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Shapes of diamonds and their cuts
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Brilliant cut
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The most popular diamond cut is the modern round brilliant. The way the facets are arranged and proportioned has been achieved by both mathematical and empirical analysis.The first brilliant cuts were introduced in the 17th century. These were known as Mazarins, and had 17 facets on their upper half
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| . The desire to improve this shape has continued over the centuries, resulting in today’s modern round brilliant cut which usually consists of 57 facets. 33 on the crown, (the top half, above the middle or girdle of the diamond) and 25 on the pavilion (which is the lower half, below the girdle) The girdle itself may be either polished smooth, frosted or faceted. |
| The number of facets on the girdle can vary between 34, 64, 80 or 96, but these are not included in the facet count. The proportions of the brilliant cut, may vary quite considerably between different diamonds. There are various schools of thought about the perfect angles and depths of the crown and pavilion. Although the proportions cannot be universally agreed upon, it is clear that these proportions can really make, or break the ultimate look of a stone. |
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Princess cut
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| The princess is also a popular cut. At Sherry Jewellery, it is the second most asked for shape. Princesses are usually cut to a square shape, but also can be rectangular in form. The princess is quite a modern cut, and was created in the 1970s. |
The idea was to produce a diamond that would have the geometric discipline of a square, but with the sparkle and brilliance of the more traditional round cut.
A square princess cut should, in theory cost a little less per carat, than a round brilliant. This is because there is less diamond weight shaved off the rough diamond to create the princess cut. However, a 1 carat princess cut diamond will have a smaller measurement across, than the diameter of an equivalent brilliant cut. This usually results in a bigger size being wanted by the consumer, when viewed in comparison to a brilliant, and of course, greater weight will generally cost more! |
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Emerald cut
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| This is a simple type of facet cut, more often used for coloured gems (especially emeralds) It consists of several facets being cut parallel to the edges of an octagonal gem. These facets become steeper, as they rise up towards the girdle. |
| The lower part of the stone, usually has more facets than the upper section.Sherry Jewellery only supplies emerald cuts if they are of exceptionally high clarity. This is because any inclusion is easily visible in this type of cut. |
Rose cuts or old cuts
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| Various forms of the rose cut have been in use since the 16th century. The rose cut has a flat bottom with no pavilion and a crown made up of triangular facets (usually 12 or 24) in symmetrical arrangement, which rise to a point. . |
| They are usually a circular shape, but also come in variations including: the briolette (oval); Antwerp rose (hexagonal); and double Dutch rose (two rose cuts placed back-to-back). Rose cuts are not used by Sherry Jewellery, and are usually only seen in antique pieces. However, we have used them during some of our renovation projects. See our Restyling a piece of jewellery page |
Eight cut
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Eight cuts are generally round in shape and are usually cut from smaller pieces of diamond rough, that are too tiny to successfully cut into brilliants.
As their name suggests, there are eight facets on the upper and lower parts of the gem, as well as the single table facet, which is at the top of the stone. Up to 300 stones (sometimes even more) per carat, can be cut in this way. |
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