Full Answer
What are diamond facets and how do they work?
At its most basic description, a facet refers to the flat surfaces of a gemstone that are arranged in a geometrical pattern. When cut by an expert, a diamond’s facets cause beautiful optical effects on the gemstone’s surface, and additional sparkle as its facets interact with light and each other.
What is a faceted gemstone?
Gem cutters can cut diamond edges by hand or machine, resulting in either flat or curved facets. When describing the surface of a faceted gemstone, there are three principal areas: Girdle, Grown, and Pavilion.
Do all diamonds have the same number of facets?
While the number of facets for most shapes of diamonds is the same, how those facets are cut and where they are cut makes all the difference. Symmetry is everything in diamonds. Before the brilliant cut, diamond facets were almost always step facets, and the actual cut of those facets were far from perfection.
What is a faceted girdle Diamond?
For polished girdles, it means the entire girdle is polished into a single large and clear facet which enables you to see through into the diamond’s body. The most common type of finishing found in modern day diamonds is the faceted girdle.
Do more facets mean more sparkle?
The answer to the question is a very simply, 'no', a diamond with more facets will not give a diamond more sparkle. By giving a diamond more facets will only result in a gemstone having more reflections rather than having an effect on the brilliance and sparkle of a diamond.
What is a fully faceted diamond?
What are full cut diamonds? Full cut diamonds are round diamonds that have 58 facets. Most rough diamonds are shaped into single cuts first, and then additional facets are introduced to make it a full-cut. Any number of facets below 58 is not considered a true full cut diamond.
Is a diamond better if it has more facets?
Simply put, there is no advantage to having more facets on a diamond. The number of facets a diamond has, affects the pattern of the reflections in a diamond rather than its overall brilliance. Diamonds with more facets have more smaller reflections instead of fewer larger reflections.
What does a facet do for a diamond?
At its most basic description, a facet refers to the flat surfaces of a gemstone that are arranged in a geometrical pattern. When cut by an expert, a diamond's facets cause beautiful optical effects on the gemstone's surface, and additional sparkle as its facets interact with light and each other.
How many facets should a diamond have?
58 facetsThe modern round brilliant (Figure 1 and 2) consists of 58 facets (or 57 if the culet is excluded); 33 on the crown (the top half above the middle or girdle of the stone) and 25 on the pavilion (the lower half below the girdle). The girdle may be frosted, polished smooth, or faceted.
Which diamond has the most facets?
round brilliant cutRadiant Cut Diamonds Boasting the most facets of any diamond shape, the radiant lights a fire with 70 facets. The radiant has the dimensions of an emerald cut diamond with the spark of a round brilliant cut.
How much should I pay for a 1 carat diamond?
According to diamonds.pro, a 1 carat diamond costs anywhere between $1,300 and $16,500. However, a quality diamond doesn't just come down to size. When assessing diamond value, four very important factors are always taken into consideration – the four c's of diamond quality: color, cut, clarity and carat.
How can you tell a good cut diamond?
A well-cut diamond is luminous and reflects white and colored light back to your eyes. A poorly cut diamond is dull instead of brilliant. Differences in cut greatly impact beauty, aesthetic appeal and the value of a diamond. It is the most important of the 4Cs.
What cut of diamond should I get?
1. ROUND BRILLIANT DIAMOND. By far the most popular cut is the Round Brilliant, with it's fifty-seven perfectly aligned facets it's brilliance really does out-shine the others. Total internal reflection is the key here; light travels through the stone giving optimum sparkle and scintillation.
How can you tell that a diamond is real?
0:112:00How to Tell if Your Diamond Is Real or Fake | The Knot - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipHow to tell if a diamond is real with fog. Place the stone in front of your mouth. And like a mirrorMoreHow to tell if a diamond is real with fog. Place the stone in front of your mouth. And like a mirror fog it up with your breath. If the stone stays fogged for a few seconds.
Which is the rarest diamond Colour?
Red diamondsRed diamonds are the rarest and some of the most expensive in the world. Also known as Fancy Reds, they come in a variety of shades ranging from orange-red to brownish red. Majority of the world's red diamonds come from the Argyle Diamond Mine in Australia.
What is 88 facet diamond?
The Eighty-Eight is a branded and patented diamond featuring 8 sides that form an octagon and 88 facets, 30 more than the traditional round brilliant cut.
Do all diamonds have 58 facets?
How Many Facets Does a Diamond Have? The gold standard for facets is 58. So round brilliants, cushion, heart, emerald, and oval diamonds all have 58 facets. However, some shapes have less than that.
Can a diamond have too many facets?
The angle and number of break facets on your diamond determine the amount of light that reflects back to a viewer's eye. You may be tempted to choose a diamond cut with more facets over one with fewer facets, but having too many facets on your gemstone may actually reduce its apparent brightness.
How many facets are in a round cut diamond?
The name “unmodified round brilliant” was applied to a symmetrical round cut with a regular array of 58 facets, cut to modern standards.
What is 88 facet diamond?
The Eighty-Eight is a branded and patented diamond featuring 8 sides that form an octagon and 88 facets, 30 more than the traditional round brilliant cut.
How Many Facets Does a Diamond Have?
However, as a guideline, the brilliant cut that was created and mastered by Marcel Tolkowsky boasts 58 facets (including the culet!). This is considered the gold standard for all diamonds. According to Diamond Cutter’s International’s foremost diamond expert, Fred Cuellar (aka “The Diamond Guy”), round brilliant, marquise, oval, cushion, heart, pear and emerald shaped diamonds all feature 58 facets. There are, however, shapes that do not conform to the 58 facet brilliant cut.
How many facets does a princess cut diamond have?
Princess cut diamonds can have as few as 50 facets, but the number can be modified to increase the diamond’s sparkle. While some princess diamonds are cut with more facets (up to 144!), you’re more likely to find a princess diamond in the lower facet range, around that “gold standard” 58 facets. As such, the princess cut diamond may be a little less fiery than a modern round brilliant, but there’s a trade-off: the princess cut hides inclusions masterfully, which allows buyers a little more flexibility if they need to price down for clarity. However, color imperfections will become more noticeable in this shape’s square dimensions. Opt for near colorless when choosing the princess shape.
What is radiant cut diamond?
The radiant has the dimensions of an emerald cut diamond with the spark of a round brilliant cut. Radiant diamonds are the best mix of subdued sophistication and sparkling celebration .
What is an asscher cut?
The Asscher (and the Emerald) are cut with step facets. These unique facet cuts resemble a staircase within the stone. Step facets create a sleek and sophisticated design but do not project the fiery, dancing light so often displayed by the brilliant cuts.
What is Reese Witherspoon's engagement ring?
Reese Witherspoon’s engagement ring from her husband, Jim Toth, is an Ashoka solitaire. While the number of facets for most shapes of diamonds is the same, how those facets are cut and where they are cut makes all the difference. Symmetry is everything in diamonds.
What is the symmetry of diamonds?
Symmetry is everything in diamonds. Before the brilliant cut, diamond facets were almost always step facets, and the actual cut of those facets were far from perfection. However, today’s diamonds are cut with precision and designed with mathematical acuity for optimum fire and certain brilliance.
Is a princess cut diamond more fiery than a round brilliant diamond?
As such, the princess cut diamond may be a little less fiery than a modern round brilliant, but there’s a trade-off: the princess cut hides inclusions masterfully, which allows buyers a little more flexibility if they need to price down for clarity.
What is the bottom of a faceted gem called?
The bottom of a faceted gem, the area below the girdle, is called the pavilion.
What is the top row of facets?
The “top row” of facets, star facets adjoin the table facet. Along with the other crown facets, they serve to control the entry and exit of light from the gem.
What is a facet in gemstones?
Back to syllabus. Facets, those “geometrically arranged, flat surfaces” that cover faceted gemstones, all play specific roles in a gem’s optical performance. When expertly cut, facets not only create beautiful patterns on the gem, they also help it shine. Sometimes, literally.
What are pavilion facets?
The pavilion facets are designed to reflect the light back to the viewer. This enhances both brilliance, the amount of light a gem returns, and dispersion, the colorful “fires” that seem to emanate from within.
What is the widest part of a gem?
The widest part of the gem, the girdle defines its outline. When viewed from the side, however, the girdle is usually fairly thin. Faceters cut girdles to help set the stone in jewelry.
Who is Donald Clark?
Donald Clark, CSM founded the International Gem Society in 1998. Donald started in the gem and jewelry industry in 1976. He received his formal gemology training from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Society of Gemcutters (ASG). The letters "CSM" after his name stood for Certified Supreme Master Gemcutter, a designation of Wykoff's ASG which has often been referred to as the doctorate of gem cutting. The American Society of Gemcutters only had 54 people reach this level. Along with dozens of articles for leading trade magazines, Donald authored the book "Modern Faceting, the Easy Way."
Which facets scatter light?
Adjoining the girdle, the break facets scatter light, which creates more scintillation or tiny flashes of light. There are both crown and pavilion break facets.
How is Girdle Thickness Described on a Grading Report?
The gemological labs assign a description based on the thickest and thinnest portions of the girdle. Also, it’s common to see variations in girdle thickness across a diamond instead of a nice uniform thickness throughout the diameter.
Why is girdle thickness important?
Why is the Diamond’s Girdle Thickness Important? First of all, the ideal girdle thickness should not be too thin such that it causes a heightened risk of chipping. On the other hand, the girdle thickness shouldn’t be too thick as it will result in “dead weight” which makes the diamond appear smaller.
What girdle should I use for fancy diamonds?
Likewise, if you see a thin – medium or medium – slightly thick girdle, that’s OK too! For fancy shape diamonds, a girdle range of thin – medium – slightly thick – very thick would be recommended. I need to emphasize that it is alright to buy a fancy shape diamond with a very thick girdle as long as it is well cut.
What happens when a diamond girdle is too thick?
For example, if a bruted girdle is sufficiently thick enough, it can cause an unsightly gray reflection to appear under the table facet.
Why are two stones with similar carat weights different?
An extremely thick girdle causes excessive weight retention which is hidden from sight after mounting. This is also one of the reasons why 2 stones with similar carat weight can face up completely different and have stark physical dimensions from each other.
How thick is a diamond girdle?
The girdle descriptions are relative to the size of the stone ( i.e. diameter ). In other words, a measured thickness of 0.31mm may result in a “Very Thick” rating for a 1/2-carat round diamond. However, a measured thickness of 0.31mm will result in a “Thin-Medium” rating on a 5-carat diamond.
What is the best girdle for a round diamond?
For round brilliant cut diamonds, you should only buy diamonds within the range of thin – medium – slightly thick girdles. That is to say, if you see a round diamond with a thin – slightly thick girdle, that’s perfectly fine. Likewise, if you see a thin – medium or medium – slightly thick girdle, that’s OK too!
What is a Bruted Girdle Finishing?
Just a few decades ago, almost all round brilliant diamonds have a bruted girdle because of the way diamonds were cut. This frosty appearance is created when a rough stone is rounded against another rough stone in a process called bruting.
Why is a bruted girdle no joy?
I would go on the record to say this: having a bruted girdle is no reason for joy because it represents sloppiness in the cutter’s workmanship. This is because subsequent cutting can usually remove the rough, granular surfaces with little loss of weight.
What is the feather on a bearded girdle?
On a micro-scale level, the bearded girdle has many tiny feathers which give the diamond an opaque and frosty appearance. In badly worked diamonds where the girdle is cut too quickly and with too much pressure, the feathers can extend into the diamond’s body and become severe enough to be marked as inclusions.
What are the different types of diamond girdle finishing?
There are basically 3 types of girdle finishing you can find in diamonds: faceted, polished and bruted. Interestingly, the type of girdle finishing has no effect on the brilliance or optical performance of a diamond.
What is the surface area of a diamond girdle?
The surface area of the girdle is smooth and continuous all the way around the perimeter of the diamond. A polished girdle is smooth and reflective. The most common type of finishing found in modern-day diamonds is the faceted girdle.
Why do I prefer a faceted girdle?
Personally, I prefer a faceted girdle as it gives a cleaner and more complete look to the diamond.
Why do girdles reflect light?
In casual observations from the sides of the ring, you can sometimes see light reflecting off the girdle due to the presence of the tiny facets. To me, that is an added benefit of having faceted girdles.
What are the angles of a gem?
The angles used for each facet play a crucial role in the final outcome of a gem. While the general facet arrangement of a particular gemstone cut may appear the same in any given gem material, the angles of each facet must be carefully adjusted to maximize the optical performance. The angles used will vary based on the refractive index of the gem material. When light passes through a gemstone and strikes a polished facet, the minimum angle possible for the facet to reflect the light back into the gemstone is called the critical angle. If the ray of light strikes a surface lower than this angle, it will leave the gem material instead of reflecting through the gem as brilliance. These lost light rays are sometimes referred to as "light leakage", and the effect caused by it is called "windowing" as the area will appear transparent and without brilliance. This is especially common in poorly cut commercial gemstones. Gemstones with higher refractive indexes generally make more desirable gemstones, the critical angle decreases as refractive indices increase, allowing for greater internal reflections as the light is less likely to escape.
What is the art of cutting a gem?
The art of cutting a gem is an exacting procedure performed on a faceting machine. The ideal product of facet cutting is a gemstone that displays a pleasing balance of internal reflections of light known as brilliance, strong and colorful dispersion which is commonly referred to as "fire", and brightly colored flashes of reflected light known as scintillation. Typically transparent to translucent stones are faceted, although opaque materials may occasionally be faceted as the luster of the gem will produce appealing reflections. Pleonaste (black spinel) and black diamond are examples of opaque faceted gemstones.
How is dopped stone ground?
The dopped stone is ground at precise angles and indexes on cutting laps of progressively finer grit , and then the process is repeated a final time to polish each facet. Accurate repetition of angles in the cutting and polishing process is aided by the angle readout and index gear. The physical process of polishing is a subject of debate. One commonly accepted theory is that the fine abrasive particles of a polishing compound produce abrasions smaller than the wavelengths of light, thus making the minute scratches invisible. Since gemstones have two sides (the crown and pavilion), a device often called a "transfer jig" is used to flip the stone so that each side may be cut and polished.
What is a facet in crystals?
Facets ( / ˈfæsɪt /) are flat faces on geometric shapes. The organization of naturally occurring facets was key to early developments in crystallography, since they reflect the underlying symmetry of the crystal structure. Gemstones commonly have facets cut into them in order to improve their appearance by allowing them to reflect light.
How does cleaving work?
Cleaving relies on planar weaknesses of the chemical bonds in the crystal structure of a mineral. If a sharp blow is applied at the correct angle, the stone may split cleanly apart. While cleaving is sometimes used to split uncut gemstones into smaller pieces, it is never used to produce facets. Cleaving of diamonds was once common, but as the risk of damaging a stone is too high, undesirable diamond pieces often resulted. The preferred method of splitting diamonds into smaller pieces is now sawing.
What is the most famous facet arrangement?
Facet arrangements. Of the hundreds of facet arrangements that have been used, the most famous is probably the round brilliant cut, used for diamond and many colored gemstones. This first early version of what would become the modern Brilliant Cut is said to have been devised by an Italian named Peruzzi, sometime in the late 17th century.
What are some examples of crystals that grow in faceted shapes?
Many crystals naturally grow in faceted shapes. For instance, common table salt forms cubes and quartz forms hexagonal prisms. These characteristic shapes are a consequence of the crystal structure of the material and the surface energy, as well as the general conditions under which the crystal formed.
How are diamonds measured?
When loose diamonds are measured, they are measured by the girdle to obtain length and width in millimeters. A diamond girdle can be rough, polished or faceted. Brilliant cut diamonds (with triangular-shaped facets) usually have a faceted girdle rather than a perfectly round girdle; this gives the gem a higher measure of transparency. ...
Why is a diamond girdle so thin?
A diamond with an extremely thin girdle has a slight risk of chipping along the girdle edge during setting or while being worn. For maximum protection, the diamond should be well-secured within the setting to minimize contact with hard or abrasive surfaces.
Why is a diamond smaller from the top?
However, an extremely thick girdle concentrates the diamond's weight in the middle, causing it to look smaller from the top than a diamond of a similar weight with a thinner girdle. When analyzing the impact of an extremely thick girdle on a diamond, it's important to evaluate the overall measurements of the stone.
What is the girdle of a diamond?
Girdle is the thin perimeter of a diamond, dividing the crown above from the pavilion below. When viewing a diamond in its setting or from a profile view, the girdle is the widest part (or the circumference) of the polished diamond - the portion of the stone that makes contact with the setting itself. When loose diamonds are measured, they are ...
Is a girdle thick or thin?
However, the girdle is most often rated as a range, such as 'Very Thin to Thick', to accommodate the variance between the thickest and thinnest points. Extremely Thin: May be prone to chipping or breaking; care should be taken when setting stone.
Is a girdle a consideration when buying a diamond?
When purchasing a loose diamond, the girdle is not a significant consideration, as a thinner or thicker girdle will not necessarily have a significant impact on the appearance of an otherwise well-cut diamond.
