Choosing The Cut of A Diamond

There are many different cuts of diamonds

to choose from. The cut essentially refers to

the shape that the diamond is cut into –

unless you are in the diamond or jewelry

business, but this shape has a great impact

on the much the diamond sparkles.



The most popular cuts are heart, marquise,

oval, pear, princess, round, trillion, and

emerald cuts. The shape has an impact on

how much the diamond sparkles, but the

actual cutting itself – when the diamond

cutter actually cuts the diamond into a

particular shape – also matters a great

deal. If the diamond is poorly cut, it will lose

its sparkle.



However, in the diamond industry, the cut of

a diamond doesn’t refer to its shape at all.

Instead, this is a reference to the stone’s

depth, width, brilliance, durability, clarity, and

other aspects of the diamond. Common

cutting problems include a missing or off

center culet, misalignment, a diamond that

is too thick or too thin, cracks, or broken

culets.



When shopping for a diamond, you should

of course choose the shape that you like the

best, but then look at several different

diamonds of that shape to find the one with

the best cut – the one that sparkles the most,

in all types of lighting.