A Prism of Seven Colors With One Diamond Cut
A diamond cut that is well made offers the greatest brilliance and value. While nature determines the diamond quality with carat weight and color, the hand of a master craftsman is necessary to release its fire, sparkle, and beauty. When diamond cuts exude excellent diamond quality with good proportions, light will reflect from one mirror-like facet to another and disperse through the top of the diamond cut stone, resulting in a display of brilliance and fire. Most gemologists agree the diamond cut is the most important because without it the diamond will appear dull.
Studies have shown that table size, crown angle, and pavilion depth have a dramatic effect on the diamond quality and appearance. Exacting angles, proportions, symmetry, carat weight and polish are all are taken into consideration before a diamond cut is assessed. Below is the diamond carat’s composition:
DIAMOND’S PROPORTIONS
 A well-cut diamond, regardless of carat size, has high diamond quality when it reflects light back evenly in the face-up position, with no dark areas. It returns the most amount of light to the eye, as brilliance. The diamond quality is displayed as dispersion, or fire, meaning those spectral colors of light, which adds richness to a stone's sparkle. The diameter of the diamond, no matter the carat size, compared to the depth and the diameter of the diamond compared to the table determine how the light will reflect through the diamond. This determines the overall diamond quality.
DIAMOND’S POLISH
- When buffed to a smooth finish, a diamond has polish and exudes full diamond quality. A diamond's sparkle comes from both its reflection from the diamond cuts and the refraction of light.
- The light that is thrown back from the diamond cut to the viewer from the diamond's surface is known as EXTERNAL REFLECTION.
- The light from a diamond cut that is absorbed by the stone through refraction, deflected by the density of the stone to its center, and then reflected back out the top of the stone, is known as INTERNAL REFLECTION.
DIAMOND’S SYMMETRY
This is judged by how well the diamond cuts line up against each other, which determines how efficiently they throw light between them. Variations in diamond cut symmetry include off-center culets and tables, poor diamond cut alignment, misshapen diamond cuts, out-of-round girdles, and wavy girdles.
THE GRADING OF DIAMOND CUTS
Below is the grading scale used for diamond cuts:
Ideal Cut/Excellent Diamond Cut: Produces the maximum amount of light reflection. This refers only to the round brilliant.
Very Good Diamond Cut: Reflects nearly as much light as the Ideal cut.
Good Diamond Cut: Reflects back a sizable amount of light entered.
Fair Diamond Cut: It maximizes carat weight, but sacrifices sparkle.
Poor Diamond Cut: It produces very little brilliance.
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