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| Diamond Buyers Guide .com |
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| Diamond Buying Guide Explains Diamond Cut | |
Diamonds come in many shapes: Round Brilliant, Princess, Marquise, Emerald, Radiant, Oval, Pear, Trilliant and Heart Shaped. But, That is not what we mean when we say Cut. The Cut of a diamond refers to the proportions of the diamond based on the quality of the job that the cutter did. Cut has nothing to do with Polish , Symmetry or Fluorescence.
Diamond Cut:
The Better the proportions of a diamond are the more Fire, Sparkle, Scintillation, and Brilliance it will have. This also directly affects the price of the diamond.
Ideal cut diamonds are rarer and cost more. Ideal cut diamonds have a table % between 52 and 57%. Ther is no dimension on depth but most people prefer the depth to be between 59 and 62.5%
There is also another train of thought that believes that the perfect diamond has a 60-60 make. That means that the depth should be as close to 60% as possible with a few degrees varience either way and the table should be as close to 60% with a couple of degrees varience either way being acceptable.
Our take on it is this, While there is nothing more breathtaking than a textbook "Ideal cut", you can save some money by going with a slightly off make. We suggest:
Depth: 58-63.5% Table: 52-61%
If you stay within these parameters, you should end up with a very beautiful diamond. You can stray one or two degrees outside of these parameters, but the farther away from ideal you go, the more it starts to affect the beauty of the diamond.
Below is a diagram of what happens when a diamond is out of shape. If the diamond is too deep or two shallow, the light will leak out of the diamond through the bottom instead of shining brightly back up into your eyes.
| The Diamond at the top is an Ideal Cut Diamond and the light is reflecting back up just as it should.
The Diamond in the middle is way too deep and the light is leaking through the sides and bottom. Instead of reflecting back up. The diamond will look dark instead of bright and shiny. A diamond this deep is called a Nailhead.
The Diamond on the bottom is way too shallow and the light is going right through the diamond and out the bottom. The Diamond will appear watery, glassy and dark. A diamond that is this shallow is called a Fish Eye.
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Preferred Proportions for Round Diamonds |
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Ideal |
Premium |
Acceptable |
| Depth % |
60.2% - 62.7% |
58% - 63.5% |
57% - 64% |
| Table % |
52.5% - 57.5% |
52% - 61.0% |
51% - 64% |
| Polish |
Good - Excellent |
Good - Very Good |
Good |
| Symmetry |
Good - Excellent |
Good - Very Good |
Good |
| Girdle |
Thin - Medium |
Thin - Thick |
Very Thin- Very Thick |
| Culet |
None |
None - Very Small |
None - Very Small |
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| Preferred Proportions for Princess Cut Diamonds |
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Depth % |
64% - 75% |
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Table % |
59% - 82% |
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Polish |
Good - Excellent |
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Symmetry |
Good - Excellent |
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Girdle |
Very Thin - Very Thick |
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| Preferred Proportions for Emeralds, Radiants, Cushions, Asschers |
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Depth % |
59.9% - 72.0% |
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Table % |
59.9% - 69.9% |
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Polish |
Good - Excellent |
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Symmetry |
Good - Excellent |
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Girdle |
Very Thin - Very Thick |
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| Preferred Proportions for Oval, Pear, Marquise and Heart Shaped |
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Depth % |
58.9% - 65.9% |
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Table % |
53% - 64.9% |
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Polish |
Good - Excellent |
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Symmetry |
Good - Excellent |
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Girdle |
Very Thin - Very Thick |
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| Note on Girdle: It is acceptable for a girdle thickness to range from extremely thin to extremely thick as long as it is Ex Thn - Ex Thk. You DO NOT just want want Ex Thn OR Ex Thk. If it is extremely thin all the way around the diamond, it may chip while being set. If it is Extremely thick all the way around, the whole diamond will appear smaller in diameter because it will hide too much weight in the girdle. An extremely thick girdle on a diamond can also be difficult to set. |
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| Note on Polish & Symmetry: It is very rare to find excellent polish and symmetry in a fancy shape diamond and since the difference cannot be seen without 10X magnification and a very trained eye, it is very acceptable to go with Good or better. |
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