How Diamonds Are Cut

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In their most natural form, Diamond Gems are - well - quite ugly. They have no luster or shine, and in fact, look like nothing more than broken glass. A diamond must be cut, and then polished before it actually becomes a thing of beauty.

Gems are cut with saws, into round shapes. From the rounded shape, other shapes may be cut, such as heart shapes - but the shape is less important than the quality of the cutting that is being done. If the diamond is poorly cut, it will lose light, and it will not sparkle and shine very well. Each facet of the diamond must be carefully cut into the geometrical shapes that allow the diamond to sparkle and shine, then the entire diamond is cut into a specific shape, such as an emerald cut or a princess cut diamond.

Once the cut is done, the diamond is put into a dop, which resembles a cup with another diamond - only a diamond is strong enough to smooth the edges of another diamond. Once the diamond has been cut and shaped, and had the edges smoothed in the dop, it is polished on a scaif or a diamond polishing wheel.

Choosing The Cut of A Diamond

There are many different cuts of Diamond Gems to choose from. The cut essentially refers to the shape that the diamond is cut into - unless you are in the diamond or jewelry business, but this shape has a great impact on the much the diamond sparkles. 

The most popular cuts are heart, marquise, oval, pear, princess, round, trillion, and emerald cuts. The shape has an impact on how much the diamond sparkles, but the actual cutting itself - when the diamond cutter actually cuts the diamond into a particular shape - also matters a great deal. If the diamond is poorly cut, it will lose its sparkle. 

However, in the diamond industry, the cut of a diamond doesn't refer to its shape at all. Instead, this is a reference to the stone's depth, width, brilliance, durability, clarity, and other aspects of the diamond. Common cutting problems include a missing or off center culet, misalignment, a diamond that is too thick or too thin, cracks, or broken culets. 

When shopping for a diamond, you should of course choose the shape that you like the best, but then look at several different Diamond Gems of that shape to find the one with the best cut - the one that sparkles the most, in all types of lighting.

For more please see different cushion cut engagement rings and asscher cut diamond solitaire engagement rings.