized by the proper placement of the facets and the angle of those facets. The goal of a well cut stone is to have light enter in from the top of the diamond, be reflected around the bottom of the diamond, and then returned back through the top of the stone. The bottom of the diamond (the pavilion) should act like a mirror, much like the way a rhinestone is so blingy!.... a piece of glass with silver paint on it's bottom, reflecting all the light back out the top of the stone. Diamonds do not come out of the ground already faceted! Originally, thousands of years ago, diamonds were left in their original diamond rough crystal shape. Because diamond is the hardest substance it took awhile to figure out how to cut and polish diamonds. It was first discovered that diamond has perfect cleavage so when it was hit in a certain direction a perfectly flat smooth face was left on the side of the diamond.... and it progressed from there. In the early 1900's, through trial and error, along with a bit of math, diamond cutters developed what we know as the modern round brilliant cut diamond. In the past 30-40 years, diamond cutting has vastly improved because of wide spread gemological education about diamond cut among dealers, retailers, and consumers. Additionally, with the advent of computers and specialized measuring devices, diamond cutters are now able to make very exacting angles to maximize the optical efficiently of a diamond. When a diamond cutter departs from a properly cut diamond, for example making a shallower or deeper pavilion, this will allow light to leak out through the bottom of the diamond.... this is not a good thing! There are 3 terms used when we talk about light and diamonds- Brightness (Brilliance)- the combination of all white light reflecting from the surface and interior of a diamond. Fire- the colored flashes that can be seen in a diamond. Mostly from the angled crown facets. Scintillation- the flashes of light seen in a diamond when you move it from side to side....the "sparkle". A diamond's "make" is a trade term referring to how well or poorly a diamond is proportioned. If I say that a diamond is "well made" it means that it was well cut and has very good optical performance. You might hear.... "poor make", "off make", etc. Once, I told a customer that a diamond was "well made" and they thought that the diamond was a diamond grown in the laboratory..... that we actually made the diamond. Diamond cutters are generally highly skilled and they don't cut a diamond with a "poor make" by accident. Anytime there is a departure from proper proportioning it is done for one reason.... economics. The price of a piece of diamond rough that is available for the cutters to buy out on the market is pretty well standardized. It costs about the same to cut a well-proportioned diamond as it does to cut a poorly proportioned diamond. A diamond cutter will depart from a well-made diamond for different reasons- - In cutting a finished diamond out of the diamond rough, they will loose about 50% of the weight of the diamond rough. The diamond cutter will try to make sure that they cut away any inclusions in the diamond rough as they cut. Sometimes they will make adjustments to the finish stone in order to cut away just a bit more of an inclusion.... you will end up having a higher clarity but a lower diamond cut. - Diamond cutting houses will tend to specialize in certain types of finished diamonds. Some will cut fancy shapes, some will cut "Ideal Cut" diamonds, and some will specialize in squeezing as much finished weight out of a piece of diamond rough as possible. There is a market for all of these types of finished diamonds.... some people want big diamonds but they don't care about diamond cut, they just want to tell people how much their diamonds weighs! - If a diamond cutter is planning out a diamond and it looks like he could have an "excellent cut" diamond that would have a finished weight of 0.97ct. or if he makes a few adjustments (making the girdle a bit thicker) he could have a "very good" cut diamond that weighs out at 1.02ct., he probably will opt for the heavier stone because it will bring in much more $$$! I will go into more details about Diamond Cut in Diamond Grading Reports - Important Take Away Points - Diamond Cut #1- Some diamond grading laboratories are now starting to include information about the Cut in their diamond grading reports. Among the leaders are GIA, AGS, and GCAL. The "Cut Grade" can be based on how the proportions fit within a computer generated formula or measuring the diamond's light performance. These diamond grading reports are available for round brilliant cut diamonds and some of the fancy shapes. I'm sure that having Diamond Cut grades on diamond grading reports will definitely improve the quality of diamond cutting available in the future. #2- Ideal Cut is a term that is starting to become widely used (and abused!) but there are many different definitions of Ideal Cut. One seller's "Ideal Cut" could be someone else's "Super Ideal Cut"! You should always try to get the best possible cut, period! #3- Diamond Cut can be very difficult to determine unless you have a lot of experience. The best way to see the difference will be at your local jewelers. Jewelers will always love to show you some diamonds, after all it does give them a chance to try and sell you on one of their diamonds! Ask to see an example of a well-cut diamond and a so-so cut diamond. You should be able to see the difference.... even better yet there are many jewelers who are selling the "Hearts on Fire" brand of diamonds and they have little displays that demonstrates the value of spending a bit extra money for a Hearts on Fire brand of well cut diamonds. #4- Many jewelry stores are now starting to sell "branded" diamonds... and no, it's the same kind of branding as in branding a cow! There are various facet arrangements and shapes that a jeweler will specialize in.... for example "The Leo Diamond" from a diamond cutting house named Leo Schachter and it's available at certain national jewelry chain stores. Local retail jewelry stores are using branded diamonds as a means to counter the trend of consumers now buying diamonds online. Take a look at some of these branded diamond cuts and see if the jewelers will be able to prove to you the value in spending your money on these types of diamonds.	Looking for diamond jewelry, diamond engagement rings, or loose diamonds? This is the place for diamond buying information! A consumer's guide on how to buy a diamond.... from a jewelry business insider!
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