When a diamond is cut, its potential brilliance and sparkle are enhanced by accentuating and optimizing the natural patterns within it. Each of the four main types of cut has its own characteristic appearance, which can be identified from across a room. The key is to understand what look you want for your diamond, with each type of cut bringing out different features in a stone. The Four Cuts of a Diamond: Informally called the Four Cuts because they are the most recognized ways that a diamond can be cut to optimize its appearance and value. There are also other less well-known cuts that have their appeal, but these are not as commonly seen or discussed. Let’s take a look at all five diamond cuts now:

Round Brilliant Cut

The most popular diamond cut is the Round Brilliant, which maximizes the diamond's brilliance and sparkle. A Round Brilliant Cut diamond should be 1 carat, 6-8mm in diameter and have a high crown. This cut is also known as the squared round brilliant cut.

Emerald Cut

The Emerald Cut diamond is rectangular-shaped with a square cut corner. The cut helps minimize the amount of light lost by the diamond. The Emerald Cut diamond is a good choice for people looking for a diamond with a lot of sparkle and brilliance. However, the Emerald Cut diamond is not common and is typically not seen with high clarity grade diamonds.

Pear Shaped Diamond

The Pear Shaped diamond is a modified version of the Round Brilliant Cut diamond with the corners of the diamond cut off. The overall appearance of the Pear Shaped diamond will be larger than that of a Round Brilliant diamond, but not as large as an Emerald Cut diamond. The Pear Shaped diamond is often referred to as a "Square Cut Round" or "Square Round Brilliant."

Differences between diamond cut good vs very good

A cut diamond graded "good" or "very good" will only differ in the table size. A diamond's table is the flat surface on the top of the diamond and is not the diamond's diameter. A smaller table will impact a diamond's grade, as there is less diamond to grade. The table size of a diamond cut "good" is approximately 70% of the ideal diameter. The table size of a diamond cut "very good" is approximately 80%. The table size of a diamond cut "excellent" is approximately 90%.