Avoid
diamonds with a white region just
inside the table, but pale pink
is OK.
White
leakage in centre = Bad
Pale
Pink in centre = OK
2.
Edge to Edge Brilliance
Diamonds
with bright pink / red right across
the stone to the upper girdle
(outside) facets have 'edge to
edge' brilliance; this makes them
appear to be much larger.
Excellent
Edge to
Edge Brilliance
Very
Good Edge to
Edge Brilliance
Fair
Edge to
Edge Brilliance
3.
Optical Symmetry
Look
for great 'optical' symmetry;
a perfect dark 8 rayed star. Many
of these will be Hearts &
Arrows.
Excellent
Ideal-Scope
=
Excellent Hearts
= Excellent Arrows
4.
Head Shadow/Darkness
How
much black or darkness do you
see in the stone? Too much and
the diamond will appear dark and
lifeless. Too little and it will
have less fire and scintillation.
Even
Head Shadow
Too
Much Head Shadow
Too
Little Head Shadow
Do not worry
about table size, facet meet points
and alignment, pavilion depth
or crown height and angles. The
diamond either performs or it
does not! Proportion and symmetry
grades try to predict a diamonds
cut quality. But why try to predict
when you can use an ideal-scope?
