By Dan Robinson, managing director of The Diamond Shop
While I’m driving to work each day, I see beaten up cars modified with mags and other flash trimmings, and find myself questioning the logic in investing so much on an asset with no inherent quality. For me, it’s the perfect analogy when I’m thinking about the role of a diamond’s cut: why would you buy a colourless stone with few imperfections but no sparkle?
Of the Four C’s of diamond grading, the cut is the most important characteristic, and has the most influence overall on the diamond’s appearance. However high the diamond rates for clarity, colour and carat, it's the cut that determines whether it's a good buy.
At first glance at any round brilliant cut diamond, you will notice 'wow, this is stunning' or 'hmmm, there’s really no sparkle'. This is all to do with how a diamond is cut to allow for maximum light play. If a diamond is cut too deep, the light will escape out the sides. If it is cut too shallow, the light escapes out of the bottom, and therefore provides no sparkle at all. It is so important to have a diamond cut just right so the light goes in and bounces straight back off the table to give you the sparkle.
GIA (Gemological Institute of America)- certified diamonds have a maximum cut grade of Excellent. My advice to any buyer is at least have the overall cut grade Excellent and, if the budget allows, have Triple Excellent, which means not only is the cut grade Excellent, the Symmetry and Polish are Excellent, too. A Triple Excellent is the highest grade a round brilliant cut diamond can be given, and the scintillation and light performance are out of this world.
With Fancy cuts, e.g. Princess, Cushion Cuts, Radiants, Pears, Ovals, Emerald cuts, etc there is no overall cut grade. There are only Symmetry and Polish grades given. Again, go for the highest grades available.
If you would like to learn more about the Four C's, visit here. If you’ve never seen a Triple Excellent diamond, please feel free to pop in to The Diamond Shop and see for yourself how truly magnificent they are.