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Diamond Cut - Proportions of a Diamond


When it comes to diamonds, one cannot underestimate the crucial role of a diamond cut in determining its overall beauty and brilliance. Often confused with a diamond's shape, the cut of a diamond refers to its proportions, symmetry, and craftsmanship, which directly impact how light interacts with the gemstone. In this article, we delve into the significance of diamond cut, exploring its various facets and highlighting why it is a vital factor to consider when purchasing a diamond.

Understanding Diamond Cut and Shape


Before exploring the importance of diamond cut, we must differentiate between cut and shape. While shape refers to the outline or physical appearance of a diamond (such as round, princess, or emerald), cut refers to the diamond's facets, proportions, symmetry, and reflective properties. Furthermore, the cut grade determines a diamond's ability to reflect light and maximize its sparkle.

Brilliance: Capturing and Reflecting Light


The brilliance of a diamond refers to its ability to reflect light and create sparkle. A well-cut diamond will maximise the amount of light entering the table facet and redirect it back to the viewer's eye. 

However, a poorly cut diamond, results  in light leakage, leading to a dull and lifeless appearance. The precision of the cut directly affects the diamond's ability to captivate with its radiance.

Fire: Dispersion of Spectral Colors


The cut also plays a vital role in the dispersion of light into its spectral colours, often referred to as "fire." When light enters a diamond, it undergoes internal reflection and refraction, breaking into its constituent colours. Moreover, a well-cut diamond will disperse these colours beautifully, creating a mesmerizing play of light that adds to its overall allure. A poor cut, on the other hand, can hinder the diamond's ability to exhibit this captivating fire.

Scintillation: Dynamic Sparkle and Movement


Scintillation refers to the flashes of light and sparkles a diamond exhibits as it moves. A well-cut diamond produces a balanced and consistent pattern of scintillation, creating an enchanting display of light and shadow. The precise arrangement of facets and symmetry enhances the diamond's scintillation, ensuring it catches the eye from every angle. In contrast, an inferior cut can result in irregular scintillation and diminish the diamond's vibrancy.

During showroom appointments, clients view diamonds under an ideal scope to show the distinctive arrows associated with excellent cut grades. 

Diamond Cut Grades: Evaluating Quality and Value


We assess the quality of diamond cut using various grading scales, such as the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Cut Grade. These grades help consumers understand the level of craftsmanship and light performance a diamond possesses. Investing in a diamond with an excellent cut grade ensures that you acquire a gemstone of exceptional brilliance, fire, and scintillation, making it an excellent long-term investment.


At Serendipity Diamonds, we adhere to a minimum of a very good cut grade for all diamonds. Some diamond grading laboratories specify an ideal cut for many diamonds. But, keep in mind, GIA certificates only specify a cut grade on round diamonds. Most importantly, 'Excellent' remains the highest cut grade available from GIA for a round diamond. For best results, we recommend diamonds with a combined excellent cut, polish and symmetry. 


In the following video, the centre diamond can clearly be identified as ideal—with a distinctive arrow pattern when viewed from above. 

Lab-grown diamonds and ideal cut grades


At this point, we should comment on the availability of lab-grown diamonds made in a laboratory. In addition to natural diamonds, we now provide most of our jewellery designs made with lab-grown diamonds by special request. Typically, polishers proportion lab-grown diamonds to meet ideal proportions. For this reason, many lab diamonds feature ideal cut specifications on their accompanying IGI diamond grading reports.