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THE DEPTH OF THE ROUND CUT
 Tolkowsky's
cut's height is 59% that of the diameter of the round diamond. which breaks
down to about 43% for the pavilion, and 16% for the height of the crown.
This 59% is probably the most crucial dimension of the stone. You might
find diamonds that are both too shallow (ie the height is significantly
smaller than 59%), and sometimes you'll see stones that are too chunky (
significantly over 59%). Since this dimension is the most important one
to the brilliance, don't buy any stones that deviate too much from this
value. You will sometimes see other standards like the Eppler Cut, and the
Scandanavian Cut, that look just like the Tolkowsky Cut, but the height
is at 58%. A wonderful range for a round stone is 58-61% depth, while in
most fancy shapes I'd be looking for a 60-63% for a bright diamond.
 Fancy
shapes really benefit from slightly added depth too, which helps optically
correct for the stone's shape, and potential brightness... Imagine that
since the round brilliant is the optimum cut for displaying a diamond's
brilliance that fancy shapes are deformations of this 58 faceted round shape.
I like to see Marquise depths in the lower sixties, with the table of less
concern than correcting depth for a bright stone... So where I might say
"63% depth in a round begins to be a bit excessive" in a Marquise or Princess
cut I'd say it's "Prime Time"... {Grin}... Get too shallow in a fancy shape
and the optics are "blown"... Math describes the optical properties of a
diamond extremely well, so use the information to avoid poorly cut stones...
...then when you're comparing prices you are also comparing similar stones
"worth the having"... Don't get stuck with a poorly cut diamond... If "Diamonds
are forever" then it holds that an ugly diamond you paid way to much
for is rather permanent too... Knowledge is Power, be more powerful, and
informed for the best result.. Where ever you make your purchase the key
is to "understand the depth/optics", and what actually makes a diamond beautiful...
Background Music Fades {Grin}...
Cut is the key, and like the tumblers in a lock,
the math either unlocks the diamond's potential beauty, or the math restricts
that beauty, regardless of the other factors... If your offered something
like a "G-VS2" with no additional information about the cut you are being
told but part of the story. Fancy shapes all somewhat compromise the math,
so the trick here is to compensate for this effect... There's no magic to
a diamond, it's all in the numbers folks... While "Shadow People" might
be well be appropriate for the diamond industry you'll find that solid facts,
and verified detailed numbers, will be your salvation for a beautiful fine
diamond with "life and fire"... ...and beauty is what it's all about...
{Grinning widely now}... Never substitute a free cup of coffee or a stuffed
toy from Hong Kong for detailed information or lab reports, or you'll end
up paying dearly for them in the end :) You needn't take a GIA Home study
course to understand diamond values, just use common sense and make the
puchase a commodity purchase, not an emotional one. Knowledge really
is power, be more powerful!
Imagine that!
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