Diamond Cuts

The cut of a diamond tells us about its ability to create brilliance by capturing and reflecting light. Find out how to determine its quality through a cut grading system designed by the Gemological Institute of America.

What Is A Diamond Cut?

In diamond grading, ‘cut’ refers to the quality of a diamond’s cut, specifically its proportions and symmetry. It is important to note that the cut of a diamond does not refer to a diamond’s shape (Pear Shape, Heart Shape, Round Shape, etc.). The cut quality of a diamond directly affects its overall look. It also determines a diamond’s ability to capture and reflect light, thereby producing brilliance. In fact, many consider cut to be the most important factor when choosing a diamond.

Diamond Cut Grading Chart

Since the establishment of standardized diamond grading criteria, diamond cut quality is now described as the following cut grades:

Excellent (Ideal)

Excellent Diamond Cuts are the most ideal. They have the maximum measure of brilliance for it reflects the most light and radiates the best sparkle.

Very Good

Very Good Diamond Cuts are very similar to diamonds of Excellent Cuts. They also offer outstanding brilliance with the majority of light reflecting through the diamond.

Good

Good Diamond Cuts provides brilliance in a more cost-effective price point.

Fair

Fair Diamond Cuts offers a little amount of reflection and brilliance.

Poor

Poor Diamond Cuts allows light to escape, providing little to no brilliance and sparkle.


Elements Affecting the Cut Quality

The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) has developed a cut grading system that can be broken into seven components:

Diamond Cut Small Rectangle
  1. Weight ratio- The appearance of the size of a diamond relative to its weight
  2. Durability – The possibility of chipping or breaking due to an excessively thin girdle
  3. Polish – How smooth or scratched the surface is after the polishing process
  4. Symmetry – How well balanced and aligned the facets are
  5. Brightness – Brightness created from white light reflecting from the surface and inside of the diamond
  6. Fire – The dispersion of light into colors of the visible spectrum
  7. Scintillation – Flashes of light produced when a diamond is moved in the light

Diamond cutting requires a high level of craftsmanship and must strike the right balance between stone size and cut quality.

Diamond Cut Long Rectangle

Does Cut Grade Influence the Price?

The cut of a diamond impacts its overall appearance and brilliance, and the greatest amount of brilliance can only be found in a diamond that has been exceptionally cut. In its rough state, a diamond can look dull in appearance. There are also additional costs for skilled labor required to craft an ideal cut diamond. So yes, a diamond’s cut is definitely an important feature that impacts a diamond’s appearance, along with its price.

In all cases, a diamond that is cut well will appear bigger and more radiant in comparison to a diamond that is cut poorly, and for obvious reasons, people would prefer to have a well-cut diamond. However, there are still some that would buy poorly cut diamonds to match their budget. For people who are looking for something a little more cost-effective, we would advise purchasing a diamond that is lower in color grades rather than cut quality because as mentioned before, having a good quality cut will make your diamond appear more attractive and radiant.
However, your final buying decision should still be based on you or your partner’s personal preference.

ICONIC offers two different diamond cut grades: Excellent and Very Good. If you require any further information or would like to request a specific cut grade or shape, please feel free to contact us.

FAQs

There are quite literally dozens of different cuts of diamond but some of the most popular are: Round Brilliant, Cut Oval Cut, Pear Cut, Radiant Cut, Princess Cut, Marquise Cut, Cushion Cut, Emerald Cut and Asscher Cut. Check out our collection of wedding rings to find a variety of diamond cuts in different settings.
The brilliant round cut is the most expensive cut of diamond and the most popular. The cut has the most facets (58), which require a great deal of precision work. Also, more of the rough diamond is disposed of, which means that purchase a larger diamond than the end result.
The “cut” of the diamond refers to the way in which the diamond’s proportions reflect the light. Each cut of diamond will have its own characteristics and will impact on the shine and sparkle.
Due to the amount of labour that goes into a brilliant round cut in terms of the number of facets, this is the most expensive cut of diamond. With this cut, a higher percentage of the rough diamond is lost during the cutting process. Generally, the most expensive cuts include the most facets.
Depending on the cut, clarity, colour and polish of a one-carat diamond you would normally expect to pay anything upwards of $2,500. The price can be as much as $18,000.