jfluss1226 asked:


The “Diamond Cuts” segment aired in the afternoon of August twenty-ninth, 2007, before the Angels Tigers game at 8 PM eastern. If anybody knows at least the band or the title of the song, submit that as an answer. Every littlt bit should help me out.
Thanks to all of your sarcasm, I now realize that I mad a mistake. I meant July, because I do not have a flux capacitor (thanks RogerRabbit).

GRESHAM

Keith M asked:


Can someone give me a quick and easy run-down on diamond quality?

EVELYN

chocolate_cat asked:


I want a square cut solitaire diamond ring for xmas and my bf is getting one for me but within a budget of around $300. I was wondering why all the round shaped ones cost so much less than the square ones. Also any tips in choosing the right ring? I don’t like gold but silver or white gold is fine. And his budget of around $300 is only because this is more of a promise ring and we’ve only been together for a little over a year. Thanks for all the input.

JUDGE

Diamonds are cut from stones in a wide variety of shapes know as cuts. While most stones can be cut into any of these shapes, for best effect the natural shape and qualities of the diamond itself will determine which shape is chosen.

If you are custom designing your own diamond jewelry or if you are shopping for an already designed piece, it is always helpful to have an understanding of the terminology used to describe the different cuts used for diamonds. The name of the cut refers to the shape of the diamond when viewed from above.

ROUND

One of the most common shapes for a diamond used on rings, pendants, bracelets or earrings is the round shape. The sides of the diamond are faceted to allow the light to reflect across the center of the diamond, creating the fire and sparkle that is the hallmark of a beautiful stone. Round diamond cuts are very popular for solitaire style rings and are ideal for stud type earrings.

PRINCESS

Another very common diamond cut for the large or center stone or in a solitaire style setting is the princess cut. This cut is the square to rectangular cut that is seen in many of the antique as well as modern settings. Diamonds used for the princess cut have to be superior in clarity to prevent the color from showing at the points or corners of the cut.

EMERALD

The emerald cut is a rounded rectangle with a pavilion or faceted side, typical of what you would see in a well-cut emerald gem. Like the princess cut, the emerald shape requires a very clear diamond of high quality to preserve the clarity of the stone.

ASSCHER

A less common cut is the asscher, which is a square version of the emerald cut.

MARQUIS

The marquise cut is an elongated shape with both the top and bottom ending in a noticeable point. This shape is ideal for enhancing the size of the solitaire diamond as it draws the eye along the cut of the side, giving the appearance of a much larger carat diamond. The marquise cut is seen in both older and more modern settings and can be accentuated with baguette style diamonds or gems.

PEAR

The pear shape is similar to the marquise but with one end rounded and one end pointed. This diamond cut can add a slimming and elongating effect to the ring finger and is considered one of the classic diamond shapes. Pear-shaped diamonds are also popular in earrings and necklaces where they give the impression of length.

HEART

Heart shaped diamond cuts have long been a romantic favorite. This type of cut does require at least a J quality diamond or above as with a lower quality gem the clarity will not be as distinct and the color may be more evident. Many of the colored diamonds look beautiful in the heart shape.

PILLOW

The pillow cut is a combination of the round and princess cut with lots of facets resulting in sparkle and fire. The cushion cut is one of the most common cuts seen on antique diamonds and is very popular in pendants and other large settings.



By: Amy Carrington

About the Author:

SIBLEY

ng process is obviously one of the most important steps in the journey of a diamond from a rough diamond to a polished and glittering one. Just as there are specific locations where diamond mines have been located, there are various centers across the world known for their diamond cutting expert resources. The factors that determine the manner in which these centers operate are varied and include customs, regulations, labor costs, prices and the proximity to diamond mines.

In fact most of these centers are created due to some specific environmental, governmental or economic situation. Each cutting center is known for its specialty and while one center may be popular for its expertise in churning out well chiseled small diamonds, the other might be known to be able to produce unique and irregular cuts.

Antwerp is probably the world’s oldest cutting center and it was a key center for the European gem trade in the middle ages. It is very well known for its cutting of large diamond rough and a very important center in this industry today. About 80 percent of the world’s diamonds pass through this center and some of the most important and prestigious De Beer sightholders are based in Antwerp.

Russia started its diamond cutting industry in a small manner. Small workshops were set up where the cutting work was completed. However, the discovery of the rich diamond deposits in Siberia turned the course of diamond cutting industry in Russia in 1955. The Russian cut diamonds soon began to be known for their precision and finesse. In 1990’s De Beers made one of the Russian firms, it sightholder and today Russia cuts diamonds from its own mines and also those from De Beers.

Another center that emerged post the World War II was Tel Aviv. This was because most of the skilled diamond cutter Jews fled Holland and Belgium to settle in what we today know as Israel. While the country produced small cut diamonds initially, they soon became the top producers of large diamonds and fancy, unique cuts. Tel Aviv is probably the most technologically advanced diamond cutting center as of now and exports around $4 billion worth of polished fancy cut diamonds. Most of these diamonds coming out of Israel are actually absorbed by the US market.

The diamond cutting industry in India prospered more when the Argyle diamond mines were found in Western Australia. These mines produced large amounts of small sized roughs that were suited to be cut as small diamonds. An expensive diamond cutting center would not at all be feasible for such work since the high labour cost would ultimately get passed on to the cost of making small diamonds and thus making them unaffordable and heavily priced. Therefore, India was a natural choice due to its cheap labor and large workforce. The main place where diamond cutting takes place in India are Maharashtra and Gujrat.These two places are the international trading center of India. Even though most of the diamonds that are cut in this center are below 3 pts, about 90% of the diamonds pass through this center by weight and 35% by wholesale value making it India’s largest export in 2000. More than 50 lakhs people are employed directly or indirectly in this industry in India.

New York is known for its special cuts, especially for large diamonds. The beauty of the diamond cuts and the size almost equals that of Tel Aviv and Antwerp. Since the labor costs are high in New York, the cutting center confines its operations to large high quality extraordinary diamonds, some of which adorn the fingers, wrists, necks and ears of the wealthiest diamond lovers in the world.

Thailand is known for cutting fashion colored stones. China has received a large amount of government backing in this area and today it specializes in small well-cut rounds.

Canada with its new discoverd mines, is the most recent entrant in to this area. This has happened due to the discovery of Ekati diamond mines that are under development in the northern tundra. The government would like the locals to benefit from this find and therefore a certain amount of stock of roughs is being sold to the local diamond cutters.

The diamond industry is a dynamic one and the emergence of these diamond cutting centers is also a proof of the same. As diamond mines were discovered and developed and made professional, specific diamond cutting centers were identified based on their proximity, labor cost, specific expertise and skill. These are the very centers that have been mentioned above – some that became large renowned cutting centers after years of hard work and others that have windmills that would turn them into profitable centers in a matter of days.



By: Mithun Rao

About the Author:

CHANEL

Choose your nickname asked:


It was the first Diamond Cuts segment of the season, a wrap-up of Week 1 of the 2008 season…I liked the song a lot

SPRINGER

allibris_3 asked:


Has anyone been diamond shopping lately? Do you sell diamonds? Are you a wedding planner or just up on the latest fashions? I am looking for the new and popular cuts and sizes of diamonds and any other diamond trends. I am not really interested in asking a jewler in person because I feel they are only trying to sell something. Are there any celebrities influencing this particular fashion trend?

AIKEN

thefutureofgallants asked:


i am looking for a ring that has diamonds hopefully, but specifically all the little cuts in it that are ornamental. they make the ring scream when light hits it.

CORIN