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What’s the difference between single cut and full cut diamonds?
Diamonds are formed deep under the Earth’s surface under intense pressure and heat over the course of millions of years. It’s one of the reasons why diamonds are so rare. They don’t form quickly, so the more we find, the longer it will take for more to be made.
When first found, diamonds resemble a lumpy piece of glass with an oily surface. Diamonds don’t look like your classic brilliant diamond sparkling and casting light when they’re first uncovered. It isn’t until much later in the cutting and polishing stage that you’ll experience the full fire and sparkle of a diamond.
At deBoulle Diamond & Jewelry, we stock a wide selection of beautiful diamond jewelry and timepieces, including exquisite diamond engagement rings, perfect for an engagement proposal.
In the following article, we’ll examine the difference between a single cut diamond and a full-cut diamond and how artisans carefully and meticulously shape diamonds to unleash their full potential.
The Cut of A Diamond and Its Effect on the Diamond’s Appearance
The way a diamond is cut directly impacts its brilliance, sparkle, and beauty. This makes the cut of the diamond one of the most important factors when it comes to determining the price of the stone.
Round diamonds are most often cut as a single cut or full cut. If a diamond isn’t round, it’s typically cut as a fancy cut and could have a variety of facets. The term single cut or full cut refers to the faceting of the diamond, most often in small stone sizes that are used as accents in engagement rings or fashion jewelry pieces that don’t have a large central stone.
What Is A Single Cut Diamond?
Single-cut diamonds are a round diamond which has 16 or 17 facets. They have what is referred to as an 8/8 arrangement, which consists of 8 facets on the crown, 8 facets on the pavilion of the diamond, and a table facet, which totals 17 facets.
Single-cut diamonds were most commonly used in jewelry between the 1800s and 1950s. After that, technological advancements made it easier to cut smaller diamonds with a higher number of facets, which led to the emergence of full-cut diamonds.
What Is A Full Cut Diamond?
A full cut diamond is a round diamond that boasts at least 58 facets. Almost all rough diamonds are cut or shaped into a single cut diamond before additional facets are added to the stone to transform it into a full cut diamond.
If a diamond has less than 58 facets, it isn’t considered to be a true full-cut diamond.
So, What’s the Real Difference Between Single Cut and Full Cut Diamonds?
In small diamonds, the visual differences between a full cut and single cut diamond are subtle. However, the light reflection from a full-cut diamond is greater because of the higher number of facets. Because the facets on single-cut diamonds are larger, but they don’t have as many, the sparkle is a little more subdued and the light doesn’t reflect quite as brilliantly.
In contrast to that, the 58 facets of a full-cut diamond create a much more brilliant sparkle and shine, almost like fire, thanks to the higher number of facets. Every facet is like a small mirror reflecting light and color. However, cutting a high number of facets into smaller diamonds is much more labor-intensive, which makes the cost higher. Because of this, some jewelers will choose to do a single cut as it saves time and resources, particularly with small diamonds.
An engagement ring or piece with a large central focal stone may have smaller full-cut diamonds around it, which serve as beautiful accents. In fashion jewelry, which typically doesn’t have a large central diamond, smaller full-cut diamonds create more sparkle and shine.
Single Cut Diamonds Versus Full Cut Diamonds – Conclusion
There you go! Everything you wanted to know about the difference between full cut and single cut diamonds and why some diamonds sparkle less than others.
At deBoulle Diamond & Jewelry, we stock a wide selection of beautiful diamond jewelry and timepieces, including exquisite diamond engagement rings, perfect for an engagement proposal. Don’t hesitate to reach out and contact us with any questions about engagement ring purchases, or drop in and speak to one of our expert staff members today.