Vacation Haven: Diamonds Cuts That You Should Know

image from: socialitelife.com

Love is on the air for the sweethearts Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian when finally Kris proposed to Kim last May 18, 2011. The ring, which reportedly features a 16.5-carat emerald-cut center stone flanked by two 2-carat trapezoids, likely weighs about 4 ounces and possibly more if the ring is set in heavy platinum, and allegedly worth $US 2 million.

What an awesome and overwhelming present which will make any girl crazy to give the magical answer… “YES I DO!”

If you are planning to give diamonds to the special person of yours, just take note on some considerations to check before spending your money on buying those precious. Just remember the 4 C’s.

The four Cs stand for carat, colour, cut and clarity.

Carat is for the weight and size of a diamond.

Colour refers to the degree to which a diamond is colourless. The colour is measured through a grading scale ranging from D to M, where D stands for colourless and M for faint yellow. The more colourless your diamond is, more expensive it will be.

Clarity denotes the presence of inclusion. Inclusions are small black dots not visible to our naked eyes. There are various grades of clarity starting from internally flawless, very slight inclusion up to inclusion. Diamonds without inclusion, which are internally flawless, are very rare and most expensive.

Cut refers to the different shapes in which diamonds come. Round, pear, marquise, emerald, princess and oval are some of the cuts, the most popular being the round brilliant cut.

And what about the cut? It will make your gems different from the others.

Pear cut: A hybrid cut, combining the best of an oval and marquise, it is shaped most like a sparkling teardrop. It also belongs to that category of diamond whose design most complements a hand with small or average-length fingers. It is particularly beautiful for pendants or earrings.

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Princess cut: This is a square or rectangular cut with numerous sparkling facets. It is a relatively new cut and often finds its way into solitaire engagement rings. Flattering to a hand with long fingers, it is often embellished with triangular stones at its sides. Because of its design, this cut requires more weight to be directed toward the diamond’s depth in order to maximize brilliance. Depth percentages of 70% to 78% are not uncommon. Last April 16, 2010, William Frank Stillwell, son of Monica and Raymond Stillwell of Warrington proposed to Kelliann Charli Kneezel, daughter of Donna and Roger Kneezel of Doylestown William proposed to Kelli with a gorgeous princess cut diamond ring at Fountainville Inn in Warminster. A September 2011 wedding is being planned.

image from: diamondringsite.net

Marquise cut diamond: An elongated shape with pointed ends inspired by the fetching smile of the Marquise de Pompadour and commissioned by the Sun King,

France

’s Louis XIV. , who wanted a diamond to match it. It is gorgeous when used as a solitaire or when enhanced by smaller diamonds.

image from: diamond-all.com

Emerald cut: This is a rectangular shape with cut corners. It is known as a step cut because its concentric broad, flat planes resemble stair steps. Since inclusions and inferior color are more pronounced in this particular cut, take pains to select a stone of superior clarity and color. This was also the cut of the diamond engagement ring of Korn’s guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer who was engaged to Albanian-born actress Evis Xheneti.

image from: exclusivebidding.com

Round cut: This shape has set the standard for all other diamond shapes, and accounts for more than 75 percent of diamonds sold today. Its 58-facet cut, divided among its crown, girdle (widest part) and pavilion (base), is calibrated through a precise formula to achieve the maximum in fire and brilliance.