Diamond Cut FAQs
Here are some answers to the most frequently asked questions about diamond cut and quality.
How Are Diamonds Cut?
A diamond is cut by cleaving or sawing the diamond with a steel blade or a laser. A rough diamond is usually placed inside a mold to hold it in place, then cleaved at its weakest point. If no point of weakness exists, sawing is used instead.
Diamonds are cut and polished by master craftsmen. When a cut is graded by a gemologist, they are essentially evaluating craftsmanship. A skilled diamond cutter will be the difference between a higher or lower cut grade. This factor sets cut apart from clarity and color, which are both naturally occurring.
Which Diamond Cut "Sparkles" the Most?
A Round Brilliant cut diamond is considered the most brilliant — or “sparkliest” — of all diamond cuts.
Brilliant cuts and mixed cuts are generally considered to sparkle the most, whereas step cuts highlight a diamond’s clarity.
What Diamond Cut Looks the Biggest?
Diamond cut will influence how big or small your diamond appears. Diamonds with optimal brilliance tend to appear larger to the naked eye than others similar in shape and carat weight.
Because of this, high-quality Round Brilliant cut diamonds tend to look bigger than they are.
Cut is only one factor that determines the perceived size, however. Diamond shape will play a large role. Diamonds with elongated forms, like Marquise or Oval diamonds, will usually appear larger than a Round Brilliant cut diamond of the same quality and carat weight.
But a poor quality cut will always make a diamond look smaller than its actual carat weight. This is why cut is considered the most important of the 4Cs. Investing in a flawless, colorless, 2-carat diamond, for example, is only worth it if its cut maximizes its brilliance and allows it to shine bright.
What Is the Most Expensive Diamond Cut?
The highest cut grade is Ideal + Hearts for a Round Brilliant cut diamond, and Excellent for other diamond shapes. As such, these are the most expensive diamond cut grades.
Due to its popularity and high demand, a Round Brilliant cut diamond is the most expensive type of diamond cut. Brilliant cuts in general are more expensive than step cut diamonds, depending on the quality of the cut. This is due to both higher demand and differences in the cutting process.
What Are Hearts and Arrows?
Hearts and Arrows only appear in precision-cut Round Brilliant diamonds with an Ideal + Hearts cut grade. When observed through a special tool, arrows are visible when looking from the top down, and hearts are visible from the bottom up. This pattern does not appear in other diamond shapes.
Ideal vs. Excellent Diamond Cut
Ideal is a superior cut grade to excellent cut. For Round Brilliant diamonds, Ideal + Hearts is the highest grade.
Can Lab-Grown Diamonds Be Graded on Cut?
Lab-grown diamonds can and should be graded on all 4Cs and certified. Lab-grown diamonds are cut and polished just like their mined counterparts. It is inadvisable to purchase any diamond without diamond certification.
Which Diamond Cut Holds Its Value?
Most diamond cuts should hold their value, but different diamond cuts will have different values. Diamond cut grades impact the total price of a diamond, so diamonds with a higher cut grade will be more valuable, and will also hold their value.
However, cut grade aside, certain types of diamond cuts are considered more valuable than others when used in specific diamond shapes. For example, a brilliant cut in a Round Brilliant cut diamond is the most sought-after diamond cut, and therefore the most expensive. Due to its ongoing popularity, Round Brilliant cut diamonds will always hold their value.
