DIAMOND CUT

Cut is an important factor determining the beauty of a diamond. It is the only C

that is influenced by man. Cut includes the proportions, polish and symmetry
and these influence the brilliance, fire and scintillation of a diamond. It is
important for a diamond to have well-cut angles and finish for it to shine and
sparkle. A poorly cut diamond can appear to be dark, dull and lifeless. It has the
greatest overall influence on a diamond's beauty.

According to GIA standards, a round diamond is graded on its Cut, Polish and
Symmetry features separately. For fancy shapes, the Symmetry and Polish
Features are graded, Cut is not graded.

CUT GRADES:
Ideal/ Excellent Excellent light performance. Reflects almost all of the light
that enters. The best and the most beautiful cut.

Very Good Very good light performance. Reflects majority of the light that
enters. Very Good cut diamonds are considered to be a good value as they are
cheaper than Excellent cut.

Good Good light performance. Reflects most of the light that enters. Good
diamond cuts are much cheaper than Good cuts.

Fair Still a quality diamond, but a fair cut will not be as brilliant as a good cut or
above.
Poor Poor cut diamonds are typically cut too shallow or too deep causing
much of the light to leak out of the diamond's sides and base. Sarvada Jewels
does not carry diamonds having Poor cut.
WHICH GRADE OF CUT SHOULD I BUY?
Cut grade is the most important factor in determining the overall appearance of
a diamond, because a poorly cut diamond will seem dull even with excellent
clarity and color. Conversely, a well cut diamond can have a slightly lower color
(G-H) or clarity (SI1-SI2) and still look quite beautiful, due to its superior ability
to create sparkle and brilliance.

For superior brilliance, choose a diamond with a Cut grade of Very Good or
Excellent for round diamonds, with Polish and Symmetry grades of at least
Good, preferable Very Good. For Fancy shapes, our experts recommend not
selecting diamonds with Polish and Symmetry grades of lower than Good. For
the best cut, buy a Triple Excellent diamond, Cut-Excellent, Polish-Excellent and
Symmetry-Excellent. For those on a budget, primarily concerned with size, a
diamond of Good or Fair cut may be an acceptable choice. While the diamond
will lack the scintillation and brilliance of a well-cut diamond, it will allow a
significant increase in size for the same price.

It is easy to be misled on cut quality, especially for diamonds that are not
certified. Sometimes, customers are shown two-three qualities of diamonds but
even the best quality might not represent the best cut available. Also, another
major mistake is buying deeply-cut diamonds. A deeply cut diamond carries
more of its carat weight "hidden" in the depth of the diamond as opposed to the
width. These poorly cut diamonds are less expensive per carat, and are common
in most jewelry stores. A customer might purchase a 1.00 carat diamond that
actually looks like a .90 carat diamond because it is too deeply cut. Our experts
recommend buying diamonds certified by reputed labs like GIA, IGI, HRD and
AGS.
TIPS BY SARVADA JEWELS EXPERTS:
Since Cut is the most important factor determining a diamonds
beauty and appearance, we recommend balancing Carat, Color and
Clarity so that you are able to choose an Excellent or Very Good cut
diamond, within your budget.
A Poor cut diamond is considered highly undesirable, even if it is much
cheaper and as such we do not recommend buying one. A fair cut
diamond may be chosen if you are looking for a bigger size or a better
quality diamond within your budget, although we recommend going
for a slightly lower color or clarity but a diamond with a cut grade of
Good or above.

ADDITIONAL READING:
Brilliance refers to the brightness of a diamond, created by the combination of
all the white light reflections from the surface and the inside of a polished
diamond. When light hits a diamond's surface, some light enters and some is
reflected back.

The cut of a diamond also creates contrast, the light and dark areas seen in a
diamond. These dark areas are not inclusions, but shadows created by the cut or
by objects between the light source and the diamond (such as the observer's
head).

The greater the amount of reflected light and the stronger the contrasts, the
more brilliant the stone. A round diamond will typically exhibit more brilliance
than a fancy shape due to the superior mechanics of the round cut for reflecting
light.
Scintillation refers to the flashes of light, or sparkles, which are produced when a
diamond is tilted from side to side. These flashes are caused when light that isn't
immediately reflected back enters the diamond and bounces off the internal
walls. They are most pronounced in flood lit areas where strong light enters the
diamond from multiple angles.

The light that reflects out of a diamond can appear in brilliant white flashes, or
in a rainbow of color, referred to as Fire. The fire effect is caused by the proper
bending and dispersion of light as it travels through the diamond. The more
colorless the diamond, the truer the dispersed colours will appear. This effect is
greater in darker areas where there are fewer light sources.

TERMINOLOGY:
Diameter: The diameter is the width of a polished diamond from one side of the
girdle to another.

Table: The table is the largest polished facet of the diamond , face-up in the
centre of the diamond.

Crown: The crown is the top part of the diamond that is measured from the
surface of the table to the girdle

Girdle: The girdle is the widest edge of the diamond where the crown ends and
meets the pavilion

Pavilion: The pavilion is the bottom part of the diamond that begins at the girdle
and extends downward to the point of the culet

Culet: The culet is the tiny flat facet at the bottom tip of the diamond
Depth: The depth of a diamond refers to the total length of a diamond,
measured from the culet to the table

Proportions: Diamond proportion refers to the relationship between the size,

shape, and angle of each facet of a diamond. A wide range of combinations are
possible, ultimately determining the diamond's interaction with light.To
optimally capture light and reflect it back, a diamond's pavilion must have
accurate angles and depth. If the angle of the pavilion is too shallow or too
deep, light will escape or leak out, creating dark and dull "stains". The crown
angle is also extremely important since this affects the way that light enters and
exits the diamond. Not only are the angles important, but depth percentage and
table percentage are also key factors that contribute to the quality of a
diamond's cut. Depth percentage refers to the depth of the diamond divided by
its diameter. Shallower diamonds have low depth percentages whereas deeper
diamonds have higher depth percentages.

Symmetry: A diamond's facets must be symmetrical in order to maximize the

amount of light that enters and exits the stone. Diamonds with poor symmetry
look slightly distorted, unbalanced and improperly shaped. Moreover, they will
affect brilliance, scintillation and fire. Many asymmetrical round stones are not
completely round, or have misshapen facets or off-centre culets.

Polish: Once a diamond is cut, each facet of the diamond is polished. If the
polishing is done improperly, it can leave scratches and streaks that are similar
to the marks left behind after a car waxing. An Excellent diamond polish is a
diamond which has very few or no scratches.

GRADING AND CERTIFICATION:

A diamond is evaluated and graded on the 4Cs- Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat.
Independent labs such as GIA, IGI, HRD, GSI and AGS undertake diamond
grading. Sarvada Jewels sells only certified solitaires by GIA, IGI, HRD and
diamond jewellery graded by IGI. While plenty of other independent labs exist,
some are a bit lax in their assessments of diamond quality and do not command
the same respect for consistency and quality of grading.

It is important to note that each diamond is unique and as such it is difficult to

classify a diamond into set categories. So, even though SI1 clarity seems to be
quite specific, in reality it is a range from the best SI1 to the worst SI1. The same
holds true for Color too. Also, the grading is done by humans, albeit according
to set categories and guidelines, but there might be slight differences in the
opinions of two gemologists. As a result, we find that the grading standards of
different gem labs differ slightly, which causes a difference in prices of solitaires
with the same grading results but from two different labs. Experts at Sarvada
Jewels are certified gemologists and have years of experience in the diamond
industry. We ensure that each solitaire is graded by our experts and the results
verified with the lab grading report.

A certified diamond comes with a diamond grading report guaranteed by an

accredited gem lab. This report assures the customer that the diamond is
independently recognized as possessing all the qualities specified by that report.
When you buy a certified diamond, you are getting a diamond with beauty and
pedigree. You have tangible, legal assurances as to the particular nature and
quality of the diamond you are purchasing.

An uncertified diamond is not accompanied by a diamond grading report, and

therefore its stated quality is based only on the word of the seller. It is not
necessarily a bad diamond; certainly, it can be as beautiful as its certified
counterpart. However, if you cannot judge its quality yourself, you have to rely
on someone else to assure you of its quality
PUBLISHED BY

Ishaan
Ishaan holds a B.Sc in Economics degree from the London School of
Economics and Political Science (LSE) and has worked at Goldman Sachs
and Deutsche Bank before he decided to return to the family business of
manufacturing diamonds. He worked with various diamond companies in
Surat, Mumbai and Israel for several years before founding Sarvada
Diamonds as a diamond manufacturing company in 2013. He has also
completed a diamond grading course from the Gemological Institute of
America (GIA). Having forayed into jewellery in 2013, Ishaan has focused
on delivering exquisite, well-crafted bespoke products. He started
SarvadaJewels.com with the aim of providing expert consultation for
selecting diamonds and creating customized jewellery, using his rich
industry experience and knowledge. When hes not surrounded by
diamonds, Ishaan loves reading, traveling and watching movies.