Diamond Cut

Of the Four Cs, a diamond’s cut has the greatest influence on its appearance and price, as it is the cut of a diamond which creates the sparkle we love so much.

What is a Diamond's Cut?

The cut of a diamond does not refer to shape (e.g. round, oval), rather it speaks to the diamond’s symmetry, proportions, and polish. A diamond’s cut is the positioning of facets, which modifies the shape and appearance of a diamond. If a diamond is cut poorly, it will be less brilliant, so diamond cutters have to consider several factors, such as the shape and size of the rough crystal when choosing a diamond’s cut.

A diamond’s cut determines how it interacts with light, creating captivating visual effects, like...

Brightness: The internal and external ‘white light’ that reflects from a diamond
Fire: The dispersion of "white light" into the colors of the rainbow
Scintillation: Also known as sparkle, the pattern of light and dark achieved by reflections within the diamond.

Diamond Cut Types - Grading Scale

When grading the cut of a diamond the grading laboratories consider the craftsmanship of the diamond, such as the weight relative to breadth, girdle thickness (which affects durability), the symmetry of the facet arrangement, and polishing quality. Unfortunately, there is not an agreed-upon scale for diamond cuts within the industry like there is for color or clarity, which can be confusing to consumers. Roselle Jewelry uses the most ‘standardized’ scale when pricing our lab-created diamonds and RZ collection.

Ideal: A desirable and rare cut that reflects nearly all light that enters the diamond.
Excellent: Reflects nearly as much light as the ideal cut, also very desirable.
Very Good: Reflects most of the light that enters the diamond. Priced much lower than an Ideal cut.
Good: Still a quality diamond, but a good cut will not be as brilliant as a very good, excellent or ideal cut.
Fair (Poor): Diamonds with a cut of fair or poor are typically cut deep and narrow or shallow and wide causing them to lose most of the light out the sides and bottom. Roselle Jewelry does not carry diamonds with cut grades of fair or poor.

Types of Diamond Cuts - What to Choose?

The cut is the most important part of a diamond’s beauty, so selecting the highest cut grade your budget will allow is highly recommended. A higher cut means you can go lower in color and clarity without sacrificing the diamond’s overall beauty.

A higher cutting grade can make a diamond appear visually larger than its carat weight.

While diamonds have differing qualities when it comes to brilliance, fire, and scintillation, a well-cut diamond will always appear beautiful.

Diamonds that are poorly cut appear dull and glassy and most often have dark areas from where the light ‘leaks’ out from the sides or bottom.

Diamonds with the highest cut grades cost more, not only because they are the most beautiful, but because of the time it takes a skilled cutter who is highly experienced to achieve such a quality cut.