6 replies to this topic

[rtbuss]

I know that the way a diamond is cut has to do with the way the light reflects in the stone. But I can't figure out exactly how the two relate. Can anyone please tell me in non gemological plain speak how the cut of a diamond reflects the light???

Also, is there a special cut that's more popular than others? Or more expensive or less? I asked my girlfriend once which shape she likes best and she didn't say, so now it's up to me. I was wondering if there was one that I could tell her was either most popular, or the best.

Thanks,

RT

[highfly]

Here's one way to determine which shape she should get. It depends on her personality!!

Saul Spero, a New York diamond appraiser, spent 25 years interviewing over 50,000 people to determine if there was any correlation between personality and preference of diamond shapes. In his book Diamonds, Love, and Compatibility, he states that if a woman has a strong preference for any of these shapes, she can be characterized as follows:

Round - Family-centered, dependable, unaggressive.
Oval - Individualistic, creative, well-organized, willing to take chances.
Heart - Sentimental, feminine, sensitive, trusting.
Rectangle/Square - Disciplined, conservative, efficient, honest.
Pear - Conforming, considerate, adaptable.
Marquise - Extroverted, aggressive, innovative, career-centered.

[nightmare]

never seen that list Highfly - thats really interesting, thanks!

Mrs Nightmare seems to be keen on ALL diamonds...wonder what that makes her?!

[jan]

The most expensive cut is round as it loses the most weight in the cutting process. It is also the most popular. After that I would say princess is next, following with asscher, emerald and cushion cut. Just about anything square after the round.


We use 2 different light performance analysis in house to communicate with our clients how well a diamond is cut. The ones that are cut well, get high and very high readings. Facet placement, length, width and angle are key. Don't fall into the internet trap of trying to buy diamonds with paper and numbers. A diamond must be *seen* to tell you how bright it really is and if the paper is even graded correctly. We've seen stones with good numbers be fairly mediocre and also seen some stones that had numbers that were out of the normal range be just as bright as many ideal cut diamonds. Check out some links on our site for more information about cut.


Jan
www.dbof.com

[TheRock]

Plain speak? Here's my 2 cents;

In a diamond, the sparkle is created by reflection and refraction of light. Think about it this way, when a beam of light hits the surface of a diamond it gets reflected back to the person viewing it. Kind of like a mirror reflecting an image but part of that light beam continues through the stone and it is refracted and bent by the diamonds density. The light beam is then reflected on the internal surfaces of the diamond and then is channeled back up through the top and is refracted once more creating all of the flash and sparkles that you see. A colorless diamond of D will show all of the colors of the spectrum while a J color may start to lose some. (Real plain speak; Light goes in, gets bent and reflected and comes back through the top showing all the colors of a rainbow)

When it comes to shape, the round brilliant cut which will give the most brilliance when cut correctly is the most popular. In my experience, it is followed by the princess.

As always, you will get many people with many differing opinions. Some claim to have all the answers. Do your research, read the tutorials and you should be fine. Always insist on a 30 day money back guarantee. That way, once the diamond is out of a lab and in the real world for a couple of weeks, if it does not perform to your expectation, send it back!

Good Luck.
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[rtbuss]

Wow thanks, Rock. That's was good description of light reflecting. I needed a good description like that to get my brain around what was happening. So when a diamond doesn't have as much sparkle does that mean it isn't cut good enough to let the light in?

Highfly, what a cool list! Ha, now I'm going to ask her again what shape she likes best and pay attention to what she says!

Thanks for your help everyone!

RT

[TheRock]

For the most part, you are correct. You also have to remember that everyone talks about these things (diamonds) like they'll never see a bit of dust or dirt. A diamond worn in every day use will get dirty. Crud will build up and no matter how much you try; you will never have the kind of performance you get in a lab. In my opinion, that's called the "real world".