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Diamond Cuts Explained
Diamond Cuts
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The American Gem Society (AGS) says diamond cut is so important to the value of diamond engagement rings that it can affect it by 25% to 50%. Most grooms buy a round brilliant diamond cut. There is also the emerald cut diamond, the asscher cut diamond, the marquise diamond looks like football or egg, then there's the ideal cut diamond, a form of round diamond, and the brilliant cut diamond. The princess cut diamond ring is another popular cut. Which one should you get? That's up to you don't ask me. I prefer a round diamond, you may like a princess cut diamond engagement ring. A diamond should look bright, sparkling and brilliant when viewed down through the table (top of the diamond). Diamonds have very mathematical geometries, and like most formulas, any errors produce bad results. |
Diamond cut probably controls more variables affecting the quality and subsequent pricing of your engagement ring diamond. If diamonds are not cut to the right shape and proportion, the effects are less than optimal, even if it has great color and clarity. If the diamond is cut too deep, you'll see large dark shaded areas when viewing it through the table. Quality of the cut is why GIA certificates are so important, as they include data that salespeople won't point out: Depth % and Table %, ratios compared to the width of the diamond. A good table cut should be 53-64% of the width. Good Depth % are 58-64%. Anything outside this range means the diamond is too deep or too shallow. Polish and symmetry (i.e. facet alignment) fine tune the price. You want the GIA cert to declare at least "Good" for both. In a nutshell, the 4 C's mean squat without good proportion data.
Princess Cut Diamonds
Princess Cut diamonds don't have the same proportional requirements as round diamonds. For princess cut diamonds, just make sure the depth percentage is between 60% to 71%. The industry is still undecided on good specs for Princess Cut diamonds. No trade agreement has been established on them yet, American Gem Society is working on it. Make sure your special girl likes princess cut diamonds before you rush out to buy that engagement ring. And make sure she comes back here to visit DiamondsExplained.com once you are engaged. Probably the biggest selection of princess cut diamond rings on the internet can be seen at Blue Nile.
Hearts On Fire Diamonds
"Hearts On Fire" is a trademarked brand name owned by Hearts On Fire Company, LLC. These diamonds start from the top 1% of all diamond cuts. When you look through the bottom of the Hearts On Fire diamond you can see a heart pattern and the diamond is very brilliant. You'll find other marketing names similar to this out there. According to the company, every Hearts On Fire diamond meets or exceeds the AGS 000 rating. Many people mix up the name and ask us about "Hearts Of Fire", there is no such name. My guess is they are thinking of the Hearts On Fire brand.