Have you ever really studied your Diamond under a microscope? I mean, really, really studied it?
A good portion of the public has looked at their Diamond under 10x Magnification (what Diamonds are graded with) and have seen Flaws and Inclusions inside their stone. Many people have compared these Imperfections to a Diamond Plot so they could better understand Clarity. It's a pretty cool thing...
But that's the point where most people stop. The Studying is over! And it's too bad too, because there are so many more things to look at.
Let's look at Facets
Facets are the Smooth, Flat, Polished Surfaces of a Diamond. Every Cut, Every Shape, Every Angle, Every Side has Facets to it.
The Crown (Top of the Diamond) has 33 Facets all together. 1-Table, 8-Bezel Facets, 8 Star Facets and 16 Upper Girdle Facets. The Pavilion (Base of the Diamond) has 25 Facets. 16-Lower Girdle Facets, 8 Pavilion Facets and 1-Culet. All these Facets together total 58 Facets on a Round Brilliant Cut Diamond. (The Girdle can also be Faceted!)
Take a look at the Facets of a Brilliant Cut Diamond Below!
But here's the real question...
How do your Facets line up?
How Facets line up and connect together will tell you a lot about a Diamond. It will show you whether a Diamond has good Symmetry or not!
Symmetry is often overlooked as not important by most customers. (It's not high on their priority list!) But Symmetry plays a huge role in the Beauty and Brilliance of your Diamond!
Symmetry can turn an Ideal Cut (Properly Proportioned Diamond) into a Super-Ideal Cut!
Super Ideal Cuts
A Super-Ideal Cut is a Diamond with
Ideal Proportions AND Ideal Symmetry. Like the
Hearts and Arrows Diamond for example!
Hearts and Arrows (See Picture). is a Symmetrical Diamond that creates patterns in the stone when viewed through a special Jeweler's Loupe. Hearts when viewed through the Pavilion (bottom up), and Arrows when viewed through the Crown (Top).
This is Symmetry at its best!
Understanding Symmetry doesn't have to be difficult either. You can look at a Diamond under a microscope and see how Symmetrical it is just by looking at the Facets.
Big Clues
Where the Facets meet up can give you some pretty big clues: Do the Facets align? Look at the Table, is it out of Proportion? Are the Bezel Facets different shapes? Star Facets? Are there Extra Facets on the Crown or Pavilion? Is the Culet off center? Is your Diamond perfectly Round? Does it have a Flat Edge (Flat Tire)? Is the Girdle Even or Wavy? Is the Girdle Parallel with the Table? You see, there are so many things that can affect Symmetry...
The Image below has Examples of Symmetry and Facets that are out of Proportion, Misaligned or Uneven.
Check the Certificate
Diamond Symmetry is also listed on most Diamond Reports (assuming it's Certified - See Picture Below) under the FINISH heading. G.I.A. (the Gemological Institute of America) grades Symmetry with 5 different ratings: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor.
Most Diamonds on the market will normally be graded
Good to
Very Good Symmetry. Check your Certificate to see what your Symmetry is. If your Diamond is listed as
Fair or
Poor, you may be losing Brilliance, Fire and Sparkle!
So you see, Symmetry is important to beauty. Take a closer look at your Diamond the next time you're in a Jewelry Store.
Use their microscope and see if your Facets line up. Look at the Girdle, Pavilion and Crown. Facets are like a Puzzle... How is yours put together?
Facets should be well proportioned and balanced. If you slice a Diamond like a piece of pie (see Picture), you should have 8 identical pie sections. All the Facets should be the same in every slice. Pie anyone?
I wonder if this is the same thing as "Carat" Cake?
Facets are more than just polished surfaces on a Diamond. They are the key difference between a Diamond that has "Good" Sparkle, and one that has "Excellent" Sparkle! And we all know that lots of Sparkle is what makes a Diamond come to life!
Sparkle is Super!
Super-Ideal!
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Copyright © 12-28-2009 Jewelry-Secrets.com
