THE MOST IMPORTANT “C” OF THE 4C’S

Almost everyone has heard about the 4C’s of a diamond – Carat, Clarity, Color, and Cut.  But, is one of these C’s more important than the others and why?  What we like most about diamonds is their sparkle.  And, the C that is responsible for sparkle is Cut.  So, the better the cut the more sparkly the diamond.  Don’t confuse the shape of the diamond with the cut though.  The shape is the outline of the diamond ie. marquise, princess, oval etc.  Cut on the other hand is how well the cutter placed the facets on the diamond.  The more precise the cutting the more the diamond will sparkle.

While diamond cutters have known for about 100 years the proper angles of a round diamond, that doesn’t mean they always cut to those angles.  Sometimes cutters will sacrifice the sparkle for more weight.  When they do cut to the standard established so long ago the results are spectacular.  Generally speaking an AGS (American Gem Society) 0 (zero) cut grade or GIA (Gemological Institute of American) Excellent cut grade is the best.  Terms like “Ideal Cut” used to mean that the diamond was well cut but, not anymore.

Unfortunately, No such standard for cutting exists for other diamond shapes (known as fancy shapes).  What that means is that it is much harder to find a beautiful fancy shaped diamond.

Let’s talk briefly about a few more things that really good cutting does for you.  Not only will it make a diamond more sparkly but it will make it look bigger, look whiter, and be more durable.

At Plateau Jewelers we specialize in really well cut diamonds and feature Hearts on Fire – the most perfectly cut diamonds in the world.

I’ll talk more about the other C’s in another post.