Diamond is one of the most well-known and expensive gemstones in the world. The cost of the diamond depends upon the four Cs; cut, color, clarity and carat weight. Among the four Cs, cut is the most important characteristics of any diamond. The diamond cut does not refer to the shape of the diamond; instead it refers to the diamonds’ depth, symmetry and proportion. There are mainly three types of diamond cuts: deep diamond cut, ideal diamond cut and shallow diamond cut.
Ideal Diamond Cut
A diamond is more expensive when it exhibits maximum brilliance and sparkle. Ideal cut is often referred as the best diamond cut. How the light enters the diamond and reflects back depends upon the arrangement of the stone’s facets. Only ideal cut diamonds can achieve these properties to the full extend. The diamonds exhibits more brilliance and sparkle when if it is an ideal cut diamond.
Deep Diamond Cut
We will get a deep cut diamond when the diamond’s depth is too high compared to its width. The depth of the diamond is one of the parameters that determine the brilliance of a diamond. In deep cut diamonds the light doesn’t reflect back effectively. When the cut is too deep, the light enters the diamond at a sharper angle and passes through the bottom of the diamond. As a result the diamond has lower brightness and looks less lively than other proportional ones.
When set in a mounting, the deep cut diamonds looks much smaller than ideal cut diamonds of the same carat weight. It is because of the lesser width of the deep cut diamonds when compared to the ideal cut diamonds. The cutter reduces the width of the diamond to achieve a greater depth.
Shallow diamond cut
Shallow cut diamonds are also referred as spread diamonds. When compared to a deep cut diamond, spread diamonds are shorter in height and broader in width. The shallow cut of the diamond makes it seem bigger in size when viewed from above. Due to the shallow cut of the spread diamond, the light enters the diamond in a low angle and exits through the sides. This causes a significant reduction in the diamond’s brilliance, sparkle and fire. However, many people still prefer spread diamonds over deep cut diamonds because it appears bigger in size.
