What is “Cut”?
The proportions and finish of a polished diamond are its cut, or make. Cut can also mean shape, as in emerald cut or marquise cut. Proportions are the size and angle relationships between the facets and different parts of the stone. Finish includes polish and details of facet shape and placement. Cut affects both the weight yield from rough and the optical efficiency of the polished stone; the more successful the cutter is in balancing these considerations, the more valuable the stone will be. GIA provides a cut quality grade for standard round brilliant diamonds that fall in the GIA D-to-Z color range. The GIA Cut Scale ranges from Excellent to Poor. Learn more about cut.
A. The mere fact that there are traditionally 58 tiny facets in a diamond, each carefully cut and sharply defined, and may be only two millimeters in diameter, strikes many in the buying public as little short of miraculous. But this precision is essential to the potential beauty of a diamond. As a matter of fact, overall appearance – the brilliance, fire, and scintillation that makes diamonds uniquely beautiful – depends more on cut than anything else. There are no internationally recognized grades for cut, as there are for color and clarity, and ther are differences of opinion within the trade about some aspects of cut. Proportions are the size and angle relationships between the facets and different parts of the stone. Finish includes polish and details of facet shape and placement. Cut can also mean shape, as in round brilliant, emerald cut, or marquise cut.
