The Four C’s – Cut

Of all the characteristics of diamond grading, cut is the most fascinating. Clarity and color are innate attributes of diamonds, given to them by the forces of nature. Cut, on the other hand, is the work and science of man. It is the expert proportioning of rough diamonds that brings them to sparkling life. Cut refers to the shape, size and finish of the facets and their relative angles to one another.

A diamond may be referred to as ideal, fine cut, shallow, or deep. There are many diamonds today that do not sparkle because they have been cut without beauty in mind. Even though nature may have given the stone an appealing clarity and color, the cutter may have sacrificed the ultimate beauty of the stone in order to salvage the largest carat weight possible.

Although not every jeweler volunteers this information to a consumer, one should always ask questions and also look at the stone to see if it handles light reflections well. In general, a diamond that has been cut too spread. or “shallow”, might have good perimeter sparkle but look a little glassy on the interior. One that is too deep will look lifeless and appear to have a dark spot in the center, sometimes known as a “nailhead.”

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