There are a lot of factors that determine the exact price/value of a diamond. On our Diamond Education page we have covered the 4C's of diamonds. There are also other cost factors that establish its price in a marketplace. Customer always see the finished product of a polished diamond. Diamonds are mined out in a rough form (as shown on the right). After it is mined, it goes to a cutting manufacturer where the diamond is studied and mapped out. Decision factors are determined by calculating approximate weight loss, finalized color & clarity grading.
Round Cut Diamonds
Round cut diamond is the most expensive shape. On average the cutter is left with 40% of the original carat weight of the rough. It is also the most popular shape sold worldwide. Its higher desirability allows the retain its value better than any other shape. . A round-cut diamond has 57 facets and grabs the light better than any other shape. Its strong brilliance and sparkle make diamond imperfections such as yellowish hues and natural flaws less visible to the naked eye. A round cut diamond is the only shape GIA has engineered a cut grade system for. GIA provides an overall cut grade for standard round brilliant cut diamonds in the D-to-Z color range. The cut grade appears as either: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, or Poor. In determining a cut grade for standard round brilliant cut diamonds in the D-to-Z color range, GIA takes into account:
How well the diamond interacts with light:
Its brightness or how white light reflects from the diamond
Its fire or the scattering of white light in all the colors of the rainbow
Its scintillation or the pattern of light and dark areas caused by reflections within the diamond.
How well the diamond is designed, faceted, and crafted:
The diamond’s weight relative to its diameter
The diamond’s girdle thickness which affects its durability
The symmetry of the diamond’s facet arrangement, including the angles and relative positions of all the facets
The quality of the polish on the facets
Together, these factors determine a diamond’s overall cut grade.
FANCY SHAPES
Fancy shaped diamonds include oval, cushion, princess, pear, emerald, marquise, asscher, radiant, and heart shaped diamonds.
Oval Cut Diamonds
Oval cut diamonds are currently very popular amongst fancy shaped diamonds. They offer great value due its perceived size. They often appear larger than they weight. Oval cut diamonds use higher percentage of the rough diamond that allows the jeweler to attain more carat weight that result more value for money. It offers excellent brilliance and is very durable.
Cushion Cut Diamonds
Cushion cut diamonds have a square shape with rounded edges, similar to a pillow. There are several variations of the cushion cut, all of which use its precise light dispersion to produce an incredible amount of fire and sparkle. Similar to other fancy shaped diamonds, cushion cut diamonds attain more carat weight that offers more value for money. In weight to size ratio, cushion cut diamonds have smaller measurements in comparison to other shaped diamonds.
Princess Cut Diamonds
In general, second most popular shaped diamond. Offers similar sparkly brilliance to round cut diamonds while higher % of rough diamond is retained during production. In some cases a diamond cutter is able to secure as high as 80% of the rough diamond weight while cutting in a princess cut diamond. Not as durable. Very common for the corners to be chipped. Typically set in v-prongs that secure the corners to minimize the risk.
Pear Shaped Diamonds
Timeless and sophisticated, pear shaped diamonds have a rounded side that narrows down to a point at the opposite end of the diamond. When it’s worn on, the pointed end of the diamond will point towards their heart. Offers great value and popular amongst fancy shaped diamonds. Pear-shaped diamonds are almost as equally sparkly as round shaped diamonds but will almost always cost less.
Emerald Cut Diamonds
Emerald cut diamonds have a large table surface and long, straight lines — referred to as “steps” — that produce impressive reflections. Diamonds of this shape are usually rectangular, although some emerald cut diamonds have a square shape. The emerald cut has 58 facets (25 crown, 8 girdle and 25 pavilion). Because of the angle, size and shape of the facets, the emerald cut shows less brilliance and fire (dispersion) than the other brilliant cut diamonds. Since the emerald cut has a large table, inclusions in the diamond typically
are easier to notice. Like the princess and cushion
cuts, the emerald cut uses a fairly large percentage
of the rough diamond. This makes it a great value
for money option. The unique shape of this diamond
cut also gives it a larger appearance than many other
diamond cuts of equivalent carat weight.
Marquise Cut Diamonds
The marquise cut is an elongated style with tapering points at both ends—basically, it's an oval with pointed ends. Although most people feel that it is considered an outdated style it's unique charm, fascinating history, and the great value it offers makes it very desirable to some people. It's history dates back to the 18th century, when King Louis XV of France requested a diamond cut in the shape of the lips of his chief mistress, Jeanne-Antoinette Poisson, the Marchioness
Madame de Pompadour.
Asscher Cut Diamonds
Asscher cut diamonds also known as square emerald are not as popular. In fact cutters cut less than 2% of diamonds into Asschers. First developed by the Royal Asscher company in the early 20th century, the Asscher cut is a type of step cut diamond shape that features 58 facets. Similar to emerald cut diamonds, inclusions tend to be more visible. But due to their unique visual characteristic, it is more prefered over more popular shaped diamonds.
Radiant Cut Diamonds
Radiants cut diamonds feature between 62 and 70 facets, many of which are on the diamond’s pavilion. Because of the numerous facets in this type of diamond, inclusions tend to be difficult to see. Like oval, radiant cut diamonds offer great value due its perceived size. Very durable, has similar shape of emerald cut diamond but faceting of princess cut.
Heart Shaped Diamonds
Heart shaped diamonds are more rare than other shape. While it might not look similar at first glance, the heart shape is a modified version of the round brilliant cut. Despite their similarities to the round brilliant cut, heart shaped diamonds use significantly more of their original rough diamond. But in reality, most heart shaped diamonds possess poor cut, symmetry, and polish making them the most difficult to sell. As a brilliant cut, the heart shape does a good job of hiding small inclusions
that may be found inside the diamond.
There is no right or wrong choice while choosing a diamond. What makes buying a diamond so special is that each stone's complex characteristics cannot be duplicated, and no two diamonds can ever be the same. Each stone, like its owner, is endowed with a personality and character uniquely its own.