The first “C” is Cut and we’re not talking about shape. The cut affects everything you see about the stone. The cut produces the sparkle and the scintillation and the dazzle that these marvelous gems are known for. You can have a D flawless stone with a bad make that looks worse than a K SI2 with a great make.
The first thing anyone sees is the sparkle so you want to have a stone that dances. This is achieved through angles and proportions and width and depth ratios that require more explanation than the average person cares about. With regards to rounds, there is a lot of hype about Ideal cut and Excellent Ideal cut and Hearts and Arrows and a host of proprietary cuts in the market but what it boils down to is simply this: find a stone that talks to you.
Some eyes are attracted to the spectral colours that a stone throws off when light enters and passes back to the eye through the top of the stone. This is known as dispersion. It requires a small table facet( the big one in the middle) and precise angles on the crown and a certain total depth. If this is your preference, look for an Ideal cut or whatever branded stone has these proportions.(explained in detail under Ideal Cut in the Terms of the trade section). NOTE: YOU WILL PAY MORE FOR A BRANDED STONE, IN SOME CASES MUUUUUCH MORE!
If you prefer brilliance, which is the return of white light to the eye, then you want a stone with a larger table facet. The best shape for this is the classic emerald or square emerald cut. It is almost 100% white light and very little dispersion and the preference of the author. However, you can achieve this with any shape of stone. Remember, small table= more dispersion: large table=more brilliance. Of course, there are extremes in both categories that I would caution against but for that, I suggest you visit your local jeweler to SEE the differences and make an informed decision. You can read all the information in the world but until you see these differences you won’t really know what the stones looks like.
I would never presume to tell a client what they should buy but rather help to discern what appeals to that person’s eye and assist him or her in choosing the stone that will put the sparkle in their eyes.
Yantz Bradbury Associates
P.O. Box 10123
Rockville, Maryland 20850
Office: (301) 335-6687
Serving MD, VA and DC Metro Area