THE PURPOSE OF A CULET

“Culet?”

The Culet (Diamond Culet) is something that most people don’t think about.

The Culet is actually a Facet at the Very Bottom of the Pavilion (Base of the Diamond).

The Interesting Thing about the Culet is this: There is only ONE Main Purpose for the Culet!

So What is the Purpose?

To Keep the Tip from Chipping!

When a Diamond comes to a Very Sharp Point, that Point is Vulnerable and Susceptible to Chipping or Breaking.

Many Diamond Cutters Cut that Tip off so it’s not so Pointed and Delicate anymore.

Here’s an Image that Shows a Diamond with a Culet, and without a Culet…

Diamond Cutters do the same thing with the Girdle of the Diamond as well. The Girdle is the Center Line that Circles around the Outer Edge of your Stone.

The Pointed Girdle is Cut Off so it doesn’t come to a Sharp Edge and get Chipped or Broken.

As shown below…

So that’s the Only Real Reason and Purpose for Cutting off those Sharp Points.

Some Diamonds have Culets, others do Not!

Not all Diamonds have Culets. In Fact, many do not!

If you look at the Majority of Well Cut Certified Diamonds, you’ll see that on the Diamond Report, under the Section of Profile, the Grade of the Culet will be listed. Like so…

GIA Gives Culets 8 Different Grades:

• None = Excellent
• Very Small = Excellent
• Small = Excellent
• Medium = Very Good
• Slightly Large = Good
• Large = Good
• Very Large = Fair
• Extremely Large = Poor

The BEST Culets

The BEST Culets to have are Very Small, Small or Medium, but NONE is Fine as Well. You just have to be More Careful with NONE. Especially when a Jeweler is Setting the Stone.

When the Diamond is Loose, or when it’s being Placed in a Head or a Mounting, this is when the Fragile Tip could Break. But once it’s Actually Set and Secure in the Mounting, Access to the Culet is Limited and Extremely Difficult, which means, once it’s Set, it should Never get Bumped or Knocked and should Never Ever Chip or Break. You’ll never have to Worry about it after it’s been Set.

It’s really more of a Concern for the Actual Jewelers. But a Good Talented Jeweler will be Careful and Cautious enough when Setting the Stone to Keep from Crushing the Tip and Chipping the Stone.

Man is Not Perfect!

I will say though, that Man is Not Perfect. Errors and Accidents can happen. That’s just the Nature of Life. A Jeweler, Even the Best of them, could Chip the Culet when Setting it, and sometimes not even know they did so.

This is why I Advise Customers to Microscope their Diamonds under 10x Magnification (when they Pick up their Ring from Sizing, Setting or Repairing), so they can take a Closer Inspection at the Culet (as well as the Girdle) to make sure that it didn’t get Crushed or Broken in the Process.

Take a look at a Good Culet under a Microscope, versus a Culet that got Crushed during Setting…

It just makes Good Sense to Double Check and Scope (with a Microscope or a 10x Jeweler’s Loupe) your Stone, while you’re still in the Jewelry Store, to make sure that your Stone is Intact and Not Damaged.

Get My Point? :)