How gia grades diamond cut quality for round diamonds.
Diamond cut grade ideal vs excellent.
For the most brilliance and beauty only consider round brilliant diamonds with an excellent cut.
The golden rule is to choose excellent ideal cut diamonds to achieve superb sparkle.
This rare cut represents roughly the top 3 of diamond cut quality it reflects most of the light that enters the diamond.
A diamond s cut is evaluated by trained graders who assess a stone s symmetry and proportions and assign a cut grade based on how closely the diamond matches the particular ideal cut used as a benchmark.
Click here to see a selection of diamonds with an excellent ideal cut.
The proportions of the diamond are expressed slightly differently and this is one of the differences between the two gemological laboratories.
How diamond cut grades are assigned.
Gia diamond cutting grades for round diamonds range from excellent to poor.
That said i would advise you to go for a very good symmetry grade.
Cut grade is the most important factor in determining the overall appearance of a diamond because a poorly cut diamond will seem dull even with excellent clarity and color.
This cut represents roughly the top 15 of diamond cut quality it reflects nearly as much light as the ideal cut but for a lower price.
These are the two most respected grading labs in the usa and like to many titans of industry they have an interesting history.
In the simplest terms a diamond graded as ideal cut will be from ags diamond grading laboratory while a diamond graded as excellent cut will be graded from the gia diamond grading laboratory.
When stones in this grade are looked at from above the light passing through their facets creates a balanced and clear pattern of bright and dark spots.
Now you might be wondering if the easy way to pick a diamond would be to choose one from the excellent or ideal cut rating category.
Blue nile offers four different cut grades ideal.
This short video explains the gia cut scale and how gia classifies round brilliant cut diamonds with a cut grade ranging from excellent to poor by factoring in a range of parameters including the diamond s proportions culet size girdle thickness polish and symmetry descriptions.
If a diamond doesn t have an excellent cut rating gia or ideal cut rating ags don t even bother wasting your time on it.
And a diamond with an excellent cut has to have excellent or at least very good symmetry as well.
As you can see both laboratories gave the diamond the same carat weight color clarity and overall cut grade of ags ideal gia excellent cut.
Diamonds with an excellent cut have proportions that allow them to exhibit maximum brilliance fire and scintillation.