Diamond Cut Quality or Carat Weight?
It is a little known fact that “Cut” is the most important of the 4C’s of Diamond Grading, more than any other factor; it dictates how bright and sparkly a diamond will appear. This is largely because the majority of jewelry sales people incorrectly use the term “cut” to refer to “shape” when discussing the 4C’s with customers.
Factors of Diamond Cut Quality:
The visual performance and sparkle factor of a diamond are controlled by the proportions and degree of optical symmetry, which is the consistency of facet shape, and alignment. Diamonds cut to ideal proportions, and especially the center region of the range designated for the zero ideal cut rating by the American Gem Society Laboratory (AGSL) exhibit a higher volume of light return than diamonds cut to less precise proportions.
In addition, diamonds cut to ideal proportions, like those in the Brian Gavin Signature and Brian Gavin Blue collections, tend to face-up brighter and whiter than non-ideal cut diamonds, because of the increased volume of light return.
Exceptional optical symmetry has been proven to produce a higher number of virtual facets, which create larger flashes of light and more sparkle than diamonds with lesser degrees of optical symmetry.
Carat Weight & Diamond Cut Quality:
The carat weight of a diamond has nothing to do with the visual performance of a diamond, however diamonds cut to ideal proportions can face-up larger than diamonds which are cut too deep, and which would receive a proportions grade which is less than ideal.
A diamond which has a total depth which is too deep, as a result of being cut with too steep of a crown angle, too steep of a pavilion angle, and/or too thick of a girdle edge, is likely to have a smaller outside diameter than a diamond which has been cut so that crown and pavilion sections are properly aligned for maximum light return.
Thus it is possible to purchase a diamond of larger carat weight that will face-up smaller than a diamond of slightly lower carat weight, which has been cut to the center region of the range designated for the AGS Ideal-0 proportions rating.
Imagine paying the premium to purchase a diamond weighing more than 1.00 carats, only to discover that it faces up like an ideal cut diamond weighing 0.90 – 0.99 carats. This would not be a good thing since there is a price increase which occurs between the 0.99 – 1.00 carat marks, if you want to ensure that you get the look of the diamond carat weight that you are paying for, focus on diamond cut quality first and foremost.
Cut Quality of Brian Gavin Diamonds:
Every diamond featured in the Brian Gavin Signature and Brian Gavin Blue collections, has been cut to proportions which are optimized to deliver the highest volume of light return and sparkle factor, and face-up proportionate to their carat weight.
Consistency of facet shape and alignment, combined with zero ideal cut proportions, result in diamonds which exhibit broad flashes of light, and increased brilliance, dispersion and scintillation. And you don’t have to take our word for it, because every Brian Gavin Signature and Brian Gavin Blue diamond is graded AGS Ideal for Light Performance by the American Gem Society Laboratory, which uses Angular Spectrum Evaluation Technology (ASET) to measure the brightness
