DIAMOND ANATOMY
Once cut and polished, all diamonds possess a shared set of characteristics, often referred to as the anatomy of the diamond. While the individual proportions, angles and placement of these common characteristics vary for diamonds of different shapes, their definition is the same.
TABLE
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The flat surface at the top of the diamond. This is the largest facet of the diamond.
The table percentage is the ratio of the width of the diamond's top facet in relation to the width of the entire stone.
When the table percentage is in the correct ratio, it will produce a large amount of fire and brilliance.
CROWN
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The top portion of a diamond measured from the girdle to the table. This is the top portion of the diamond (the 'table'), located above the girdle (the widest point of the diamond) and extending below the table. A diamond's crown extends from the top of the stone down to the girdle. Crowns can have either step cut facets or brilliant cut facets.
GIRDLE
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It is the narrow rim around the widest part of a diamond. This section is the intersection of the pavilion (bottom portion of the diamond) which defines the circumference of a diamond. It is also referred to as the setting edge because the girdle is where a diamond is held when set in jewelry.
PAVILION
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The bottom portion of a diamond, extending from the girdle to the culet. The pavilion bridges the girdle and the culet (point) and form at the bottom (culet). The pavilion is essential to the stone's light reflecting properties. A well cut pavilion allows maximum amount of light to reflect from the surface of the stone. An excessive deep or shallow cut diamond makes the light to escape out of the bottom and sides, reducing its sparkle.
CULET
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The facet at the tip of a gemstone. The preferred culet is not visible with the unaided eye (graded "none" or "small"). This small facet was originally intended to protect the diamond's pavilion, although today's settings are usually strong enough and makes this feature unnecessary.