The Essentials You Need To Know When Purchasing and Caring For Your Diamond.
Diamond Cut

Cut Grade - Buying A Beautiful Diamond Was Never Easier

Diamonds have for many years been certified for their color and clarity, and consumers could compare diamonds based on these parameters quite easily. The quality of the diamonds make, or cut, was not graded however until recently. Beginning in the late 90's breakthroughs in technology and much more powerful computers provided the tools necessary for gemologists to research and gain a better understanding of how light actually interacts with a polished diamond. Studies were also done into how the human eye interprets a diamonds brilliance, fire and scintillation and what it sees as beautiful. After many years of study, the GIA and AGSL unveiled new Cut Grades to evaluate the quality of a diamonds cut. The two labs have a slightly different methodology, but the science is similar, and diamonds between the labs can be compared based on their grades.

About Diamond Cut

GIA Cut Grading System

GIA Cut Grading SystemThe GIA cut grading system became standard as of January 2006 on certificates provided for Round Brilliant diamonds. The GIA grade is based on the diamonds, face-up appearance, design and craftsmanship, all factors which determine the diamonds brightness, fire and scintillation. Face-up appearance is predicted by a sophisticated computer model based on a sample of 70,000 diamonds, and 38.5 million combinations of proportions. They then evaluate the design of the diamond (weight ratio, durability factors) and craftsmanship (quality of its polish and symmetry). One of five grades ,Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, and Poor is then assigned to the diamond. The GIA Excellent can be compared to the AGSL Ideal grade.

AGSL Cut Grading System

AGSL Cut Grading SystemThe AGSL's cut grade is determined based on the diamond light performance, proportions, and finish, factors which they have determined effect brilliance, fire and scintillation. At the heart of the AGS cut grade is a sophisticated optical ray tracing engine, which accurately measures the diamonds light performance and proportion factors. The polish and symmetry are then evaluated by a trained grader. AGSL assigns a cut grade of Ideal, Excellent, Very Good, Fair and Poor. An AGS Ideal is known in the Industry as a "triple-zero" grade, as it has perfect light performance, proportion and finish. The AGSL Ideal is equivalent to the GIA Excellent.