Are you looking for a dazzling, brilliant diamond that will catch the eyes of everyone in the room? Then you need to understand the different types of diamond cuts.
Even flawless diamonds are cheated of brilliance when the cut is not ideal. And smaller, less expensive diamonds can be dazzling when the cut is right. Furthermore, the right cut can help mask flaws in a diamond, and affect the color and clarity of the diamond.
The Ideal Cut
Without getting too scientific, it’s important to know that the reflection of light off the top of the diamond at just the right angle is what makes a diamond shine. The reflection of light is based on the cut of the diamond. There are three diamond cuts: shallow, ideal, and deep. The shallow cut will be dull because it won’t reflect much light.
Even though a deep cut diamond will appear larger than it actually is, it will also be dark and dull because the light does not reflect off the top of the diamond, but instead is lost from the sides of the diamond.
The ideal diamond cut is preferred. With an ideal cut, which is neither particularly deep nor particularly shallow, light reflects from the top of the diamond instead of getting lost off the sides of the diamond. This creates the dazzle and shine of quality diamonds. A diamond ideal cut is balanced, creating the right conditions for brilliance.
Why is the Cut so Important?
The ideal cut allows light to bounce off the top of the diamond at just the right angle to create a dazzling, brilliant effect. When the light bounces off the sides or the bottom of the diamond, the effect is a dull, lack-luster diamond that lacks color and clarity. The all-important diamond cut also determines the overall grade of the diamond.
Modern professional jewelers use advanced computer software to help them figure out diamond cuts that will create the most brilliant diamonds when cut. The quality of the diamond cut is dependent on the width and depth of the cut. The width and depth measurements need to be balanced for an ideal cut.