Round Cut Diamonds = Fire, Brilliance & Popularity

Round Cut diamonds have been the most popular diamond shape for years. They’ve set the standard for all other diamond shapes. Roughly 70 percent of all rough diamonds are round cut. This is because a round cut diamond always has excellent light performance (no matter what carat size). Also, it will look beautiful in all types of jewelry pieces. Since the demand for round cut diamonds is very high, and the yield is relatively low, round cut diamonds tend to cost more on a per carat basis than fancier shapes. Also, more of the rough stone is lost in the cutting process. As a result, the cost of each carat retained is higher.

3 Crucial Tips You Must Know When Choosing A Round Diamond

Tip 1: The Certificate Doesn’t Grade “Most Stunning”

Certificates are only ONE component of a diamond. Unfortunately for you, certificates don’t offer a “Most Stunning” grade. Grading Labs such a GIA or EGL make no comment on brilliance or price, yet these are two important considerations when purchasing a diamond. This is exactly why you can’t choose a Round cut diamond based on the certificate alone.

Here’s my order of importance: Cut, Color, Clarity

Cut

Cut is very important, so ideally you want to have a “Very Good” or “Excellent” cut grade. This is what makes it very sparkly, so I search for diamonds that have the most sparkle and scintillation. A huge part of this process for you is based on trust, so you’ll have to rely on the fact that I’ve literally never had a client dislike their diamond choice once they see it in person because I choose all diamonds to be super sparkly. In other words, between all of them, you can’t make a wrong choice because they are all beautiful.

Virtually all round cut diamonds today contain 58 facets (also known as “brilliant-cut”). Table ratio (width of table facet divided by diamond width) for a beautiful round cut diamond is around 51 percent and above. Total depth ratio (depth divided by diamond width) of a round cut diamond should be around 57.5 percent and above. For the most part, you should look for a diamond with a small culet (small area at the bottom of a diamond’s pavilion) since a larger culet will impact light performance. Also, try to avoid stones that have extremely thin or extremely thick girdle thickness. Crown angle (number of degrees between table plane and bezel facets) should be 30% and above. Pavilion depth should be at least 41%. The certificate’s cut grade will help you with this so look for an “Excellent” or “Very Good” cut grade.

Round cut diamonds are the only shape to have perfectly defined proportions (stated in 1919 by Tolkowsky). Generally speaking, this cut should not have any sharp corners or edges. Because of this, the center stone will be less likely to catch on hair or clothes. It will also be less vulnerable to chipping or breaking. Typical settings for round cut diamonds are 4 prong, 6 prong (for larger diamonds), and bezel (for more contemporary diamonds). All three settings do a good job of securely holding the center stone in place while helping maximize the amount of light that can enter the stone. Generally, they should have a length-to-width ratio of 1.0.

Color

When it comes to Color, unless you’re choosing an antique style round diamond, you’ll want to stick to Colorless or Near Colorless (D-J colors). A nice cut and white color will really make your diamond POP. She’ll get TONS of compliments from these two alone. When it comes to clarity, I’ll cover this one in Tip 3 below.

Tip 2: Diamond List Websites VS. Jewelry Stores

Online, you’ll see a lot of diamonds at various prices and don’t know why each one costs what it does – especially if they show the same statistics. This is a really big problem with buying internet diamonds because clients try to find a deal online but can;t distinguish which diamond is a “great deal.” That’s why I create a Diamond Selection for for my clients living outside of San Diego, where they can choose a diamond from an HD video showing the stones in different lighting conditions (all diamonds change based on the lighting.)

When purchasing from a large Diamond List online, you don’t buy a diamond, you buy a certificate – The diamond just happens to mailed along with the certificate. Those companies are simply middlemen and do not have possession of those diamonds on the list. In fact, customer service reps with large online Diamond lists will never even see the diamond you purchase before you receive it. Would you marry someone based solely upon their height and weight? Of course not. It doesn’t give you a complete picture of what you’re dealing with.

I know it can be confusing for clients since diamond pricing online has so many variables, however my job is to make it easy for you by doing all the hard work sifting through dozens of options to provide you with an awesome selection to choose from. It almost seems too easy on your part, right? But that’s what clients come to me for. And I don’t charge for this Diamond Selection – whether you visit the studio in person or we create an HD video for you to choose from, I’m simply want women to have a really gorgeous diamond for this ONE important ring.

To give you insight into our diamond selection process:

We first look through a large database of hundreds of options to cull it down to our favorite 24, then talk to each dealer about the unique qualities of the diamonds in order to determine which ones to ship in. Then I personally select the ones for you to make your selection from. It’s why we’ve never had a client dissatisfied with their choice because we provide you with the very best quality diamonds to choose from at the best prices possible.

Example of a Diamond Selection Video for a Client Outside of San Diego

Tip 3: SI vs. VS Clarity Grades

One thing I would suggest is that you consider SI clarity diamonds in addition to looking at VS clarity. I wouldn’t suggest this if you were picking a stone blindly off an internet list based solely on the certificate, but if someone is personally choosing a selection of diamonds for you (like here at VNJ) we would select only SI clarity options where inclusions are NOT visible to the naked eye. This is beneficial because you’ll get the same look as a VS clarity diamond, yet at the SI clarity price point.

Inclusions come in a variety of shapes and colors and if we’re able to find one where the inclusion is white, can be hidden by a prong, or it’s barely perceptible to the naked eye, you would be able to get a bigger size while still staying within budget.

Certification grades given to diamonds are not an exact science, they are simply guidelines. That’s why I source from different places to get you the highest value for your dollar. Prices vary based on several factors such as where we get them from, what’s currently most popular, how much they were originally bought for, etc.

The certificate is only a piece of paper – she doesn’t wear the paper on her finger, she wears the diamond. I’ve never heard of anyone asking a woman, “Ooh, is that a D, VVS, with xy depth & xy width?” No, they simply gush over how sparkly it is. If they ask anything specific, it’s what the carat size is.

I know it can be confusing for clients since diamond pricing with relation to their grades has so many variables, however my job is to make it easy for you by doing all the hard work sifting through dozens of options to provide you with an awesome selection to choose from.