{"id":9166,"date":"2022-12-08T08:00:37","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T13:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=9166"},"modified":"2022-12-08T10:10:02","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T15:10:02","slug":"do-diamonds-leak-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/do-diamonds-leak-light\/","title":{"rendered":"DO DIAMONDS LEAK LIGHT?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Why<\/div>\n

Diamonds leak?<\/h2>\n

YES! Diamonds leak light<\/strong>, which means, they’re losing brilliance, sparkle, fire and life.<\/p>\n

And let’s face it, the sparkle in a diamond is why we love<\/strong> them so much. If it wasn’t for this dazzling dance of light, diamonds wouldn’t be so beautiful, and people probably wouldn’t buy them<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

We love the bling.<\/h2>\n

Sadly, some people are losing light and don’t even know it.<\/p>\n

How do diamonds leak light?<\/h2>\n

They leak light because of the way they are cut<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

You probably all know that the round brilliant cut diamond<\/a> looks like this:<\/p>\n

\"Round<\/p>\n

But… that’s not entirely true.<\/strong><\/p>\n

That image is what a standard diamond<\/strong> with excellent proportions<\/strong> looks like.<\/p>\n

Which is a little bit different than a diamond with…<\/p>\n

Bad proportions<\/h2>\n

For all diamonds are not cut the same<\/strong>. Some diamonds are cut thin<\/strong> and narrow<\/strong>, while others are cut deep<\/strong> and lumpy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Compare these poor cuts of diamond<\/strong> to that of an ideal cut diamond.<\/p>\n

\"Cuts<\/p>\n

If you look at brilliant cut diamonds that are cut too shallow or too deep, you’ll see that they lose light.<\/p>\n

\nLight literally goes right out the bottom of the diamond<\/strong> as this image shows:<\/p>\n

\"Diamonds<\/p>\n

When the light goes out the bottom: No sparkle!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Better proportions<\/h2>\n

\nA well cut diamond will have a properly cut table and depth percentage (which is easy to tell with GIA’s new cut grade<\/a>).<\/p>\n

\nWhen the table and depth is cut with correct proportions, light will enter through the crown<\/strong>, hit the base<\/strong> of the diamond at the correct critical angle<\/strong>, bounce across to the other side, then get sent back out the top of the diamond in multiple flashes of light and sparkle.<\/p>\n

The white flashes of light are called brilliance<\/strong> (or brightness), and the colored flashes of light are called fire<\/strong> (which is caused by the light stream splitting like a rainbow).<\/p>\n

When the table or depth is too extreme<\/strong>, the light doesn’t bounce across, doesn’t get reflected out, it just shoots out of the base of the diamond and gets lost. <\/p>\n

So the table and depth percentages are important if you want to maximize beauty, light, brilliance and sparkle in your stone.<\/p>\n

Table percentages<\/h2>\n

\n\"Table<\/p>\n

The table percentages are:<\/h2>\n

\nExcellent………….52% – 62%<\/p>\n

Very Good………….50% – 66%<\/p>\n

Good………….47% – 69%<\/p>\n

Fair………….44% – 72%<\/p>\n

Poor………….<44% - 72%><\/strong><\/p>\n

As you can see, excellent table percentages<\/strong> should be between 52%<\/strong> and 62%<\/strong>. But most round diamonds that you see on the market today will be closer to the good proportion<\/strong> numbers: 47% – 69%<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

I say “most<\/strong>” but trust me, you will still find some diamonds that are poor in cut. It’s important to spot them and to know what to avoid<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A poor table percent is less than 44% and more than 72%. See examples below of poorly cut diamonds.<\/p>\n

\n\"Table<\/p>\n

Just recently I had a reader write in. She was pondering the purchase of a diamond that had a table percentage of 73%<\/strong> and a depth of 74%<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nMy advice was:<\/strong> Skip it! <\/strong><\/p>\n

The closer you can get to a table percentage of 52-62% (excellent) the better!<\/p>\n

Depth percentages<\/h2>\n

\"Diamond<\/p>\n

The good proportions for depth are:<\/h2>\n

\nExcellent………….57.5% – 63%<\/p>\n

Very Good………….56% – 64.5%<\/p>\n

Good………….53.0% – 66.5%<\/p>\n

Fair………….51.0% – 70.9%<\/p>\n

Poor………….<51.0% - 70.9%><\/strong><\/p>\n

As you can see “good<\/strong>” proportions should fall between 53.2% and 66.5%.<\/p>\n

The depth is the entire depth of the diamond<\/strong>, which includes the crown height, the girdle<\/a> thickness and the depth of the pavilion (which is the base of the diamond).<\/p>\n

The depth is important because this is what helps the light bounce across and come back out the top of the diamond.<\/p>\n

Take a peek at what poor depth<\/strong> looks like up against an ideal cut diamond.<\/p>\n

\"Diamond<\/p>\n

Fish-eye diamonds<\/h2>\n

If your diamond is too shallow, like a 45% depth percentage<\/strong>, then your diamond will not only leak light, but it will create a weird dark ring around the pavilion that looks like a fish-eye (see image below).<\/p>\n

Not very pretty.<\/h2>\n

Plus, a shallow stone can be chipped or broken more easily. This is because the edges of the diamond are thinner and more vulnerable to strikes.<\/p>\n

Skip the narrow stones<\/strong>. They will appear much larger than they really are. i.e. a One carat diamond will actually look more like a 1.50 carat diamond. These larger looking diamonds are called “spread stones<\/strong>“. They look big, but lack light and life and are fragile.<\/p>\n

DON’T BUY THEM!<\/h2>\n

See picture below that shows a fish-eye diamond and a nail head diamond.<\/p>\n

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

Nail head diamonds<\/h2>\n

Now, if your diamond is too deep<\/strong> on the other hand, like 73%<\/strong>, then your diamond will look dull, dark and lifeless.<\/p>\n

It will look like it has a large dark circle in the center of your stone<\/strong>. Or as jewelers refer to them: nail heads. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Poor depth percentages are anything less than 51.1%, or anything more than 70.2%.<\/p>\n

It’s wise to get a diamond that has a depth that’s at least in between 53.2% and 66.5%. Those percentages are good<\/strong> and you’ll get a lot of brilliance and sparkle.<\/p>\n

But there is something better…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ideal percentages<\/h2>\n

\nAn ideal percentage is a diamond that is cut to ideal proportions<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ideal means that the diamond is cut in such a way that it maximizes light and gives you as much brilliance and sparkle and fire as possible from the stone.<\/p>\n

Ideal proportions are:<\/h2>\n

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

In an ideal cut diamond<\/strong> (devised by Marcel Tolkowsky<\/strong> in 1919<\/strong>), the table percentage is slightly different than that of an excellent cut. An ideal table has only a 4% variance<\/strong>. That’s slim.<\/p>\n

The ideal standard states that an ideal depth should be between 57.5% and 63%. That gives you a margin of 5.5%. Not a lot or room for perfection.<\/p>\n

A diamond with an ideal table and an ideal depth<\/strong> will give you more brilliance and sparkle than any other cut of diamond. More bang for your buck.<\/p>\n

Why not cut all diamonds ideal?<\/h2>\n

Why don’t diamond cutters just cut all diamonds to ideal proportions?<\/p>\n

\nBecause of profit and the fact that they don’t want to waste any of the diamond rock<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

See the picture below to explain:<\/p>\n

\n\"Why<\/p>\n

As you can see, one excellent cut diamond<\/strong> can be cut from the parent rock, along with one shallow cut diamond<\/strong>. This way they utilize all of the rock, get 2 diamonds out of it, and make as much money as possible.<\/p>\n

Why waste the diamond, right?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Diamond certificates<\/h2>\n

If you want to see what the percentages are for any given diamond, look at a diamond report<\/a>. Most of them, like this GIA (The Gemological Institute of America<\/strong>) diamond report below, will list the table and depth percentage right on the report<\/strong>. Take a look:<\/p>\n

\"GIA<\/p>\n

\n(Percentages are are shown under the diamond profile on newer diamond reports.)<\/p>\n

The closer you can get to ideal<\/strong>, the more flashes of light you will have.<\/p>\n

So yes, diamonds can leak light.<\/h2>\n

It makes you wonder, why would anyone want to buy a diamond that doesn’t sparkle as much as it could?<\/p>\n

Sparkle is what makes a diamond beautiful.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It all comes down to price.<\/h2>\n

Diamonds with a poor cut (poor depth and poor table percentages) will often be cheaper than better cuts of diamond.<\/p>\n

\nYou’ll notice this if you see a diamond of the exact same carat weight, clarity and color priced at $1,000 less<\/strong>. Beware! <\/strong><\/p>\n

These cuts will save you money, but you sacrifice light and beauty. It’s your choice. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Always check your table and depth.<\/p>\n

Here is an example of a GIA diamond certificate with a poor cut<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Bad<\/p>\n

Crazy eh?<\/p>\n

\nHere’s a GIA diamond certificate<\/strong> with an ideal cut<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"Diamond<\/p>\n

That diamond will definitely rock her world.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Because if the diamond doesn’t have light or life…<\/p>\n

\nWhy bother?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nAnd if all these percentages make you crazy, then don’t sweat it<\/strong>. GIA made it so much easier to understand. You don’t have to look at the table or depth anymore… Just look at the cut grade.<\/strong>
\nIn 2005, GIA came out with a new cut grading system<\/strong> that lists the actual cut of the diamond.<\/p>\n

GIA’s new cut grades.<\/h2>\n

\nThe 5 cut grades<\/strong> are:<\/p>\n

\n<\/p>\n