So, what about the cut of a diamond?

When buying diamond jewelry most people will look at the size, color, and carat weight. Though it is common knowledge that we should always consider the 4C’s of carat, color, clarity, and cut, people can hardly differentiate the cuts of similarly designed stones be they be round, oval, square, emerald, radiant, pear, princess, or even heart shapes, and rightly so because who except diamond jewelers and enthusiasts know about the table, crown, girdle, and culet aspects of diamonds? What we should however know is that the cut of a diamond is the most crucial aspect that determines the exclusiveness of a diamond.

What is even more interesting is that a diamond’s cut is the only factor man can control; the rest i.e. color, clarity, and carat, are beyond our control. The cut of a diamond is responsible for the stone’s brilliance - the total amount of light that reaches the eye after reflection from the inside and the surface of the stone, dispersion - how much natural light is broken into its individual colors, and scintillation - the sparkle of the reflected light which is also defined as the fire of the stone. Other factors considered with cut are polish - the final condition of the surface and which affects the clarity of the stone, symmetry – the degree of workmanship, and proportion - that which checks the balance between the different fifty-eight facets of a diamond stone.

As you can easily foretell, the cut of a diamond has a major effect on the final value or price of diamond jewelry items. This is to compensate the so many hours put in by a highly skilled diamond cutter to achieve the right proportions and angles so that the diamond can be ranked as ideal or super ideal. The other reason is because most of the diamond goes to "waste" during cutting as the goal is to achieve looks and carat weight rather than size. When buying a diamond item the customer can check its length to width ratio to help determine whether it is well cut.

As the cut is absolutely crucial in determining the value of a diamond stone, a form of standards is needed to protect the consumer. Most jewelers go by the standards developed by the GIA –Gemological Institute of America and the AGS - American Gems Society. Diamonds approved by these bodies are known to cost more and rightly so because they are verified to meet a high standard of cut. For those new to diamonds, the cut of a diamond can be ascertained from the GIA and AGS, or using other certificates and appraisals that legitimate jewelry stores provide upon the purchase of diamond jewelry.

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