Cut Versus Shape: The Debate Topic in Diamond Terminology
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When you speak about a diamond, you usually do so by just that “a diamond”. When those who are fans of the stone, but not experts refer to it, they may add in a few descriptive terms to refer to it: round, emerald cut, marquise, etc. But, when a true diamond expert refers to a diamond he may refer to several aspects, including both the cut and the shape of the stone as well as its carat, color grade and clarity grade.
A diamond that is highly prized will have a pedigree in every aspect, not just one or two and will have had a perfect cut, no matter what its eventual, final shape may have been. A cut diamond round for instance may be referred to as a brilliant cut, round, 1 carat ring and so on.
The diamond’s shape is just that- it does not necessarily influence its value, although some shapes are a little more difficult to achieve and may influence its selling price. You should keep in mind that there are those diamond shapes that while very attractive and certainly appealing to the wearer may actually detract from the stability and strength of the diamond itself. The popular misconception that a diamond cannot or will not break is a false one, and no where can that be more clearly seen than in the case of the lovely butterfly or star diamond cut that ends up breaking at the narrow tips in the course of time.
The cut, on the other hand is the most important aspect of diamond shopping, even more important than diamond weight (carat) or the color and clarity. When a diamond is cut well it will have the perfect amount of brilliance (light reflected back to the viewer) without flaws and imperfections that can make the light leak through. A well cut diamond is a strong testament of love. A poorly cut diamond can be a dull and weak representation of poor shopping.
Knowing the difference between cut and shape and how the cut can influence value, can help you choose a far more valuable stone than you would possibly dream – simply because you knew what to look for.
