Glossary of Diamond Terms

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Blemish: An imperfection on a diamond’s surface that may or may not be recognizable.

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Brilliance: The amount of white light reflected that radiates from the diamond’s surface. The properly proportioned cut equals a more brilliant diamond.

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Brilliant Cut: A round diamond that measures 58 facets.

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Carat: Measurement used for scaling the weight of a diamond. One carat is equal to one fifth of a gram.

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Clarity: A graded scale that measures the amount of imperfections within a diamond. The ranges from flawless (FL) to severely included (I3).

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Cloud: A minor inclusion within a diamond.

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Color: Color tones of a diamond that are graded on a scale of D (colorless) to Z (yellow brown).

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Culet: The bottom point of the diamond which may or may not contain a facet.

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Cut: The proportion of angle and geometric shape that encompasses both shape and percentage of stone. Determines the stone’s sparkle and radiance capabilities.

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Ideal Cut: A round diamond that is perfectly proportioned. See Hearts and Arrows.

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Very Good Cut (Premium): A proportioned cut that maximizes brilliance, reflection and fire. Meets the highest standards and dimensions for a quality diamond.

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Good Cut: An acceptable and more reasonably priced cut with decent proportions.

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Fair Cut: While still capturing some sparkle, this cut is made to maximize the diamond’s carat weight.

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Poor Cut: A clearly dull and lifeless diamond that sacrifices proportion and quality.

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Depth: A diamond’s height from culet to table.

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Depth %: Height divided by width. Determines brilliance and sparkle.

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Eye-clean: When viewing with the naked eye, a diamond with no visible inclusions or imperfections.

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Facet: A diamond’s flat, polished surfaces.

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Fire: Reflected color light that radiates from the inside, out.

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Fluorescence: When exposed to ultraviolet light, an illuminating bluish color that glows from the diamond surface,

which usually doesn’t affect appearance or quality.

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Girdle: A diamond’s narrow band that encircles the width.

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Inclusion: An imperfection within a diamond that typically manifests in the crystal. May or may not be visible to the naked eye but noticeable when magnified.

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Make: The diamond’s cut proportions. The better the make, the better the diamond.

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Pavilion: A diamond’s bottom portion.

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Point: One hundredth of a carat.

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Polish: The external finish of a stone, which ranges from excellent to poor.

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Sparkle: The amount of reflected light that radiates from a diamond’s surface and combines both fire and brilliance.

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Symmetry: The overall unity and proportion of a stone’s cut. Symmetry ranges from poor to excellent.

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Table: The top of the diamond that carries the largest facet of the diamond.

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Table %: The total diameter of the diamond that divides the width of the table and is critical in determining the sparkle of the stone.