{"id":3603,"date":"2022-11-30T08:00:26","date_gmt":"2022-11-30T13:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=3603"},"modified":"2022-11-30T13:09:45","modified_gmt":"2022-11-30T18:09:45","slug":"the-brilliant-cut-diamond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/the-brilliant-cut-diamond\/","title":{"rendered":"THE BRILLIANT CUT DIAMOND"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Brilliant<\/div>\n

The most common shape of diamond in the world is the round diamond<\/strong>. Round is the default shape<\/strong> that everyone thinks about when they think of a diamond engagement ring.
\nThe round diamond always comes to mind, but there are tons of other diamond shapes on the market as well. Shapes like:<\/strong> square, pear, heart, triangle, rectangle, oval…<\/p>\n

\nKeep in mind, these are just shapes or outlines<\/strong> of the stone. The way that the diamond is cut<\/strong> is a whole different story (read more about diamond cut here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\nTake a look at some Famous (Popular) Shapes of Diamond below…<\/p>\n

\n\"Popular<\/p>\n

\nThe cutting process is the actual sawing, bruting and blocking<\/strong> of the rough rock into a dazzling gemstone. Which leads us into…<\/p>\n

The history of the brilliant cut<\/h2>\n

\nThe cutting process began over 500 years ago and the modern diamond<\/strong> went through many changes over the centuries.<\/p>\n

\nStarting out as nothing more than a pointy object<\/strong>, the diamond began to evolve, get more facets, until the diamond we see today was born.<\/p>\n

\n\"Brilliant<\/p>\n

The process goes from the point cut, which was just 2 points at either end of the stone<\/strong>, to the table cut, which shows the first signs of diamonds to come.<\/p>\n

\nThe table cut made diamonds easier to mount and wear in jewelry, rings, pendants, earrings and bracelets.<\/p>\n

\nAfter that came the single cut diamond<\/a>, which is still used today. The single cut has 17 or 18 facets<\/strong> on it and are usually found on diamonds 10 points (.10 CT) or smaller (also known as melee diamonds<\/strong> or accent stones<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\nA couple other cuts became popular over the ages as well:<\/strong> mazarin cuts, old-mine cuts<\/strong> and old european cut diamonds<\/strong>. You will still find these today in antique jewelry or vintage pieces.<\/p>\n

\nThese diamonds look different from today’s diamond because of the proportions and sparkle they give off. Back then, diamonds were cut by hand and not cut to maximize the light. They maintained carat weight (lumpy<\/strong>) and protection by cutting the culet off large to keep it from chipping.<\/p>\n

\nThis was all worth it because it gave way to the brilliant cut diamond.<\/p>\n

The modern brilliant cut diamond<\/h2>\n

The diamond you see in jewelry stores today is the modern brilliant cut diamond<\/strong>. It has 58 facets on it (57 if there is no culet). See image below…<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\"The<\/p>\n

\nThis style of cutting the facets into triangular shapes and kite shapes is what the brilliant cut does best. This cutting style is called brillianteering<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Modified brilliant cuts<\/h2>\n

\nBrillianteering <\/strong>is not only done with the round stone, but it’s done with other common cuts and shapes as well. Cuts like the princess cut, heart cut, pear cut, trilliant cut, radiant cut, oval cut, and marquise cut. See image below…<\/p>\n

\n\"Modified<\/p>\n

\nAll of these diamonds are cut in the style of the brilliant style and called things like, modified brilliant cut<\/strong> or square modified brilliant<\/strong> on a GIA diamond report (certificate<\/strong>) as in the princess cut example below…<\/p>\n

\n\"Modified<\/p>\n

Brilliant cut facets<\/h2>\n

\nThe brilliant cut diamond has 58 facets on the surface. 33 of these cuts are on the crown (top portion of the diamond<\/strong>), and 25 facets on the pavilion (bottom portion of the diamond<\/strong>). These two proportions are separated by the diamond girdle. One interesting thing to note about the girdle is this: The girdle can be faceted all the way around the stone, but these facets aren’t counted towards the overall facet number<\/strong>. They are just there for looks. :)<\/p>\n

\nThe facets on the crown of the diamond are<\/strong>: <\/p>\n\n\n
\n
    \n
  • 1 – Table<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 8 – Bezel Facets<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
\n
    \n
  • 8 – Star Facets<\/strong><\/li>\n
  • 16 Upper Girdle Facets<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

    \nThe facets of the pavilion are<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n
    \n
      \n
    • 16 – Lower Girdle Facets<\/strong><\/li>\n
    • 8 – Pavilion Main Facets<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
    		\n
      \n
    • 1 – Culet (optional)<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

      Let’s take a closer look at these…<\/p>\n

      Crown Facets<\/h2>\n

      \nThe 33 crown facets of a diamond (those above the girdle) are:<\/p>\n

      Diamond Table<\/h2>\n

      \nThe diamond has one main facet called the table facet. This is the top flat part of the diamond, that is shaped like an octagon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      Diamond Star Facets<\/h2>\n

      \nThe crown of the diamond has eight star facets, which are triangular shaped facets<\/strong>. These facets go all the way around the diamond and give the table a cool star-like appearance.<\/p>\n

      Diamond Bezel Facets<\/h2>\n

      \nThere are eight bezel facets that go all the way around the outside of the diamond and are shaped like kites<\/strong>. These facets link the top table facet to the girdle.<\/p>\n

      Diamond Upper Girdle Facets<\/h2>\n

      \nThere are sixteen facets on the upper girdle. These outline the outer perimeter of the diamond. These 16 facets are also known as the upper halve facets.<\/p>\n

      Diamond Pavilion Facets<\/h2>\n

      \nThere are 25 facets that form the bottom (pavilion<\/strong>) of the diamond that are below the girdle:<\/p>\n

      Diamond Lower Girdle Facets<\/h2>\n

      \nSixteen lower girdle facets extend from the girdle down into the pavilion. These are long triangular shaped facets that help bounce light across the stone<\/strong> and come back out in a dazzling display of brilliance.<\/p>\n

      Diamond Pavilion Main Facets<\/h2>\n

      \nEight pavilion main facets connect the rest of the stone<\/strong>. These are long diamond or kite shaped facets that go from the very base of the diamond towards the girdle.<\/p>\n

      Diamond Culet<\/h2>\n

      \nAt the very end (point) of the diamond is where you will find the culet (if it has one<\/strong>). The culet is a small octagon shaped facet that keeps the diamond from breaking at the tip. You don’t need a culet, but it’s wise to have one<\/strong>. :)<\/p>\n

      Is this cut the most brilliant cut?<\/h2>\n

      \nYes it is, or should I say, it can be<\/strong> if the stone is cut well.<\/p>\n

      \nYou see, just because the stone has these 58 facets on them doesn’t mean that these facets are proportioned properly<\/strong>, sized or placed correctly. The diamond could be short and fat, or it could be tall and skinny. It all depends on how the diamond is cut, which all depends on the parent rock and how much of the stone (making profit) they can utilize.<\/p>\n

      \nTake a look at the three diamonds below…<\/p>\n

      \n\"Diamond<\/p>\n

      \nYou can see one diamond is cut narrow and wide<\/strong>. Another diamond is cut deep and skinny. The last diamond is cut ideal to maximize light and sparkle.<\/p>\n

      \nThe diamonds cut too deep or too narrow will leak light and lose sparkle<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      \nNot only will there be a lack of brilliance<\/strong>, but if the stone gets too narrow, it can actually become very vulnerable to chipping or breaking<\/strong> at the girdle.<\/p>\n

      \nBecause the loss of beauty, diamonds cut too narrow or too deep (will make the diamond cheaper<\/strong>) will often get weird reactions to light and sometimes even get a reflection of the girdle in the diamond (below the table).<\/p>\n

      \nA narrow stone can get a “fish-eye<\/strong>” circle around the table. While a deep stone can become dark in the center and resemble a “nail head<\/strong>“.<\/p>\n

      \nSee image below…<\/p>\n

      \n\"Bad<\/p>\n

      \nSo you can see, a diamond cut more ideal, will give you the best results.<\/p>\n

      Ideal Cut Diamonds<\/h2>\n

      \nTaking the brilliant cut diamond and making the most of it is what diamonds are all about. Without beauty and sparkle, a diamond is nothing<\/strong>. The only way to get this beauty, sparkle and brilliance is through the cut<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      \nMarcel Tolkowsky<\/strong> perfected this cut in 1919<\/strong>. He measured the proper angles, crown height, diamond depth and percentages to arrive an an ideal cut standard.<\/p>\n

      \nThe ideal cut is a small range that keeps the diamond in a sweet spot<\/strong>. This range allows for a maximum amount of both white light (brilliance) and colored light (fire) to balance the diamond and make the diamond come to life.<\/p>\n

      \nThe proportions of an ideal cut diamond are below…<\/p>\n

      \n\"Ideal<\/p>\n

      \nMost of the time you’ll concentrate on two main percentages: The table percentage<\/strong> and the depth percentage<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      \nOn a diamond certificate (like GIA<\/strong>), before 2005, these two percentages were really the driving force in teaching customers what to look for. Jewelers often refer to this as the 60\/60 rule of thumb. 60% table, 60% depth<\/strong>. See image below…<\/p>\n

      \n\"GIA<\/p>\n

      \nThese percentages were close to ideal<\/strong> and if you got close to these set of numbers, you’d often get yourself a great looking diamond<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

      \nBut that wasn’t always the case.<\/p>\n

      \nJust because a diamond had 60\/60 didn’t mean it was good, nor gave off good brilliance and sparkle as in the examples below<\/strong>…<\/p>\n

      \n\"60-60<\/p>\n

      That’s why things had to change for the better. GIA set forth and created a new cut grade<\/strong> that took many things into consideration: Things like:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n
      \n
        \n
      • Girdle Thickness<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Star Length<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Table Size<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Total Depth<\/strong><\/li>\n
      • Crown Height<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
      		\n