The Different Diamond Cuts

Round is the most common cut shape of diamond. It has 57 facets. The names of the facets are table, bevel, star, upper pavilion, girdle, lower pavilion and culet. Marcel Tolkowsky is the innovator of the modern round brilliant cut. New technology has enabled cutters to add facets and produce microscopic effects such as hearts and arrows. There is a push to brand diamonds by adding or altering Tolkowsky's basic pattern. It is debatable if this actually improves brilliance to the naked eye. Most consumers choosing between a branded stone such as a Leo or Star 129 have chosen the Tolkowsky round brilliant. All stones that are not round are referred to as fancy cuts.

Marquise should be about twice as long as they are wide. Flip the stone upside down. Is it still straight and symmetrical? An off-center culet on the bottom of the stone would detract in both beauty and value. Slender cuts are more desirable than football shapes. All marquise have a bow-tie effect through the center of the stone. The points are called french tips. The better the cut, the more it disappears, especially in very colorless stones.

Princess cuts are usually equal in price per carat to marquise. It is square, brilliantly faceted, with sharp corners. As the cut becomes less than square the value goes down. If you are channel setting the stone, save some money and set the longer width under the bars. When marketing the square brilliant to a man it is often called a quadrillion.

Ovals, self explanatory, a 2 to 1 ratio is most desirable. It is considered old fashioned, but ovals are currents experiencing a rise in demand. Cushion cuts are similar, kind of a squarish pillow.

Radiants are rectangular brilliants, some have cut corners, a 2 to 1 ratio is most desirable.

Emerald cuts are prismatic like an infinity picture. One dirty facet can refract through the entire stone. A 1 carat round should measure approximately 6.5mm in diameter. The emerald cut 1 carat should measure about 7mm x 5mm.

Trillion and Trilliant cuts are triangular, cut or sharp corners. Often used as an accent. Some consumers are dissatisfied with smaller stones because they are often cut very shallow and it does not hold the brilliance then that a well cut stone does.

Bagettes are emerald cuts with less faceting. They can be straight or tapered. They are cut much more like a cube, rather than a pyramid, such as the round. Therefore, the amount of surface area you see on top is smaller for the carat weight compared to rounds.

Technology has provided cutters with the ability to create other new cuts. These are variations of the above mentioned. Go to www.gia.edu for more info.

Learn more about this author, Shannon Shae.