Cut
Diamonds are all about sparkle. And sparkle is all about cut.
When you look at a diamond, you can see a pattern of surfaces or facets.
That’s what we call the diamond’s "cut." Keep in mind that a diamond’s cut is
different from its
shape. The cut affects how well a diamond returns
light back to the viewer’s eye, resulting in what we call fire, sparkle or
brilliance. A well cut diamond will appear brilliant and fiery, while a poorly
cut diamond may appear dark or lifeless regardless of how good the color or
clarity may be. Not only do well cut diamonds have the most sparkle they may
also appear larger than a poorly cut diamond of the same
carat weight.
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When a diamond is cut to good proportions, light reflects from one facet to
another, then reflects back through the top of the diamond. If the cut of a
diamond is too deep, some light escapes through the side of the stone. If the
cut is too shallow, light escapes through the bottom of the stone before it can
be reflected, thus reducing its brilliance.
Whichever shape you choose, you want
the cut to maximize the diamond’s brilliance. You’ll be happy to know that you
don’t have to be an expert to judge the quality of the cut. Hold two diamonds
side by side under a bright light; in general, the one with the most fire has
the better cut. At Helzberg Diamonds we have high standards for the way our
diamonds are cut — we hand-inspect every diamond we sell.
So you can be confident you’re choosing a ring that has already been carefully screened by an expert.
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The Helzberg Diamond cut with the most radiance? Our exclusive Radiant Star®. |
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Three ways to sparkle: Brilliance, Dispersion, Scintillation
When you look at a diamond that’s well proportioned, three different
sparkling qualities should be evident. The first one is brilliance, which is the
flash of pure white light that reflects off the table — the first impressive
property you’re likely to notice when you look at a diamond. Dispersion is
something that occurs when the light that travels beyond the diamond’s surface
divides into bursts of color. A diamond’s fire, or the separation of white light
into colorful blazes, is caused by dispersion. Move a diamond side to side, and
you’ll see the third quality — scintillation, flashes of light that are caused by
motion.
Anatomy of Forever.
Nearly all diamond shapes have two main sections: The crown, or upper part,
and the pavilion, or lower part. The area where these meet is called the girdle.
The table, or surface you see overhead, is the largest and most prominent of the
facets of the diamond. At the bottom of the pavilion is a small facet called the
culet; it’s placed there to help protect the bottom of the diamond from
chipping.
A typical round brilliant diamond has 58 facets, but each stone has its own unique set of
proportions and properties. While brilliance, dispersion, and scintillation are
qualities evident in the appearance of a diamond, it’s also important to look
beyond appearance to a diamond’s craftsmanship.
Polish & Symmetry: the cornerstones of craftsmanship.
How highly a diamond’s polish is rated will help you understand the condition of the diamond’s surface after polishing. A stone may have surface blemishes (they do not penetrate the stone at 10x magnification) that occur after the cutting process. Polish is graded on a scale of excellent, very good, good, fair and poor.
Symmetry refers to the arrangement and placement of facets, as well as the
exactness of the shape. Good symmetry achieves mirror-like balance when the
diamond is eyed from different views, and requires tremendous attention to
detail in the cutting.
Two very special cuts from Helzberg Diamonds.
When you’re looking for top quality we suggest two places to start — with the
cuts we’ve deemed our best.
Helzberg Diamond Masterpiece®: Simply exquisite
The Helzberg Diamond Masterpiece® is expertly cut according to very strict standards, resulting in an
extremely rare, balanced and beautiful diamond. In order to become a part of the
Helzberg Diamond Masterpiece® collection every diamond must receive an
"excellent/ excellent" grade for polish and symmetry from the
Gemological
Institute of America (GIA).
Thanks to its excellent symmetry, when you view
a Helzberg Diamond Masterpiece® under a special scope you’ll see a clear pattern of perfectly formed
hearts and arrows. This diamond is definitely for people who care about the
"wow" factor, and who want to celebrate their engagement with a magnificent
symbol of their love. Browse our exclusive Diamond Masterpiece® collection now.
Radiant Star®: Designed to shine
Our striking
Radiant Star® diamond is another example of how skillful cutting can result in spectacular brilliance. Specially cut with 145
carefully arranged facets, instead of the usual 58, the Radiant Star® diamond offers extraordinary brilliance, fire and sparkle at an affordable price.
Each Radiant
Star® diamond comes with an IGI Certificate and a GemEx Light Performance Report that documents this beautiful diamond’s light
performance. See them shine — shop our exclusive Radiant Star® rings.
Play the field a little: Look at different cuts.
Most people date a little before they marry — and it’s important to "date" diamonds a little before you choose one! Take the time to browse through our
selection of engagement rings, or try our interactive
Engagement Ring Finder. Sometimes it takes a while to decide
what you like; other times it’s like love at first sight.
