Do Round Cut diamonds really sparkle more?

Gina212

Gina212

Member
Nov 8, 2013
103
7
#1
Hi All, so do they? I have never owned a round cut diamond and when I have seen them on I always thought they looked dull. Maybe those people just got low cut ones but my first engagement ring was a rectangular cushion it wasn't very high quality and it sparkled so much more than my SIL's round diamond...

If I'm looking at Round cuts I'm going for Ideal and I understand that's better (also on the 'sparkle meter' they reach 100%) but I wanted to hear some real life answers.

I've always favored the modern brilliant cushion and Radiant because of the sparkle. What do you think?
 
#2
Yes, no other shape will outsparkle a well cut round. It's simply because of the structure and precision of the cut. There are princesses and cushions that will be cut well, for example, but the faceting isn't the same so the sparkle isn't quite the same.
 
#3
It is mostly true if they are really well, i.e., ideal cuts but I find the biggest difference in the fire. I prefer a bit less fire most the time though ideal cut rounds are amazing I have to say. Still without so much dispersion of color I do find that fancy shapes will often appear brighter if they are cut beautifully so it truly depends on your taste as well, I too love fancy shapes. However, generally speaking yes well cut rounds do sparkle more like Ame said and I do love them as well.
 
#5
I had a round cut solitaire 1/2 Ct while I loved it i ended up trading it in for a 1.01 ct princess cut bella solitaire that is to die for !! So much nicer and more sparkle to it then my round cut !!! I would say go princess cut all the way
 
#6
All other things (I.e., cut) being equal, I do think rounds sparkle more. I have princess cut diamond studs and want round ones (for that reason, and also because keeping the squares straight in my ears is a pain.)
 
#7
Thanks all! I have another question...when buying diamonds online I know its tricky because of the proportions and...Radiants and Cushions...its best to see them in person but what about Rounds?

Is a GIA Excellent cut Round at BlueNile the same as an Excellent cut round at James Allen? I am confused about the whole Hearts + Arrows thing.
 
#8
I love round so that's what I chose most recently, but I also LOVE cushions! So when I had my round set, I had 4-double prongs set on the "corners" to square up my round stone a bit w/o having to sacrifice the brilliance of a round. Could that work for you?
 
#9
Gina212 said:
Thanks all! I have another question...when buying diamonds online I know its tricky because of the proportions and...Radiants and Cushions...its best to see them in person but what about Rounds?

Is a GIA Excellent cut Round at BlueNile the same as an Excellent cut round at James Allen? I am confused about the whole Hearts + Arrows thing.
Click to expand...

The hearts and arrows pattern is a natural byproduct of superior cutting and proper angles. Many brands have obviously taken advantage of that and marketed the hell out of it to their advantage, but a well cut stone is going to have that pattern. Actually...let me correct this. You can have both a GIA excellent cut and an AGS ideal cut without having Hearts and Arrows patterning, and you can have perfect Hearts and Arrows patterning outside of the Excellent and Ideal parameters. But the pattern has nothing to do with the grade from either major lab.

I will say this though--if you want to know for sure you're TRULY getting a well cut stone, you need to look at the numbers. Don't just trust the cut grade on the GIA report or the website. You want angles, etc and you need to really understand what those angles mean. As far as reports go--I lean towards AGS over GIA when looking at cut grades because a GIA Excellent is a REALLY REALLY REALLY HUUUUUUUUGE net. Their classification of Excellent includes a lot of not so excellent stones, whereas 99.9% of what AGS classifies as Ideal is gonna be a knockout, and their classification is significantly stricter.

Where JA has an advantage over BN is photos. But I personally am not a fan of JA, they're probably one of my personal least favorite online vendors. I prefer Good Old Gold and Brian Gavin Diamonds and High Performance DIamonds by a wide margin.
 
Last edited:
#10
ame said:
The hearts and arrows pattern is a natural byproduct of superior cutting and proper angles. Many brands have obviously taken advantage of that and marketed the hell out of it to their advantage, but a well cut stone is going to have that pattern. Actually...let me correct this. You can have both a GIA excellent cut and an AGS ideal cut without having Hearts and Arrows patterning, and you can have perfect Hearts and Arrows patterning outside of the Excellent and Ideal parameters. But the pattern has nothing to do with the grade from either major lab.

I will say this though--if you want to know for sure you're TRULY getting a well cut stone, you need to look at the numbers. Don't just trust the cut grade on the GIA report or the website. You want angles, etc and you need to really understand what those angles mean. As far as reports go--I lean towards AGS over GIA when looking at cut grades because a GIA Excellent is a REALLY REALLY REALLY HUUUUUUUUGE net. Their classification of Excellent includes a lot of not so excellent stones, whereas 99.9% of what AGS classifies as Ideal is gonna be a knockout, and their classification is significantly stricter.

Where JA has an advantage over BN is photos. But I personally am not a fan of JA, they're probably one of my personal least favorite online vendors. I prefer Good Old Gold and Brian Gavin Diamonds and High Performance DIamonds by a wide margin.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ame :smile: Trying to learn what the angles mean is giving me a headache but I think it's worth it. Hope you don't mind if I run numbers by you :biggrin:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top
Back