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DIAMOND
FACTS | DIAMOND BUYING GUIDE |
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Diamond
Color | Diamond Clarity | Diamond Weight | Diamond Cut| Diamond
Fluoroscence | Diamond Certificates |
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Diamond Cut:
In its natural state, a diamond's beauty is generally concealed.
While nature determines a diamond's color, clarity, and carat weight,
the hand of a master craftsman is needed to release its fire and
beauty. What draws out its brilliance is the cut of the diamond,
which under ideal circumstances maximizes the optical properties
within the diamond, particularly its ability to refract light and
disperse color. |
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Not to be
confused with the shape of a diamond, cut refers to the arrangement
of a diamond's facets. A diamond that is "ideal cut"
captures and releases the maximum play of light. The cut gives each
diamond its unique sparkle and brilliance by allowing the maximum
amount of light to enter and reflect back out of the diamond. |
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To achieve an
ideal cut, the diamond cutter must adhere to a whole series of
exacting tolerances. Those tolerances, in turn, may well mean that
much of the rough diamond has to be cut away. For that reason, ideal
cut diamonds are the exception rather than the rule. In fact, fewer
than 1% of all diamonds are cut to ideal proportions. Consequently,
you're likely to find ideal cut diamonds in only the finest stores. |
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If the cut is
too deep or too shallow light will spill through the side or bottom
and be lost, resulting in a less brilliant display and thus, a less
valuable diamond. Cut is the most critical of all the variables that
affect the value of a diamond. It is essential you know the quality
of the cut when purchasing a diamond. Round diamonds are symmetrical
and capable of reflecting the most of the light, are the most
brilliant of all the diamond shapes. |
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Round
Diamond Proportions |
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8778989 |
Ideal
Proportion |
Acceptable
Proportions |
Unacceptable
Proportions |
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Depth |
60%
- 63% |
57%
- 64% |
less
than 57% or more than 64% |
|
Table |
53%
- 57% |
53%
- 64% |
less
than 53% or more than 66% |
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Polish |
very
good to excellent |
good
to excellent |
poor
to fair |
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Symmetry |
very
good to excellent |
good
to excellent |
poor
to fair |
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Girdle |
thin
to medium |
thin
to thick |
very
thin to very thick |
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Culet |
none
to very small |
none
to medium |
medium
to large |
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Fancy
shaped diamonds are diamonds other than rounds have different
proportion guidelines than the one shown above for round diamond, and
affect the ability of the diamond to refract light in different ways.
When light strikes a fancy shaped diamond, a small amount of light is
lost through the bottom of the stone. |
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Because
the refractive abilities of a fancy cut diamond are reduced by its
shape, when looking for a fancy shaped diamond, it is better wise to
look up to a higher grade of color and clarity to maximize the
diamond’s brilliancy. The
following are the ideal table percentages:
Emerald (Octagon):
50% - 75%
Marquise:
50% - 62%
Oval:
50% - 62%
Pear:
50% - 62%
Princess Cut:
65% - 80%
Radiant Cut:
65% - 80%
Round:
52.5 - 57.5% |
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Diamond
Clarity |
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Diamonds that
are absolutely clean are very much in demand and are therefore the
most expensive. View Details. |
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Diamond
Color |
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We think color
is one is one of the most important factors to consider when
selecting a diamond because it is one of the first things most people
notice-whether or not the diamond is "white". View
Details. |
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Carat
Weight |
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Diamonds are
sold by the carat (ct)-not to be confused with karat (kt), which
refers to gold quality in the Unites States. Once you've determined
what cut, color, and clarity grade you're looking for in a diamond,
it's easy to determine the carat weight of diamond that will fit
within your budget. View
Details. |
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