Perhaps you have heard about the 4 Cs of a diamond. For those who are not very well familiar with it, the 4 Cs refers to the diamond’s cut, clarity, color and carat weight.

To what does a diamond’s cut refer? Is it the same as the gem’s shape?

Perhaps one of the most confusing attributes of a diamond is its cut. Some mistakenly use it interchangeably with the diamond’s shape but it is significantly much more than that. Shape simply refers to the general exterior appearance of the diamond. As such, a diamond may be round, oval or pear, to name a few.

The diamond’s cut, on the other hand, refers to the stone’s reflective qualities or how the stone reflects the light that shines through it. Generally speaking, the better the quality of the cut, the more brilliance the stone will reflect.

So, how does a diamond create that mesmerizing brilliance for which it has been famous? To understand how a diamond gives off its unique sparkle, let us take a little peep in the anatomy of this precious stone.

In a well-cut diamond, light enters through the large, flat top of the stone, which is commonly referred to as the table. The light then travels all the way through the lower portion of the stone (called the pavilion or the base) and is reflected from one side to the other before being sent back to the base and the observer’s eyes. This is the brilliance or the “fire” that we see!

In poorly cut diamonds, however, the amount of light reflected back to the base is significantly less. This is because a fraction of the light that enters through the stone leaks out from the sides or the bottom of the diamond. Less reflected light amounts to less brilliance.

The diamond’s cut definitely has a great role to play in determining the stone’s value. The stone’s proportions especially its depth and diameter can determine how much brilliance the stone can produce.

As stated in the beginning of this article, the cut of the diamond is very important. As such, several grading methods have been established to work as a guide for the consumers. Hence, a diamond can fall below these categories:

• Ideal Cut: Ideally cut diamonds have smaller tables and maximum brilliance. These types of diamonds are for those who genuinely appreciate the finer things in life. However, ideal cuts can only be applied to round diamonds.

• Premium Cut: Most premium cut diamonds (especially the round ones) have ideally the same quality as those of ideal cut diamonds but are priced slightly lower.

• Very Good Cut: In this case, brilliance is sacrificed for size. The reflective quality is still very satisfactory but in an effort to create bigger diamonds, the proportions are slightly altered by the cutters.

• Good Cut: Like in the previous grade, cutters have sacrificed some brilliance in order to create the biggest possible diamond from the original stone. These stones are for budget-conscious consumers who still want good quality diamonds.

• Fair and Poor Cuts: Diamonds under this category reflects only a small portion of the light that passes through it. These stones are those, which are cut to maximize carat weight.

You can now clearly see how the cut correlates with the brilliance and hence, the value of the diamond. However, selecting the grade of the cut really depends on the buyer’s personal preferences. It is entirely up to you whether to choose brilliance over size or if it is the other way around!