When a person is interested in buying a diamond, then they first have to find a particular diamond they are interested in. From this point, they can usually choose a particular jewelry setting in which they want the diamond they would like to buy to be fitted into. While shopping for a diamond, a person is presented with quite a large number of terms – many of these terms are confusing and may not be clear as to what they mean and how they relate to the quality and value of the diamond. These factors are especially problematic amongst a person who is inexperienced and is looking to buy their very first diamond.
The four Cs of a diamond is usually considered the most important factors that affect the diamond’s quality and value. This includes the carat weight, where the diamond gains one weight in “carats” for every 200 milligrams in metric weight, as well as the clarity rating, the color grade and the cut quality of the diamond. The cut quality is one particular area that is often very confusing. Let’s discuss what “cut” really means and what qualities a person should look for when considering the “cut grade” of a diamond they wish to buy.
An Overview Of Diamond Cut Quality
Diamond cut is a term that will be contained in any professional diamond grading report. This term is somewhat confusing to some, especially since some of the diamond shapes that can be chosen also ends with the word “cut” such as the “cushion cut” or the “emerald cut”. It is important to note that the cut quality of a diamond has nothing to do with the shape in which it had been cut into, but rather refers to how well the diamond was cut by a diamond expert.
There are a number of different factors that are taken into consideration when the cut quality of a particular diamond is determined. Some of these factors include the proportions of the diamond, the symmetrical facets, the brilliance and fire of the diamond, the scintillation and, of course, the finishing details that relate to the polishing and any permanent treatments that were administered to the diamond during the cutting process.
A lot of people who are somewhat experienced in the diamond industry tend to consider certain factors most important – these often include the diamond table percentage, the diamond depth percentage and the width of the diamond’s upper surface. These are often considered most important as they can be used to determine how well a diamond would reflect light, which also means these particular properties are able to tell a person how much sparkle a particular diamond will possess.
A diamond with an exceptionally high table percentage value tends to fail to effectively reflect light off the facets and angles of the diamond’s crown. When the table percentage is very low, on the other hand, light will not be able to escape from within the diamond; thus it will not reach the eye effectively – this means the sparkle is also reduced.
Conclusion
While carat weight is pretty much self-explanatory when it comes to buying a diamond, and the color grade and clarity rating of a diamond is also relatively easy to understand, a lot of people have a difficult time understanding exactly how cut quality works. In this post, we cleared up what cut quality means, how it is determined, the factors that are considered while assessing a diamond’s cut quality, and we provided a basic overview of what to consider important when looking at the cut quality of a particular diamond.
About Kevin Lee
Kevin Lee is a former tech advisor who cut his teeth in Silicon Valley. He now spends his time sharing his passion for investing in diamonds and jewelry. You can reach Kevin for any comments by using the contact form on this site. Don't forget to sign up for his free "Investing 101 Guide" by clicking on the button at the top right of this website.