Diamond cut

Diamond Buyer's Guide

Diamond cut refers to the angles and proportions created when transforming a rough diamond into a polished diamond ready to be worn as jewellery. Cut is the only one of the 4 Cs that is not naturally created when the diamond is in the earth.

Diamonds are cut by skilled craftsmen to bring out the very best in a diamond. The skill lies not just in cutting the diamond itself, but also in the proportion, relationship and angles of each of the surfaces, known as facets. The craftsman polishes tiny facets into the rough diamond to create the table, crown, girdle, pavilion and culet.

Diamond brilliance

Cut and cutting styles work together to enhance a diamond's brilliance. There are three main cutting styles, each of which has its own facet arrangement:

• Brilliant cut.
• Step cut.
• Mixed cut.

To achieve these cuts, the craftsman will often have to cut away more than half of the rough diamond. However, the end result will be a beautiful gem ready to be worn as diamond jewellery.

Diamond fire and beauty

A well cut and well proportioned diamond will make good use of light, allowing it to be dispersed and reflected from one facet to another, releasing its brilliance, fire and beauty. If a diamond is cut too deeply, light will escape through the sides, causing it to appear darker and less brilliant than it is.

Alternatively, if a diamond cut is too shallow, light escapes through the side or the underneath and the display will be less brilliant. As a result a well-cut diamond is more valuable than a poorly cut stone of the same colour, clarity and carat weight.

The Leo® Diamond

The skill of cutting diamonds dates back to the middle ages, although the physics and mathematics of cutting diamond wasn't properly understood until the 20th century. As a result, modern diamond cuts, such as the Leo® Diamond cut, have been developed to offer previously unseen levels of brightness and brilliance. The Leo® Diamond is precision cut to reflect light like no other diamond. Its unique, innovative design and facet placement makes the Leo® Diamond visibly brighter than other diamonds.

Diamond shapes

Cut can also refer to the diamond shape, the most popular of which is round brilliant. There are, however, many other diamond shapes available, including princess cut, emerald cut, oval and baguette.

It's your choice

When choosing your diamond jewellery - engagement rings, pendants or earrings - study the diamond's brilliance and beauty and buy the one that you love the most.