{"id":5538,"date":"2014-08-06T11:41:26","date_gmt":"2014-08-06T15:41:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=5538"},"modified":"2015-06-02T11:56:19","modified_gmt":"2015-06-02T15:56:19","slug":"does-the-diamond-girdle-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/does-the-diamond-girdle-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"DOES THE DIAMOND GIRDLE MATTER?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"blog-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Does-The-Diamond-Girdle-Matter.gif\" alt=\"Does The Girdle of a Diamond Really Matter?\" title=\"Does The Girdle of a Diamond Really Matter?\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" class=\"alignright size-full wp-image-5545\" \/><\/div>\n<p><strong>Does the Girdle of a Diamond really matter?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><h2>YES!<\/h2>\n<p>\nThere are so many reasons why the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/diamond-girdle\/\">Girdle of the Diamond<\/a> is important; it can keep your Diamond from Chipping, it can be a Great Indicator of Cut, it can even help you <strong>Identify your Stone<\/strong> quicker, plus much more&#8230; <\/p>\n<p><h2>So let&#8217;s jump in&#8230;<\/h2>\n<p>\nFirst off, there are <strong>8 GIA Girdle Grades<\/strong>, they are:<\/p>\n<p><strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Extremely Thin<\/li>\n<li>Very Thin<\/li>\n<li>Thin<\/li>\n<li>Medium<\/li>\n<li>Slightly Thick<\/li>\n<li>Thick<\/li>\n<li>Very Thick<\/li>\n<li>Extremely Thick<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<p><h2>The Best Girdle Grades to have are:<\/h2>\n<p>\n<strong>Thin<\/strong>, <strong>Medium<\/strong>, or <strong>Slightly Thick<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n<p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Best-Diamond-Girdles.jpg\" height=\"600\" width=\"640\" alt=\"The Best Girdle Grades to have!\" title=\"The Best Girdle Grades to have!\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p>\nThe reason these are <strong>the best<\/strong> is because they&#8217;re not too thick or too thin! If the Girdle was too thin, like &quot;Extremely Thin&quot;, it will <strong>be easy to Chip and break<\/strong>. And if it&#8217;s too thick or lumpy, like &quot;Extremely Thick&quot;, then it&#8217;s just a waste of stone and the Diamond Cutter has <strong>added Carat Weight<\/strong> to UP the price. <\/p>\n<p><h2>It&#8217;s also a Great Indicator!<\/h2>\n<p>\nIf the Girdle is really thick, it&#8217;s also an indicator as to <strong>how the stone is Cut<\/strong>. Extremely Thick Girdles usually mean the <strong>make of the stone<\/strong>, or the Cut, is <strong>Poor or bad<\/strong>. So if you want a good Cut, stick with either a Thin, Medium, or a Slightly Thick Girdle. These are listed on a GIA Diamond Report under <strong>Profile<\/strong>, as shown here&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/GIA-Diamond-Girdle-Grade.jpg\" height=\"330\" width=\"640\" alt=\"GIA Girdle Grades!\" title=\"GIA Girdle Grades!\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p><h2>Is it Straight?<\/h2>\n<p>\nAnother Indication of <strong>a Poor Cut<\/strong> is if the Girdle is in a straight line or not. If the Girdle is <strong>wavy<\/strong> or it ranges greatly from Extremely Thin to Extremely Thick then <strong>that&#8217;s a Pretty Bad Girdle<\/strong>. The Girdle should form a straight line around the perimeter of the Diamond with even <strong>Hills and Valleys<\/strong>. Not Wavy or Uneven like this&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Uneven-Diamond-Girdle.jpg\" height=\"400\" width=\"640\" alt=\"Uneven Diamond Girdle!\" title=\"Uneven Diamond Girdle!\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p><h2>I&#8217;m Finished!<\/h2>\n<p>\nThe Girdle of a Diamond can be finished with 3 different Cutting Styles:<strong> Faceted, Bruted or Polished<\/strong> (as shown below).<\/p>\n<p>\nPersonally I prefer a Faceted or Polished Girdle because <strong>it blends in with the rest of the stone<\/strong>. A Girdle that is Thick and <strong>Bruted<\/strong> (which is Natural and Rough) sometimes stands out like an ugly sore thumb.  <\/p>\n<p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Diamond-Girdle-Finishes.jpg\" height=\"460\" width=\"640\" alt=\"Diamond Girdle Finish!\" title=\"Diamond Girdle Finish!\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p><h2>100%<\/h2>\n<p>\nThe Girdle is always <strong>the widest part of a Diamond<\/strong>.  Every other Facet or Percentage is measured against it.  That&#8217;s why the Girdle is always known as 100%, and the Table is generally around 50-60%. The same goes with the Depth of the stone, that&#8217;s usually around 60%. See the Table as compared to the Width of the Girdle here&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Does-A-Diamond-Girdle-Matter.jpg\" height=\"430\" width=\"640\" alt=\"Does a Diamond Girdle Matter?\" title=\"Does a Diamond Girdle Matter?\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p>But, since the Girdle is the widest part of the Diamond that&#8217;s also the part that your <strong>Prongs and Mounting<\/strong> grip, or hang on to. Which means, it&#8217;s also&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><h2>The Most Vulnerable Part of the Diamond!<\/h2>\n<p>\nBecause the Diamond Girdle sticks out on the sides, it&#8217;s also the section of Diamond that gets <strong>Bumped, Knocked, Chipped or Broken<\/strong> the most. <\/p>\n<p>\nMany times if you take a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B00EXPWU8S\/?tag=jewelry-secrets-20\">Jeweler&#8217;s Loupe<\/a> or a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B005MZ7BQY\/?tag=jewelry-secrets-20\">Microscope<\/a> and you Magnify (10x) the Girdle of the stone you can sometimes see you little, tiny <strong>hairline fractures<\/strong> around the Diamond. This is called a <strong>Bearded Girdle<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Chipped-Bearded-Diamond-Girdle.jpg\" height=\"400\" width=\"640\" alt=\"Chipped or Bearded Girdle!\" title=\"Chipped or Bearded Girdle!\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p>\nA Chipped or <strong>Bearded Girdle<\/strong> is caused from normal wear and tear on the stone over Decades and Centuries of use. That&#8217;s just the way it goes. But sadly, these Chips or Breaks also affect the <strong>Clarity Grade<\/strong> of the Diamond (Which is why you should always buy a Diamond with <strong>a Current Report Date<\/strong>, and not one done 20 years ago). This will all be listed on a Diamond Report or Certificate. Make sure you check it out!<\/p>\n<p><h2>I Can Identify With That!<\/h2>\n<p>\nAnd one last thing that a Diamond Girdle can help you with&#8230; <strong>Identification<\/strong>.  <\/p>\n<p>\nIf you&#8217;re Diamond is <strong>Certified AND Laser Inscribed<\/strong>, then that Laser Inscription will be etched onto the side of your Diamond, which is of course the Girdle. <\/p>\n<p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/Diamond-Girdle-GIA-Laser-Inspription.jpg\" height=\"400\" width=\"640\" alt=\"GIA Laser Insription on the Diamond Girdle!\" title=\"GIA Laser Insription on the Diamond Girdle!\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p>\nLook at your Diamond, Magnify the Girdle, find your Inscription and you will be able to identify your stone in a second, anywhere, any time. <strong>Easy as that<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<p><h2>So the Girdle does matter more than you thought!<\/h2>\n<p>\nThe next time you&#8217;re looking at Diamonds, turn the Diamond sideways and look at the Girdle. <\/p>\n<p>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/08\/The-Weakest-Part-Of-A-Diamond.jpg\" height=\"400\" width=\"640\" alt=\"The Diamond Girdle!\" title=\"The Diamond Girdle!\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p><h2>See what you&#8217;re Missing? <\/h2>\n<p>\nYou can tell you a lot about a stone&#8230; <\/p>\n<p>All from <strong>a different view point!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>Does the Girdle of a Diamond really matter? YES! There are so many reasons why the Girdle of the Diamond is important; it can keep your Diamond from Chipping, it can be a Great Indicator <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/does-the-diamond-girdle-matter\/\" title=\"DOES THE DIAMOND GIRDLE MATTER?\">[Read More&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":5545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,29,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5538","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cut","category-diamond-guide","category-diamonds"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5538"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5538"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5538\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5538"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5538"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5538"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}