The Four C's

These factors determine the value of a diamond are called the 4 C's
The 4 C's include:
Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat.

Cut
Of the 4 C's, cut is the most important. Proper cutting of the rough diamond ensures that the ideal proportions are achieved. The accurate placement of each surface facet is essential to its beauty and value. The slightest error can create a substantial difference in the stone's brilliance. A diamond is nothing more than a prism that "refracts" or bends light rays. Correct proportioning is the key to unlocking a diamond's inner beauty.

If cut correctly, light enters through the top or "table" of the diamond and passes through to the lower portion called the pavilion until it strikes the pavilion facets. Here it is reflected back out through the top of the stone or it refracts from facet to facet and then it comes back through the top. It is this refraction of light and the unleashing of the spectrum that give a diamond its dispersion or fire. A diamond which is cut too deep allows light to pass through the sides of the lower part of the diamond. A diamond which is cut too shallow allows light to pass through the bottom of the pavilion.

How a diamond handles the light

Interesting Facts About a Diamond's Cut
* Marcel Tolkowsky, a mathematician, discovered the formula for cutting diamonds so the finished gem would have a balance between brilliance and fire. He based his percentage and angles on the diamond's crystallography and optical characteristics. He did this in 1919. His son Gabi still works for DeBeers and led the team that cut the famous Centenary Diamond. The original weight was 599 carats, but the finished weight was 273 carats. We have a few Tolkowsky "Gabrielle" diamonds in our stores.
* Nature gives us the diamond, but human skill is required to unlock the beauty.
* Usually the finished diamond you see in the showcase was twice the size in its natural state. Approximately 50% is lost in the cutting and finishing.
* There is a difference between cut and shape. Cut refers to the precision with which all facets are placed on the diamond. In order to achieve maximum beauty, each facet must be exactly the same size and angle as its other matching facets. Each facet, wherever it meets another facet, must have a precise edge and meeting point.
* Shape, on the other hand, is merely the name given to diamonds of a particular form. Round, Oval, Pear, Marquise, Square, Emerald (Rectangular), Heart etc. are shapes that can be either well or poorly cut. Shape is a matter of personal taste; cut is a matter of science, art and expertise.
* The earliest diamonds were worn just the way nature created them, in rough form.
* The first cutting came in the 1200s when cutters discovered how to cleave (divide) diamonds. Approximately 100 years later cutters found, that one diamond could be used to rub against another diamond to create flat surfaces. Cleaving is not always the quickest way to divide the rough diamond into two parts. Because each diamond is different, determining where to cleave may take a long time. The famous Jonker Diamond was studied for over nine months by Lazare Kaplan before the gem was cleaved. When someone asks about the finish of a diamond they are referring to a diamond's polish, the precision of the cut.

Benefits
The real benefit of a well cut diamond is simply this: it always has more beauty and sparkle than a diamond that is not well cut. What is special about a diamond is that it has a love affair with light and perhaps that is the secret of its hold over women. Women like the ebullience of the diamonds that seems to say to them. "I'll give you some of my brightness and immortality." Every woman can justify why her diamond is not as large as someone else's; what a woman usually can't forgive is if her diamond does not look as beautiful as her friend's diamond. Cut makes this possible.

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