The cut is the technology that brings the rough diamond alive and collects light into the stone. The facets of a diamond, in other words, the large, flat surfaces that a diamond cutter bevels into the stone, acts as prisms and mirrors to capture and break white light into a spectrum, and then reflect that multicolored light back to the eye as fire and brilliance.

If a diamond is poorly cut, the light that enters the diamond from above will leak out of the sides and bottom of the stone, and the diamond will look lifeless—without sparkle or fire—regardless of its color or clarity.

Proportions: Refers to a polished diamond's dimensions, facet angles and the relationships between them. For standard round brilliant diamonds, G IA reports the measurements of eight proportions. For fancy shape diamonds (those other than standard round brilliants), GIA reports measured values for table size and total depth. For all diamonds, girdle thickness and culet size are reported with word descriptions based on visual assessments. The cut appearance and quality of an individual diamond are determined by the interrelationship of all its proportions, not on any single proportion.

Finish: Refers to the quality of a diamond's polish (the overall condition or smoothness of its surface), and its symmetry (exactness of its outline, and the shape, placement, and alignment of its facets). Polish and Symmetry are visually assessed and graded in one of the following categories: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor.

Fluorescence: Refers to the emission of visible light from a diamond when subjected to ultraviolet radiation. On GIA's Diamond Reports, fluorescence is a description, not a grade. The terms for describing the strength of fluorescence are: None, Faint, Medium, Strong, and Very Strong. For Medium, Strong and Very Strong fluorescence, the color of the fluorescence will also be noted. Note: a description of None refers to a range of fluorescence from indiscernible to very faint.

The recipient of a GIA (Gemological Institute of America) Report may wish to consult a credentialed jeweler or gemologist about the information contained herein. Since the color, clarity and cut grades of a diamond often represent ranges of appearance, whenever possible, individuals should view the diamond rather than relying solely on the Report information before making purchasing decisions. Kingston Fine Jewelry proudly has such a person on staff.

An ideal cut is more than a matter of simple geometry. Marcel Tokowsky, an 18th century mathematician, determined exactly which angles optimize the diamond's efficiency as a refractive vessel of light. But natural inclusions (or imperfections) in the rough stone mean that it is not always possible to apply these perfect proportions to every diamond that is cut.

Diamond cuts are graded on a scale from excellent to poor, as follows:

1. An Ideal cut falls within strict mathematical proportions. Because symmetry is required for maximum light reflection, only a round diamond may be graded as an ideal cut.
2. A Very Good cut reflects back as much as 90% of all light that enters the stone. Very good cuts are considered exceptionally proportioned and, therefore, an excellent buy as an investment quality stones.
3. A Good cut refers to a well-proportioned stone that reflects back a good proportion of light. Good cuts make excellent choices for setting in jewelry.
4. A Fair cut diamond has been cut to maximize the weight of the original stone, at the expense of fire and brilliance. A fair cut may reflect as little as 40% of the captured light back through the table of the diamond.
5. A Poor cut diamond appears lifeless to the eye. Poor cut stones are not recommended for fine jewelry, and we do not offer poorly cut diamonds for sale to our customers.

The grade of the cut is determined according to the proportions of the diamond's depth percentage (the height versus the width of the stone) and table percentage (the diameter of the top facet of the stone versus the stone's total width). These proportions are detailed on the diamond certificate.

There's a lot to know when selecting a diamond, a purchase that will be forever. You can trust the staff at Kingston Fine Jewelry to be knowledgeable and helpful. We do business based on our word and reputation in the industry.