It’s believed that the diamond cutter, Joseph Asscher, who was entrusted with cutting the world’s largest diamond – the Cullinan, dug out of a mine in Pretoria, South Africa in 1905 – took six months to study the famous gemstone before making the first cut. The blade promptly broke before a second attempt saw the diamond successfully cleaved in two. Rumours that Asscher then fainted with the nervous tension are probably unfounded, but who could blame him if he had?
Fortunately, choosing a diamond cut for a piece of jewellery such as a ring, necklace, earring or bracelet need not be such a tense affair today as that experienced by Asscher. But it helps to know what to look out for.
Here's a quick guide to diamond cuts
A diamond cut represents a symmetrical arrangement of facets – or flat faces on a gemoteric shape – which together modify the shape and appearance of a diamond crystal. To describe a cut, you’ll hear words like ‘brightness’ or ‘brilliance’ which is the effect of all the diamond’s internal and external reflections of white light. Well-cut diamonds are brighter than poorly fashioned ones.
When white light traveling through the diamond is dispersed into its rainbow of spectral colours, the effect is known as ‘fire’, while ‘scintillation’ is a combination of sparkle and pattern. And the relative size, arrangement and contrast of bright and dark areas that result from a diamond’s internal and external reflections is known as ‘pattern’.
Perfect symmetry and angles
That’s some of the terminology, but what type of cut should you choose? A Round Brilliant Cut diamond is the most popular cut today. When the diamond is perfectly cut, the symmetry and angles of the facets will allow the diamond to exhibit a crisp and complete pattern of hearts and arrows.
How about a Princess Diamond Cut which accentuates a diamond's fire and brilliance rather than its lustre? It’s an ideal choice because of its flexibility and fits with nearly every ring style available. An Oval Diamond Cut has an elongated shape, while a Marquise Diamond Cut is a modified brilliant cut diamond in a boat like shape. And, if you liked the story of the Cullinan, you could recreate some of that history for yourself by choosing an Asscher Diamond Cut.
Cheltenham based family jeweller Martin & Co stocks a beautiful and extensive selection of diamond jewellery and is sure to have a cut you like. You can also commission them to create a truly personal, one-off piece incorporating your preferred cut of gemstones.
