D I A M O N D   C U T

Overview
Each diamond has an inner beauty that is released as it is cut and polished. A poorly cut diamond can appear muted and dull while a skillfully cut diamond will shine with a brilliance that is unmatched by any other gem. Because this aspect of the diamond has such great impact on its appearance and value, it is considered the most important of the four Cs.

It is the cut of the diamond that determines the amount of light that is reflected back to the eye. While this is influenced in part by the diamond's roundness and the uniformity of its facets, it is the width and depth of the cut that most affect the brilliance of a diamond.

A shallow cut will send light out the bottom of the diamond and one that is too deep will lose light out of all sides. The ideal cut will reflect most or all of the light back, resulting in a brilliant sparkle emanating from your diamond.

Understanding Proportions
The journey of light both within the diamond and out of it is a reflection of the diamond's proportions. Most importantly, it is a product of the diamond's depth compared to its diameter and the relation of the table's diameter to that of the entire diamond.

Table: Located on the top of the gem, this is its largest facet.
Crown: The angled edge that surrounds the table and extends to the girdle.
Girdle: Typically where the diamond is held by the setting, this is the edge
surrounding the widest part of the diamond.
Pavilion: The segment located below the girdle and reaching to the culet.
Culet: The point at which the facets of the pavilion come together, the smallest facet on a diamond.
Diameter: Measured at the girdle, this is the width of the diamond.
Depth: The entire height of a diamond, measured from culet to table.

Understanding Symmetry and Polish
Two other ways in which the cut of a diamond affects its brilliance and overall beauty are its symmetry and polish. The polish of a diamond is determined by the evenness of its facets; a perfectly smooth diamond will create a greater sparkle and an uneven facet surface will diminish its beauty. The alignment of the diamond's facets is known as its symmetry and is important because it affects the way in which light is directed inside and out of the diamond. A diamond with an ideal symmetry will produce greater brilliance and sparkle than one with poor symmetry, which will misdirect and lose light.

An AGSL diamond grading report will list the polish and symmetry grade of a diamond using the following rankings:
ID (ideal), EX (excellent), VG (very good), G (good), F (fair), or P (poor).

A GIA diamond rating report will use one of the subsequent grades:
EX (excellent), VG (very good), G (good), F (fair), or P (poor). Diamonds with a grade of fair or poor may have significantly reduced brilliance due to a severe misdirection of light.

To easily understand how the symmetry of a diamond affects its overall brilliance and value, diamonds are carefully measured and the symmetry is translated into one of the following grades:

Ideal/Excellent: This rare cut is executed in only approximately 3% of diamonds. It is the top of the line, a brilliant cut in which nearly all of the light that enters the diamond is reflected back to the eye. If only the best will do, this cut is it, providing the most brilliant sparkle and astonishing beauty.
Very Good: A beautiful cut, reflecting a great deal of light. The top 15% of cut diamonds
meet this standard, creating a more affordable, sparking diamond.
Good: The top 25% of diamonds have at least a good cut, one that reflects much
of the light that enters at a considerably lower cost than a very good cut.
Fair: Reflecting less light than a good cut, a fair cut represents the top 35%
of diamonds which are cut.
Poor: This grade applies to all diamonds that are not at least a fair cut.
Because much of the light is lost in these diamonds due to a cut that is
too deep or shallow, they have little sparkle and may even have some
dead spots inside.

Making a Choice
Because Sea of Diamonds offers high quality diamonds that have been carefully cut by the industry's top professionals, it is easy to find the one that best suits your needs. To be sure that your diamond is beautiful and creates an unforgettable impact, it is best to choose one that has a very good or good cut.