Ideal Cut Diamonds

The beauty of a diamond does not only manifest itself through its colour or shape. As far as the stone’s beauty is concerned, the ultimate of a given diamond is determined by the human touch, that is, the cut.

It is the way that the diamond is cut which determines the stone’s brilliance and “fire”. An ideal-cut diamond is a stone that is cut and polished to ideal overall proportions which perfect its optical properties, in particular, the high index of refraction and colour dispersion.

Most gemologists agree upon the following diamond cut grading: Poor & Fair, Good, Very Good, Premium and ideal Cut.

• Fair: A diamond rated as fair reflects only a small amount of the light that enters it. Usually these diamonds are cut to maximize the carat over other considerations.
  
  
• Good: These diamonds reflect a fair amount of the light. Their proportions are far from being ideal, because just as fair graded diamonds, they are created to keep the largest possible size rather than to mesmerize you with their aesthetics. Diamonds from this range are perfect for those who wish to stay within a budget without compromising on quality or beauty.
  
  
• Very Good: These diamonds create a good deal of brilliance, reflecting most of the light that enters them. These diamonds are the cutter’s middle ground, when he tries to stick the necessary proportions whilst slightly sacrificing them to create a larger diamond. This means that a lot of the parameters of diamonds from this range overlap with certain parameters of diamonds from the Premium and Ideal ranges. These diamonds are usually priced slightly lower than Premium cuts.
  
  
• Excellent (Ideal Cut): These are the top quality diamonds. Producing maximum brilliance and “fire” (light dispersion), ideal-cut diamonds cannot help mesmerize onlookers. This category includes only round diamonds.

Keep in mind however, the cut is only one of the factors you should consider when buying a diamond, and it’s highly unlikely for the casual observer to discern the difference in the proportions between an ideal and a poor cut.