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Why is Cut Important?
Why is Cut Important?
Diamond cut is one of the most crucial aspects when evaluating a diamond’s beauty. Contrary to popular belief, "cut" doesn’t refer to shape (like round or oval), but rather to how well a diamond's proportions, symmetry, polish, and facet alignment interact to reflect and refract light. A well-cut diamond has the power to mesmerize with its brilliance, while a poorly cut one can appear lifeless—no matter how high its color or clarity.
Among all cut parameters, table and depth percentages play a significant role. These measurements—relative to the diamond’s diameter—impact how light travels inside the stone. Ideally, light should bounce through and exit from the top (table), creating maximum brilliance and fire. If the cut is too deep or too shallow, light can escape through the bottom, causing dark areas and a lack of sparkle.
A rough diamond
The Expert
A diamond cutter is also called a lapidary. The word lapidary originated from lapis; which literally means stone in Greek.
Types of Light Reflection
Types of Light Reflection
What is Brilliance?
Brilliance is the white light you see bouncing back out of a diamond’s top. It’s the first thing people notice—a flash of brightness that makes diamonds so captivating. This sparkle comes from how well the diamond’s facets are positioned to reflect and return light.
Diamonds have two types of facets: real (those physically cut on the stone like table, crown, and pavilion) and virtual (optical illusions created by reflections). As light enters and ricochets within, it recombines and exits through the table, creating that signature dazzling glow.
What is Scintillation?
Scintillation is the contrast of sparkle and shadow when a diamond moves. It’s that captivating twinkle you see as light reflects off the diamond’s facets. The best diamonds show a balanced play between bright flashes and darker zones, adding rhythm and complexity to their appearance.
Even shadows matter. A skilled cutter designs a diamond to include both light and dark reflections—enhancing the sense of sparkle and making the diamond feel more vivid in motion.
What is Fire?
Fire is the colorful, rainbow-like flashes that dance inside a diamond when light hits it. When white light enters a diamond, it slows down due to the gem’s density and breaks into separate colors—like a prism effect. These colors bounce within the diamond before re-emerging through the facets as sparks of red, blue, yellow, and more.
A finely cut diamond enhances this dispersion, allowing vibrant fire to flicker between the facets. Diamonds rich in fire look dynamic and full of life.
Beauty Through Precision
Natural mined diamonds do not have a set shape before worked, but they are most often found in the shape of an octahedron. Professional cutters will measure and calibrate the uncut diamond in order to maximize the beauty and value of the polished stone before working on the actual cutting and polishing work needed.
Diamond Cut Grading
Diamond Cut Grading
Years of research into how light interacts with a round brilliant diamond has made GIA the most trusted authority in cut grading. According to GIA, seven interdependent factors determine a diamond’s cut grade: brightness, dispersion (fire), scintillation, weight ratio, durability, polish, and symmetry.
Polish and symmetry are assessed individually on the same scale but reported separately. For the cut grade itself, the lowest performing factor among the remaining five determines the final grade. So if a diamond excels in all areas but scores “Good” on dispersion, its overall cut grade will be “Good.”
At Golden Eiffel, we refer to GIA’s scale to assess cut when a grading report isn’t available. For fancy shapes that don’t include cut grades on certificates, we evaluate cut ourselves based on these same factors—plus additional parameters like table %, depth %, length-to-width ratio, and visual performance.
Diamond Cut Scale
Virtual Mirrors
Virtual facets are called that because they look like individual facets that give back light differently than nearby facets. This phenomenon happens because each real facet bouncing light back around multiple times from various angles makes it seem that there are countless facets when there are only a limited number of them, hence the name.
How Cut Affects a Diamond's Size Appearance
How Cut Affects a Diamond's Size Appearance
Carat is a measurement of weight, but how big a diamond looks depends heavily on its cut. A well-cut diamond spreads more weight across its face-up area, making it appear larger. In contrast, a poorly cut diamond may carry more of its weight deep within, resulting in a smaller visual presence despite higher carat weight.
For example, an excellent-cut 5-carat round diamond can look larger than a deep-cut 6-carat one. That’s why proportions matter just as much—if not more—than weight alone.
Cut's Hidden Magic: Concealing Color and Clarity
Cut's Hidden Magic: Concealing Color and Clarity
A high-quality cut can enhance not only a diamond’s sparkle but also its ability to mask slight imperfections. When the facets are precisely angled and aligned, they create a visual harmony that can hide color tints or inclusions from plain view.
This is why an SI1 diamond with an excellent cut might look cleaner than a higher-clarity diamond with a poor cut—and why cut is often referred to as the “eye-cleaning” factor.
A comparison between two diamonds under the same lighting. Excellent cut diamonds are shining brightly while the poorly cut one looks dull in comparison.
The Sparkle Factor: How Cut Shapes a Diamond's Luster
The Sparkle Factor: How Cut Shapes a Diamond's Luster
The luster—that crisp, glowing shine you see when light hits a diamond—is one of the first things people notice. A diamond’s luster comes from how well it reflects and refracts light, which is entirely dependent on its cut.
When a stone is proportioned just right, light bounces off its surfaces and comes back out through the top with brilliance and fire. This play of light gives the diamond its personality and magnetism.
Why a Better Cut Means a Pricier Diamond
Why a Better Cut Means a Pricier Diamond
Cut is one of the most significant factors in diamond pricing. Even if two diamonds share the same carat, color, and clarity, the one with a better cut will almost always command a higher price.
At Golden Eiffel, we believe that the added brilliance, light performance, and visual appeal of a superior cut more than justifies the difference in price. It's the feature that brings a diamond to life—and that’s worth investing in.
How important is diamond cut?
Diamond cut is extremely important because it affects how much brilliance, fire, and sparkle a diamond shows.
What is the best diamond cut grade?
The best diamond cut grade is Excellent. Determining the best diamond cut grade for you will depend on your budget and a balance of the other 4 C's.
What is the most popular diamond cut?
In Golden Eiffel, Excellent cut diamonds are the most sought after cut grading for diamonds.
Is cut the most important factor in a diamond?
Yes, many experts consider cut the most important factor because even a diamond with perfect color and clarity can look dull if the cut is poor.
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