Many people confuse cut with the shape of a diamond. Diamonds are cut into many shapes, depending on the nature of the rough stone. Some of the more popular shapes are round, princess, oval, emerald, radiant, cushion, pear, marquise to name a few. The choice is largely a matter of personal preference. Whatever the shape, a well cut diamond is the work of a master diamond cutter. When cut to good proportions, the diamond is better able to handle light, creating more scintillation and more sparkle.

How a Diamond Handles Light

It is the cut that enables a diamond to make the best use of light.

(1) When a diamond is well cut , light is reflected from one facet to another and then dispersed through the top of the stone.

(2) If the diamond is too deep, some light escapes through the opposite side of the pavilion (bottom portion ) .

(3) If the cut is too shallow, light escapes through the pavilion before it can be reflected.

Diamonds are found with a range of colors from faint yellow or brown through to the very rare pinks, blues, greens, and other colors known as fancies. With regard to diamonds in the D thru K-L-M range, the best color for a diamond is no color. It is a totally colorless diamond that allows white light to pass effortlessly through it and be dispersed as rainbows of color.

Carat is a measurement of weight not volume or dimension. Five carats equals one gram.

Think of a carat as one hundred points (100). Fractional carats are spoken in terms of points.

Therefore, any fraction of a carat would be a fraction of one hundred .

For instance: (75/100) = .75 carat = 3/4 carat.