Diamonds happen to be a girl’s best friend. Yet this simple sentence does not bring out the significance of this brilliant gem stone perfectly at all. There are multiple aspects to the age old lure of a diamond since the dawn of history with stories of love, hate, and revenge including murder centering on this brilliant stone that is known to bring out both the best as well as the worst in a human being.

The value of a diamond depends on the 4 Cs. This is common knowledge and every individual desiring to buy or sell a diamond is aware of the importance of the Cs. While the clarity, carat size and color does not depend on man, it is quite another story when it comes to the cut of a diamond. A diamond cutter can make a significant impact by cutting a rough diamond thereby influencing the value of the gem stone. In other words, the cut of a diamond can increase the sparkle of this sparkling stone considerably. The perfect cut, therefore, accentuates the beauty of the dazzling stone making it a thing of desire that men and women covet greatly.


Historical diamonds like the famous Kohinoor have been known for its cut. An interesting fact is that the stone had been cut not once but multiple times. Yet its value kept increasing despite the size being greatly reduced with each cutting. How exactly does a cut bring out the beauty of a diamond? Well, the cutter is known to cut away parts of the rough stone at particular points thereby creating facets. These facets are known enhance the sparkle of a diamond by allowing light to pass through it. A diamond usually consists of crown, table, culet, pavilion, and a girdle once the cutter finishes with it. A diamond that has been cut proportionate allows light to come out of the table facet while a shallow cut allows the light to seep out from below as well. When some of the light starts escaping from the sides in addition, the cut is deemed to be too deep and the stone does not have the capacity to dazzle anymore.


A diamond cutter has the ability to make or break a stone, hence, the quality cutters are much in demand worldwide with every jeweler trying to retain the master in the diamond cutting trade. While the idea of chipping away at a diamond sounds appalling, a quality cutter may decide to cut away as much as 50% of the stone in order to bring out the desired sparkle.

The shape of a diamond depends on the cut as well. The round diamonds continue to enjoy immense popularity to this day simply because they are symmetrical allowing the light to follow a proportionate path that begins by entering through the top or table and then bounce from one facet to another, ultimately exiting the stone via the top once again. A perfectly cut round diamond shimmers and scintillates in light and has been eulogized by poets as possessing a bewitching effect.

However, not all like to stick to the round shape and modern men and women often opt for a fancier shape. The proportions of cutting vary with each shape although the craftsmen have their own guidelines to follow when it comes to a particular fancy cut.

It is possible to grade a diamond based on its cut though. A diamond can be considered as:

• Excellent– When the diamond reflects the total light that enters it and sparkles brilliantly. Only about 3% of the top diamonds in the world belong to this grade.
• Very Good– When the diamond reflects almost 80% or more light but stops short of 100%. It is thought to be as good as the ideal cut but has an edge over the former as it comes at a lesser price.
• Good– When the diamond retains a good amount of sparkle but is nowhere as brilliant as the ideal or very good grade of diamond. It is much less expensive too.
• Fair– When the diamond reflects even less light and is a good deal less expensive than the top quality ones.
• Poor– When the diamond cut is too shallow, or too deep and the cut does nothing to enhance the beauty of the stone.