There are many different shapes you can pick for your diamond engagement ring amongst your other bridal jewelry. A few of the choices that are available have typical 58 facets, 33 on the crown and 25 on the pavilion.
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Old European Cut
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Old Mine Cut
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Triangular Cut
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Baguetie
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Tapered Baguette
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Square Cut
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Radiant
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Square Emerald Cut
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Heart-Shaped Cut
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Marquise Or Navetie Cut
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Emerald Cut
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Single Cut
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Pear-Shaped Cut
Cut
We now know that it is important to confirm the weight of a diamond (carat weight) to check how clean (clarity) the diamond is, and to determine how white (color) the diamond is. Cut is the last of the four C's. You will recall that our instructions were to get a diamond that was big, clean, white, and sparkly.
We know how to achieve the big part. To deliver a clean diamond you should buy no lower than an 812, and to achieve the "white" part the diamond should be a J color or better. However, getting a sparkly diamond is a little tricky. It is possible for a diamond to be big, clean, white, and not really pretty. Remember, there are four C's, not three. Most people forget about cut. They believe that if they get a high color grade, a high clarity grade, and a carat-plus diamond, that must mean the diamond will be beautiful. Unfortunately, that is not true. What good is a big white diamond that doesn't sparkle? Well, no good actually, and if a diamond isn't well proportioned it won't sparkle. 80 it's important to know what angles a diamond should be cut to. But before we cover that, we need to go over the parts of the diamond.
There are three basic parts to a diamond: the top, the middle, and the bottom. The top is the crown, the middle the girdle, and the bottom the pavilion.
The job of the pavilion is the most important. Its job is to reflect all light back up into your eyes. Think of the pavilion as if it were an ice cream cone lined with mirrors-any light flashed inside should bounce back up. The job of the girdle is to protect the edge of the diamond from chipping, and the job of the crown is to split the light entering the diamond into white light (brilliance) and colored light (fire and dispersion). For the crown, girdle, and pavilion to do their job they have to be a certain height and the diamond has to be cut to certain angles. If all this comes together, the diamond will sparkle! On the following pages you'll find a detailed plus a short version of a proportion questionnaire that should be filled out on every diamond you find attractive and that you're thinking about purchasing. Only after you fill out the questionnaire on each diamond will you know if the diamond you want to buy is well proportioned and worth purchasing. Something to keep in mind is that 75 percent of all diamonds on the market are poorly proportioned, so you might have to do a little searching before you find a diamond that is right. The reason so many diamonds are cut poorly is because it's more profitable to sell a poorly proportioned than a correctly proportioned diamond. 
More Diamond Facts:
- Diamond Color - Is White Really White?
- Adding Color to Your Diamond Ring
- Carat Weight for Buying a Diamond Engagement Ring
- Settings for Buying a Diamond Engagement Ring
