Diamond Anatomy

The most important part of a diamond is its structure.

Diamond Terms
Diameter - measurement across the diamond’s thickest point.

Table % - measured by the entire width of the table, divided by its total diameter. Important in the diamond’s sparkle.

Depth % - the distance between the table (top of the diamond); to the culet (the tip) divided by the stone width.

Table width - the measurement of the top facet diamond.

Crown - The part of a diamond between the table and girdle.

Girdle - The outer rim or edge of the diamond between the crown and the pavilion.

Pavilion - the lower half of the diamond from the girdle to the culet. The pavilion can be cut with many facets to distribute sparkle.

Culet- The bottom facet of a diamond, the culet is the very tip.

Diamond Anatomy - Structure Defines Function.

Becoming familiar with the structure of a diamond can create an understanding of how the 4 C’s (Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat) interplay to get the ultimate sparkle.Anatomy of a Diamond

To View The 4’s Of Diamonds Click On The Icons Below

Diamond CutDiamond ColorDiamond ClarityDiamond Carat

For The Finer Aspects of Diamonds Click On

Diamond Polish and SymmetryDiamond ShapeDiamond Fluorescence

What makes an ideal diamond?

The anatomy of a diamond is an important part of what makes it sparkle. Everyone knows about the four C’s of diamond shopping – carat, clarity, color and cut – but each of these are intricate areas that need to work together to make the perfect diamond. And while things like carat (the size and weight of the diamond), clarity (the purity of the stone) and color (the hue of the diamond) are very important, there is nothing that can be done to change these characteristics in a stone.

However, the cut of the diamond is completely controlled by the diamond producer. A perfectly cut diamond will feature a sharp, on-center culet (the bottom point of the diamond), good overall symmetry, a level table (the top of the diamond) with a good table percentage (calculated as the width of the table divided by the diameter, which is key to producing sparkle), and the proper crown height (from the girdle to the top) versus pavilion depth (from the girdle to the culet) to ensure that the cut is neither too deep (which reflects light too sharply back through the top of the diamond) nor too shallow (which reflects less light).

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