Diamond Cuts
In 1939 the DeBeers company introduced the concepts of cut, carat, color and clarity as measures of a diamond's quality.The cut of a diamond refers to the angles and incisions made by diamond cutters to polish and shape a diamond and bring out its beauty. When diamonds are first mined they are generally opaque and often rounded because or erosion. Therefore diamonds in their natural state do not reflect light well and are not very attractive.
In the process of cutting and polishing diamonds it is common place for the diamond cutter to remove and discard a large portion of the original diamond in order to achieve the optimal proportion of angles. For example, the Millennium Star Diamond originally weighed 777 carats when found but inonce polished, it was reduced to 203 carats.
A well cut diamond has internal angles which reflect the light dispersing the light from the top of the diamond. Poorly cut diamonds leak light through the sides or bottom, which diminishes the diamond's brilliance.
A Diamond's cut or brilliance is only one factor in determining it's value. A large, high carat diamond which is poorly cut, may be worth less than a small well cut diamond.
"Some days are diamonds Some days are stones Sometimes the hard times won't leave me alone Sometimes the cold wind blows a chill in my soul Some days are diamonds, some days are stone" -- Neil Diamond
See also: cut, carat, color and clarity
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