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Diamond Cuts

   

Diamond Cuts
Square and rectangular diamond shapes include princess cut, emerald cut and radiant cut diamonds.

In their most natural form, diamonds 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.

There are two general types of diamond cuts. When combined, they result in many different shapes:

Step cuts are incisions that create a series of steps on the diamond's surface.
Brilliant cuts maximize the facets properly orientated that produce diamond brightness.

Diamonds 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.

In the past few decades, we have seen the development of new diamond cuts, often based on a modification of an existing cut.

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.

Other resources

  • How are diamonds mined
    We seldom think about how the diamonds we wear came to us. Natural diamonds, as opposed to synthetic diamonds or fake diamonds, are mined from the earth. There are currently two methods of mining diamonds: Pipe Mining and Alluvial Mining
    Read more: How are diamonds mined
  • Are diamonds really rare ?
    Diamond is the hardest known natural material and one of the two best known forms(or allotropes) of carbon, whose hardness and high dispersion of light make it useful for industrial applications and jewelry. (The other equally well known allotrope is graphite.) Diamonds are specifically renowned as a mineral with superlative physical qualities — they make excellent abrasives because they can be scratched only by other diamonds, Borazon, ultrahard fullerite, or aggregated diamond nanorods, which also means they hold a polish extremely well and retain luster. About 130 million carats (26,000 kg) are mined annually, with a total value of nearly USD $9 billion. About 100 tons are synthesized annually.
    Read more: Are diamonds rare

 
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