Whitefacet Blog: October 2005

Diamond Cut Classes - What is well Cut?

Posted by Whitefacet.com | Diamond Cuts | 7:02 PM

Well Cut is a term used for a Diamond that has been cut to proper proportions and where light entering the top of the Diamond is reflected from one facet (cut, polished surface) to another and then dispersed through the top of the Diamond (table). Within the Well Cut standards we have Ideal, Excellent and Very Good Cut categories.

Ideal Cut: This cut combines the best in fire & brilliance. A truly awesome sparkling Diamond.
Excellent Cut: The stone exhibits great beauty, yet with a slight flexibility of percentages.
Very Good Cut:This range of Cut balances precise proportions with price considerations.

Diamond Cut Vs. Light Reflection / Refraction

Posted by Whitefacet.com | Diamond Cuts | 6:47 PM

In order to better understand Cut, we need to firstly understand what Cut means in terms of fire & brilliance and light refraction.

The diagram to the left aptly shows what happens when a Diamond is Cut ideally, Vs. what happens when the stone is not Cut well.

The top picture shows an Ideal Cut Diamond - you can clearly see that the light entering the Diamond is reflected from one facet to another and eventually is reflected back through the top of the stone in its entirety resulting in a brilliant, sparkly Diamond.

The middle diagram shows what happens when a Diamond is cut too deep. Much of the light entering the top of the Diamond escapes through the side of the stone (pavilion), resulting in a less than sparkling stone.

The last scenario is the shallow, or thin Cut stone. What happens when a Diamond is cut too shallow is that the light entering the top of the stone escapes through the pavilion before it can be reflected back through the top (table) of the Diamond.

Diamond Cut

Posted by Whitefacet.com | Diamond Cuts | 5:11 PM

A Diamonds Cut has perhaps the most profound effect over how a Diamond sparkles (refracts light).

How each individual stone is Cut has an incredible effect on the fire & brilliance of the Diamond, with an Ideal Cut (sometimes also referred to as European Cut) being the best Cut grade available and one which completely maximizes the sparkle, fire and brilliance.

Generally speaking, the further down the Cut scale you venture the duller the Diamond appears.

The main Cut classes are as follows:

Ideal

Excellent

Very Good

Well Cut

My next post will break down each cut "class" and hopefully offer at least some insight into Diamond Cut.

How Does Clarity Effect The Appearance Of A Diamond? (Cont.)

Posted by Whitefacet.com | Diamond Clarity | 1:00 PM

This post will in some ways introduce the Cut of a Diamond into the equation, a subject to be covered soon.

Whilst Cut is the major influencing factor determining how bright a Diamond appears, even an Ideal Cut Diamond that has notable inclusions or imperfections can have a duller appearance than a less well cut stone with very good Clarity.

Put very simply, certain inclusions could have a negative effect upon how light is refracted and diffused once it has hit the Diamond. Any questions? Email me.

How Does Clarity Effect The Appearance Of A Diamond?

Posted by Whitefacet.com | Diamond Clarity | 9:49 AM

In order to better understand this we need to look at a couple of things...

Firstly, let's look at the visual aspect, without being technical at all:

FL, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS2, VS1 are all Diamond Clarities where no inclusions will be visible to the naked eye - this we know.

SI1 & SI2 Clarity Diamonds will have inclusions that may, or may not be visible to the naked eye. What many people do not realize is that these Clarities (particularly SI2) offer tremendous value for money and are a seriously good choice for those on a budget, but wanting a reasonable quality Diamond - Coupled with the right Color, an SI Clarity Diamond can represent a nice, well-balanced Diamond.

Now we get to I1, I2, I3.......I grade Diamonds do most definitely have inclusions that you, me, or anyone else will be able to see using the naked eye (although you would have to pretty close to see them). I Clarity Diamonds will also have less, fire & brilliance, but we'll come to that in a minute.....well, in the next posting anyway.

For more info, feel free to email me, I'll help if I can.

Diamond Clarity - What You can Expect (Explained)

Posted by Whitefacet.com | Diamond Clarity | 7:30 PM

I've included some pretty standardized industry descriptions of the various Diamond Clarities....
Next time we'll talk about how inclusions (Clarity) affect a Diamond's appearance.

FL, IF Diamonds:
These diamonds are the rarest and most expensive. Diamonds graded as FL (Flawless) contain no internal or external flaws, whereas Diamonds graded as IF (Internally Flawless) contain no internal flaws. Both FL & IF quality Diamonds are very rare.

VVS1, VVS2 Diamonds:
An excellent quality diamond. Very, Very Slightly Included: Very difficult to see any inclusions, even when viewed with a 10x magnification loupe. Inclusions in Diamonds of this Clarity grade will likely only be spotted by an experienced Diamond Grader.

VS1, VS2 Diamonds:
A lesser quality than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades, known as Very Slightly Included: Inclusions are not typically visible to the unaided eye, but are viewable by an experienced Diamond Grader using a 10x magnification loupe.

SI1, SI2 Diamonds:
This grade represents very good value and are known as Slightly Included: Inclusions are visible under 10x magnification, and may be visible with the unaided eye.

I1, I2, I3 Diamonds:
These diamonds contain inclusions that are visible to the naked eye. I grade diamonds are often purchased by customers seeking the largest stone possible for their money and those who are not concerned about inclusions.

Diamond Clarity - What Does It Mean?

Posted by Whitefacet.com | Diamond Clarity | 6:24 PM

Some may say I'm lazy with today's posting?

The purpose of this post is to keep it short & sweet. Check out the Diamond Clarity scale.......

I'll give you some time to view this diagram & I'll come back later with some more information on each of the different Clarities. If you can't wait, simply click on the hyperlink above. 'Till later.....

Diamond Weight Vs. Diamond Size

Posted by Whitefacet.com | Diamond Carat Weight | 4:16 PM

Let's talk about Diamond Weight Vs. Diamond Size....

One thing that never fails to amaze me is people's wrongly perceived ideas about a Diamonds weight vs what size it will be. Very few people seem to really know the actual size differences between say a 0.75 Ctw stone & a 1.00 Ctw Stone. Have a guess...................................

The actual approximate difference between the two sizes (using a Round Brilliant Cut Diamond as an example) is 0.7 mm, or 0.0275 inches! - who can honestly say that they could tell the difference without seeing both Diamonds up close and sat next to each other?

Something to consider is the fact that certain settings, if used correctly, can make a Diamond appear larger than it actually is. Then of course there's finger size..........it stands to reason that a 1.00 Ctw Diamond Ring will look considerably bigger when worn on a size 4 finger than it would on a size 8.

Some useful examples of Diamond weight vs. Diamond size

(Round Brilliant Cut):

0.25 Ctw - approximately 4.1 mm in diameter

0.33 Ctw - approximately 4.4 mm in diameter

0.50 Ctw - approximately 5.2 mm in diameter

0.75 Ctw - approximately 5.8 mm in diameter

1.00 Ctw - approximately 6.5 mm in diameter

If you want more info on this topic or any other posts, email me. I am always happy to help in any way that I can.

Diamond Weight History - An Interesting Fact

Posted by Whitefacet.com | Diamond Carat Weight | 7:20 PM

Believe it or not, before we had sophisticated measuring devices, the weight of a Diamond was measured against the seeds of a tree! The seeds used were Carob tree seeds (pictured right) and the reason they were chosen was for their amazing uniformity in weight.

One Carat was equal to one Carob Tree Seed (or approximately 200 milligrams). Amazing huh?

How Heavy? Carrots?

Posted by Whitefacet.com | Diamond Carat Weight | 6:45 PM

It's widely known & understood that a Diamond's weight is expressed in Carats, often confused with the word Karat (the term used to describe the purity of Gold) and rarely confused with the orange vegetable.

Diamonds are always measured to the nearest hundredth of a Carat. Carats are then further divided into points. Points are used to describe Diamonds of sizes less than one Carat in weight. Eg: A hundredth of a Carat is also called a point.

One Carat is equal to 200 milligrams, or 0.2 grams. One ounce is equivaent to 142 Carats.

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