Many people confuse cut with the shape of a diamond. The shape you select is a matter of individual taste, and today your choice is only limited by the skill and imagination of the craftsman. It is their effort during every stage of the fashioning process that reflects the maximum amount of light back to the eye. Most round, brilliant-cut or fancy-shaped diamonds possess 58 carefully angled flat surfaces, called facets, whose placement will affect the fire, brilliance and ultimate beauty of your diamond.
1. When a diamond is cut to good proportions, light is reflected from one facet to another and then dispersed through the crown, or the top of the stone.
2. If the cut of the diamond is too deep, some light escapes through the opposite side of the pavilion, or bottom.
3. If the cut is too shallow, light escapes through the pavilion before it can be reflected.
The different facets of a round, brilliant-cut diamond.
