Cut
History of Cut
The word cut is used to describe two separate topics in diamonds: the cutting style and the shape of the stone. The cutting style refers to the facet arrangement on the stone, while the shape is the overall look of the stone, particularly the outline created by its girdle.
The earliest diamonds were cut into simple octahedrons that retained the original shape of a rough stone, but had polished surfaces. Without polishing a diamond looks very dull, as the surface is often covered in a light brown or yellow coating that lacks the luster of a polished gem. At some point in time this simple point cut was improved by the addition of a table — a flat facet at the top of the stone — and extra facets cut between the four main facets on the crown and four facets on the pavilion. This was the first move towards eight-fold symmetry in diamond cutting, which remains in place today. Such arrangement of facets is called brilliant. Originally fit for a round diamond, it is also the style used for other popular shapes such as oval, marquise and heart. The distinct feature of a brilliant cut diamond is the facets that extend vertically from the girdle to the culet at the bottom of the stone, and from the girdle to the table at the top. The pavilion of a brilliant cut diamond looks like a straight triangle when looked at from the side. There are variations in how exactly the facets are arranged and in their exact number, especially in non-round diamonds, but all brilliants look very similar from a certain distance.
| Shapes of Brilliant Cut Diamonds | |
|---|---|
The anatomy of a round brilliant diamond |
Some other shapes commonly executed in the brilliant cut include:
| Oval — an elongated rounded shape. It is not very common as a centre stone, but more popular as a side stone. Particularly elongated ovals look best as ring stones on long fingers. Because of the way that human eyes perceive shapes, ovals look much better than round diamonds with some flaws in symmetry, which is why symmetry becomes much less important when dealing with these diamonds. The quality of proportions, however, is more crucial, as a disproportionate stone may have a large dark area in the middle of the table, sometimes called a bow-tie. |  |
| Pear — also known as a drop this shape has a pronounced pointed side. It is most popular for side stones and earrings, but makes for a captivating centre stone as well. Just like oval, or any other elongated shape, it is prone to display a bow-tie if the proportions are off. |  |
| Heart — a modification of the pear shape made with a cleft in the round part of the stone. These diamonds are meant as symbols of love and they tell their message clearly. This shape looks particularly attractive in fancy colours. It is usually not as elongated as the pear shape and therefore not prone to the bow-tie effect, however it is very sensitive to variations in the length-to-width ratio, as it is this ratio that defines the look of the stone. |  |
| Marquise — an elegant elongated shape that is said to have been inspired by the shape of the lips of Marquise de Pompadour. It is often used for all kinds of jewellery, making a bold statement when chosen as a ring centre stone. The length-to-width ratio of these diamonds is commonly very large making it a good choice for those with long fingers. If not cut correctly the stone exhibits the bow-tie effect. |  |
Another cutting style that is rather popular is a step cut. The crown and pavilion facets in a step cut diamond are directed not vertically, but horizontally across the length and width of the stone. Emerald and Asscher cut diamonds are some of the most popular step cut shapes that are often used as center stones. As you can see from the diagram below, the asscher cut is very similar to emerald, but is square as opposed to rectangular. Many asscher cut diamonds are named square emerald on their certificates. These cuts are unforgiving of defects in clarity, exposing even the smallest visible inclusions that would go unnoticed in a brilliant cut diamond. Baguette and trapeze cut diamonds are simpler (have less facets) step cuts that are often used as side stones. A step cut stone will have distinct bulges around its sides when viewed from the side. In general, step cut is only used on rectangular and square shaped stones, although there may be proprietary cuts that utilize this style for round and other shapes.
| Step Cut Diamonds |
|---|
Emerald |
Asscher |
Lastly, for lovers of antique jewellery, there is the rose cut. As depicted below, the rose cut is formed by arranging a number of triangular facets on a dome shaped top of the stone, while the bottom remains relatively flat, depending on presice implementation of this cut. It can be as simple as three triangles on a thin flat diamond or grow more complex with 24 facets on each of the sides of a double dutch rose. A larger stone would generally be cut with a larger number of facets. Although some antique diamonds get recut into modern shapes to increase their brilliance, most people admit that a rose cut diamond gives jewellery a very apparent antique feel that is difficult to imitate with modern cut diamonds.
In addition, such cuts as radiant or princess combine both brilliant and step cut styles to produce a hybrid with a look of its own. They can have one of several variations of the facet alignment.
Princess |
Radiant |
The cut of the stone will also be influenced by its size. The styles mentioned above are generally used for diamonds that are at least 0.25 carats. For reasons that will be discussed in the next section, small diamonds, sidestones, are often cut using special styles that contain fewer facets. Experience and science show that fewer facets make smaller diamonds look much better and brigher.
Baguette | Square |
Eight cut | Swiss cut |
The variety in shapes of diamonds is most easily explained by the desire of individuality among diamond cutters and wearers. While round is the most geometrically simple and common shape, others are often chosen by people who want a more personalized look. It is imperative to remember that while every cut has its own feel, only the round brilliant is capable of showing off the most brightness and sparkle when cut to perfection.
