EXTRA FACETS ON DIAMONDS?

Extra extra…

Extra facets sometimes get confused with diamonds with extra facets…

See, I told you it was confusing. :)

There are 2 types of extra faceted diamonds.

1) Diamonds that are specially cut with more facets than a brilliant cut diamond. These are not called “brilliant cut” but something different, like the “centillion cut“, which is a diamond with 100 facets. Read more about these special cut diamonds.

2) Extra facets that aid in improving the quality of the diamond.

This is our conversation today.

The brilliant cut diamond

The normal round diamond, called the brilliant cut diamond, has 58 facets on it (57 if it has no culet).

But sometimes, this is not the case. Some brilliant cut diamonds have an additional facet or more cut into the surface of the stone.

The question is:

Why?

Believe it or not, there is a great purpose for cutting an extra facet into the stone: It gives the diamond a higher clarity.

Crazy as it sounds, it’s true. Picture an apple with a bruise on it. To remove the bruise you will have to cut into the apple a little. You cut a small chunk out and viola, the bruise is gone.

Diamonds are just like that. Sometimes a diamond will have a flaw or inclusion that falls right on, or under the surface of the diamond. If that inclusion is left in the stone, the clarity of that diamond will lower. Depending on exactly where the inclusion falls, diamond cutters can cut this blemish out. The result is an extra facet that’s polished like the rest of the stone.

Extra facets:

Extra facets are pretty neat, because they cut out the flaws, polish up perfectly, blend in with the rest of the diamond. They are almost impossible to detect… Unless you look for them with a microscope or a 10x jeweler’s loupe.

When you look for them, you really have to look hard. You have to focus on the surface of the stone (most of the time they appear on the pavilion, just below the girdle), and have to get the diamond at just the right angle and reflection to see the facets.

Improved clarity:

Cutting out these inclusions can actually change an I1 clarity diamond into an SI clarity or higher (VS and VVS). That’s a big difference in quality, and, it’s also a big difference in price. Better looking diamonds sell faster and make more profit.

So cutting extra facets is a good practice, as long as there aren’t tons of them on the diamond. Most of the time it’s just one facet, maybe two. No big deal. I look at it this way, extra facets are much prettier to look at than inclusions are.

Microscope it:

The next time you’re looking at your diamond under 10x magnification, look at the facets. See if you spot a hidden facet. They are more common than you would think. You could have a diamond on your finger right now that has an extra facet and you may never know it… Unless you scope it.

Scope it. Search it. It’s pretty fascinating.

But, there is an easier way to tell:

Look at your certification papers. Diamonds that are certified will list right on the diamond report whether the stone has an extra facet or not (after all, it is another way to identify it). Easy as that.

It doesn’t harm the value of the diamond any. In fact, it improves it because it does give the diamond a higher clarity. And that’s a good thing.

Extra facet or not, look at your diamond under magnification.

Facets are fascinating.

Does yours make the cut?

Cheers! :)