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Lapidary - Diamond Cutting
Lapidary is the name given to the art
of cutting, shaping, polishing and creating jewelry from stones. The
most appropriate of the
diamond cuts is selected by the lapidary to enhance their lustre, transparency, refraction and dispersion of light.
The Art of Diamond cutting is described in detail via the following
link:
Diamond Cutting
Diamonds are Forever...
An Impartial Guide to Diamonds
What are the different Diamond Cuts?
What are the
different diamond cuts? The names of the most popular diamond cuts are
Asscher, Brilliant, Cushion, Emerald, Heart, Ideal, Marquise, Oval,
Pear, Princess, Radiant, Rose, Round and Trilliant or Trillion Cut
Diamonds what shape are they? What are
the Fancy Cut diamonds? What are Step cut or Table cut Diamonds? The
following table is a quick guide to diamond Cuts.
Shape - Styles & Names of Cuts
Round - Brilliant, Eight Cut or Single
Cut, Old Cut, Swiss Cut, Rose Cut, Round
Square / Rectangle - Asscher, Emerald, Princess, Radiant, Cushion Cuts
Oblong - Oval, Pear, Princess Cut
Triangular - Trillion (aka Trilliant,
Trielle)
Fancy Cuts
Emerald,
Marquise ( Navette ), Heart, Oval, Pear, Baguette,
Teardrop,
Trillion and Princess Cuts Step
Cuts
Asscher, Marquise,
Emerald and Oval Cuts
Step Cut Diamonds - Square, Oblong or Rectangle Shaped Diamonds
Many Square, Oblong
or rectangular diamonds are 'Step cut' or 'Table cut' which the cutting style is often used in Marquise, Emerald and Oval cut diamonds.
The facets on a 'Step cut' are cut in steps. The crown, pavilion,
and the table are all cut in rectangular facets. These diamonds are
bright, clear and shiny in appearance as its facets usually span the length or width of
the stone, the facets gradually decreasing as they approach the table.
Facets produce the sparkle
Facets are the smooth surface areas of a
stone which have been
cut, polished and positioned at different angles which allow light to
enter and reflect back from diamonds. The depth and width and the
uniformity of the facets control the brilliance and the durability of diamonds. The quality of the facets are the major
determining factor in enhancing the diamond's ability to sparkle or
reflect light and facets play a large part in the resulting brilliance of the
stone.
Diamond Facets
Fancy Cut Diamonds
Fancy cut diamonds
and other stones include the Emerald, Marquise, Heart, Oval, Pear and Princess.
Fancy
cuts are all ways of cutting diamonds or other stones to maximize the carat weight.
Rough diamonds which might only yield a half carat whereas in a Brilliant Cut
the same stone might yield another 50% if cut into one of the above shapes. Fancy cuts
allow the cutter to use the best attributes of rough diamonds and
eliminate inclusions and blemishes. Popular fancy cuts include the
"Baguette" (French for a small rod), "Marquise" or "Navette" (little boat),
"Princess Cut" aka Square Brilliant Cut, "Heart", "Briolette" (a form of
Rose cut), Pear (teardrop), and the Trillion which is triangular in
shape.
Good Diamond Cuts and Common Problems
What constitutes
good diamond cuts? Good diamond cuts are effected by several different
elements:
- The Width and Depth
of the stone have a large impact on a diamond's
brilliance
- Shallow Cuts appear lifeless as the light travelling through
the stone is lost out of the bottom of the diamond
- Diamonds which are cut too deep appear lifeless as the light
travelling through the stone is lost out of the sides of the diamond
- Diamond Symmetry refers to the alignment of a diamond's facets which
should be cut to achieve the best play of light
- Diamond Polish - the surface of the facets should be smoothly
polished to enable light to pass through them
- A
misaligned, broken, chipped or missing culet is a common problem as
are misaligned or extra facets
Diamond Inclusions
and Clarity
Diamond Clarity is
one of the 4 C s of diamond grading (Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat
Weight) and is a measure of a diamond's blemishes and internal
flaws and impurities ( called inclusions ) which effect the brilliance
of a diamond and its sparkle because they interfere with the passage of
light travelling through the diamond. Diamonds are graded for clarity on
a scale ranging from flawless to imperfect. For detailed facts and
information about inclusions and the 4 C's please click one of the following
links: |
