Diamond Cuts - wedding and engagement designs

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Diamond rings are an expensive commodity in the UK, particularly if they are a wedding or engagement design - so it is imperative that you get your money's worth.

Although you are not expected to be an expert when dealing with jewellers, it does help to have some knowledge up your sleeve. To make it easier, diamond ring experts have created a UK classification guide known as the 4Cs. This system outlines factors that affect diamond prices the most - cut, colour, clarity and carat weight.

CUT

The cut refers to the symmetry and proportions of the stone, and determines how much light is reflected back out of the diamond, or in other words, how much the diamond sparkles! The cut is considered to be the most important feature of a diamond, as even the most perfect diamond will appear dull if cut poorly.

Most diamonds are cut with 58 facets, or faces, regardless of their shape. If a diamond has equal proportions and symmetry, light entering the stone will be reflected from one facet to another and back out through the top. If the cut is too shallow or too deep, light will escape through the bottom or the sides of the diamond, and it will lose its fire and brilliance.

The cut that you choose is to some extent down to personal preference, but grading methods have been developed to help consumers. In general, these grades are:

Ideal cut: This cut maximizes brilliance as the top surface tends to be smaller thereby, creating better light dispersion. It is only relevant to round diamonds and represents just one percent of all diamonds.

Premium: Many diamonds in this category have cuts that are just as good as an ideal cut diamond, but can be slightly less expensive.

Very good: Diamond cutters often stray slightly from ideal proportions to create a larger stone. Diamonds in this range are a good choice as they still reflect most of the light that enters them.

Good: Even more of the original diamond has been cut away here, resulting in a large stone of poorer quality. These diamonds are a good choice for those on a tighter budget.

Fair and poor: The cutter has chosen carat weight over all other factors here, and therefore the amount of light dispersal is limited.

 

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