The cut of a diamond refers to its proportions. Despite popular misconception, a diamond’s cut is not the same thing as its shape.

Every shape of diamond has different grades of cuts and it is the cut of a diamond that is most representative of its beauty, brilliance, and value. The cut is also the most technically difficult to pinpoint and requires precise analysis and state-of-the-art technology to accurately assess. However, while it takes expert knowledge and advanced tools to analyze the quality of a diamond’s cut, the naked eye can notice differences in light performance from one diamond to another, which is a key indication of the quality of the diamond’s cut. The better the cut, the more magnificently a diamond sparkles.

In order to determine the cut of a diamond, jewelers and gemstone experts, such as our Master Jeweller and GIA Graduate Gemologist, use the GIA Diamond Cut Scale to measure brightness, fire, and scintillation.

Brightness refers to the internal and external white light reflected from a diamond.

Fire refers to the dispersion of a diamond’s light into all the colors of the rainbow.

Scintillation refers to the amount of sparkle that a diamond produces, and the flashes of light and patterns of light and dark noticeable when a diamond is moved.

Before determining the final cut grade of any given diamond, the design and craftsmanship of the diamond is also assessed. This includes consideration of the diamond’s weight in relation to its diameter, its girdle thickness (which affects its durability), the symmetry of its facet arrangement, and the quality of polish on those facets.

The GIA Diamond Cut Scale for standard round brilliant diamonds contains five grades, which range from Excellent to Poor, as seen on the Cut Grade example below.

Within each grade there are ranges of quality and we are known for hand-selecting the highest quality diamonds available. We take pride in offering only the finest and most spectacular diamonds in each grade at very competitive prices, to ensure that you receive optimal value for your investment.

The naked, untrained eye typically has a hard time noticing the slight color variations, especially when it comes to high-quality diamonds with brilliant sparkle. There are, however, subtle differences in the natural color of diamonds that contribute to the value of each diamond.

The value of a diamond is influenced by how close it comes to being truly colorless. This is determined using a D-Z color-grading scale outlined by the GIA as the industry standard in diamond color grading. The exception of course being when there is a shade of color in the diamond that is yellow or brown, as that is not part of the D-Z diamond color grade. 

Our GIA Graduate Gemologist is highly experienced in assessing the natural color of diamonds and precisely pinpointing diamonds with the most brilliant color within each grade. This enables us to find you the most brilliant diamond and best value for your investment, within your price range. Visit our Newton location to view Boston’s most spectacular diamond collection and compare diamonds side-by-side.

Due to the natural occurrence of diamonds in the earth and the inherent characteristics that result from the extreme heat and pressure that created them, all diamonds have unique internal characteristics. These internal characteristics are known as inclusions. External characteristics found on diamonds are known as blemishes. The extent of inclusions and blemishes in any given diamond are what determine diamond clarity.

Diamond clarity is assessed at 10x magnification, as many inclusions aren’t visible to the naked eye. Even diamonds that have been classified as flawless may have visible inclusions at higher magnifications.

In order to accurately evaluate the clarity of a diamond, a gemologist reviews the number, size, relief, nature, and position of the inclusions and blemishes, to determine where the diamond falls on the GIA International Diamond Grading System. The diamond is then assigned a clarity grade that ranges from diamonds that are virtually Flawless (FL), to diamonds with obvious inclusions (I3). Discounted, less favorable diamonds will typically have less desirable characteristics that are not mentioned on the diamond report, such as those with black inclusions, or a milky appearance.

Even though many inclusions and blemishes are too small to be evident to the naked eye, they still affect the price of diamonds. That said, unless a diamond is heavily included, small internal and external characteristics have no effect on a diamond’s ability to reflect light and sparkle radiantly.

As Boston’s premier diamond jeweler, we proudly offer the most beautiful and radiant selection of diamonds available for every budget and style preference, regardless of their clarity rating.