Abstract:
A triangular star shaped diamond adapted to display a hearts and arrows pattern when exposed to light comparable to the hearts and arrows pattern in a round diamond, comprising: six main crown facets, twelve crown half facets, a table facet, six main pavilion facets and an even number of main girdle facets separating the crown facets from the pavilion facets with each main crown facet having a symmetrical main crown facet in an opposing relationship and at least one edge in parallel alignment with an edge of the opposing main crown facet.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to the field of cut diamonds and more particularly to a triangular star shaped diamond adapted to generate a hearts and arrows pattern comparable and substantially equivalent to the hearts and arrows pattern generated by an ideal round cut diamond when exposed to light. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    A hearts and arrows pattern was successfully developed for a round shaped diamond possessing a nearly perfect round shape and having symmetrical and equal cut facets polished to satisfy the following requirements for its cut facets, angle parameters and alignment relationships:
       The shape of the diamond must be perfectly symmetrical   8 main crown and 24 subsidiary crown facets   8 main bottom and 16 subsidiary bottom facets   All main facets (crown &amp; bottom) have to be polished at a perfect 45° angle to each other   All facets are perfectly aligned   All the bottom main facets are of equal size and at an angle ranging from 40.6°-41.0°   All the bottom subsidiary facets are of equal size and at an angle which is exactly 1.2° steeper than the main facets (main bottom angle 40.6°-41.0°+subsidiary 41.8°-42.2°)   All the main crown facets are of equal size and at an angle ranging from 33.8°-35.1°. They have to be perfectly aligned on the main bottom facets.   All the subsidiary crown facets are of equal size and perfectly aligned on the main crown and subsidiary bottom facets and polished at an equal angle.   The ideal proportions for the round cut diamond are:
           total depth 59.4%-62.4%   crown height 14.5%-16.0%   girdle thickness 1.5%-2.95%   Roundness 99.0%-100%   Table size: 53.0%-57.5%   
               
 
         [0018]    Although diamonds are typically cut into many geometrical shapes other than round such as, for example, a heart shape, oval, pear, marquis, princess, emerald, etc., only the round cut diamond has a nearly perfect symmetrical shape and can be polished to provide perfectly equal and symmetrical facets. Accordingly, in the diamond industry, it is widely believed that it is impossible to obtain a true hearts and arrows pattern in a non-symmetrically shaped diamond. Interestingly, what is common to all of the above shaped diamonds, other than the round shape, is its asymmetry. Moreover, if one follows the traditional method used in the diamond industry, of positioning the facets in line with the shape of the diamond, a true hearts and arrows pattern will indeed not be realizable. 
         [0019]    A new diamond shape was discovered in accordance with the subject invention that can be cut from a rough diamond having a relatively triangular shape into a diamond having a novel triangular star shape which will yield a true hearts and arrows pattern when exposed to light. A traditional triangular shaped diamond is cut to form facets in line with the shape of the diamond and does not yield a hearts and arrows pattern. The traditional triangle cut has the following facets:
       15 girdle facets   3 main crown facets   9 crown star facets   12 crown half facets   1 table facet   3 main pavilion facets   12 pavilion half facets   Total number of facets: 55       
 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0028]    The triangular star shaped diamond of the present invention possesses a heretofore unknown faceting pattern which yields a hearts an arrows pattern substantially equivalent to the hearts and arrows pattern in a round diamond. It is essential to the faceting pattern in the triangular star shaped diamond of the present invention that each main crown facet have a symmetrical facet in an opposing relationship and at least one edge in parallel alignment with an edge of the opposing main crown facet. It is also desirable in giving the diamond a star shape that it contain an equal number of girdle facets polished to align the girdle facets at a predetermined angle to ensure the girdle facets are of substantially equal length and outline a triangular shape. The triangular star shaped diamond of the present invention comprises: six main crown facets twelve crown half facets, a table facet, six main pavilion facets and an equal number main girdle facets, preferably six, separating the crown facets from the pavilion facets with each main crown facet having a symmetrical main crown facet in an opposing relationship and at least one edge in parallel alignment with an edge of the opposing main crown facet. Moreover, in the triangular star shaped diamond of the present invention the main pavilion facets are aligned to the main crown facets and not to the shape of the diamond. In addition, the triangular shaped diamond of the present invention should also preferably include twelve pavilion half facets and six crown star facets. The total number of facets in the triangular star shaped diamond of the present invention should preferably be 49. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0029]    Other advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which: 
           [0030]      FIG. 1A  is a table view of a traditional triangle cut diamond; 
           [0031]      FIG. 1B  is an upside down table view of the traditional triangle cut diamond of  FIG. 1A ; 
           [0032]      FIG. 2  is a top view of the triangular star shaped diamond of the present invention showing in dotted lines the shape of the rough diamond before it is cut into a triangular star shaped diamond and showing the initial girdle facet lines before being polished; 
           [0033]      FIG. 3  is another top view of the triangular star shaped diamond of the present invention showing how the main crown facets are polished in accordance with the subject invention; 
           [0034]      FIG. 4  is a pavilion or bottom view of the triangular star shaped diamond of the present invention showing the six main pavilion facets; 
           [0035]      FIG. 5  is a pavilion or bottom view of the triangular star shaped diamond of the present invention showing the arrangement of the twelve pavilion half facets and the six main pavilion facets relative to the center or cutlet of the diamond with the main pavilion facets providing a star shape; 
           [0036]      FIG. 6  is another top view of the triangular star shaped diamond of the present invention showing the main crown facets, crown half facets and crown star facets in an arrangement surrounding the table facet; 
           [0037]      FIG. 7  is yet another top view of the triangular star shaped diamond of the present invention showing the main crown facets and crown star facets in an arrangement showing the main pavilion facets and pavilion half facets projecting through the table facet and displaying a star pattern; and 
           [0038]      FIG. 8  is a side profile view of the triangular star shaped diamond of the present invention. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0039]    A diamond is a crystal which functions as a prism for dispersing light by means of reflection and refraction. A traditional cut triangular diamond is shown in  FIGS. 1A-1B  and possesses three main crown facets and three main pavilion facets with the facets positioned in line with the shape of the diamond. In sharp contrast, the triangular shaped diamond  10  of the present invention is cut, as is shown in  FIGS. 2-8  and more specifically as shown in  FIG. 3 , to form six main crown facets identified by the capital letters: A,B,C,D,E and F with each of the six main crown facets having a substantially equal and oppositely positioned main crown facet surrounding a single Table facet T and having at least one edge in parallel alignment with a corresponding edge of the oppositely positioned main crown facet. For example, facet A lies opposite facet D with each of the facets A and D having edges  12  and  15  aligned in parallel. Moreover, in contrast with tradition, the main crown facets A-F are not polished in line with the shape of the diamond  10 . 
         [0040]    As shown in  FIG. 2 , the triangular shaped diamond  10  of the present invention has six girdle facets A 1 , A 2 , B 1 , B 2 , and C 1 , C 2  respectively. The shape of the diamond  10  is initially formed from a rough diamond having a generally triangular shaped geometry as shown in  FIG. 2  using dotted lines to illustrate the rough shape of the diamond. The diamond  10  is initially polished to form three initial girdle facets A′, B′ and C′ which are symmetrically disposed about the body of the rough diamond  10 . The initial girdle facets A′, B′ and C′ are cut at preferably 60° from each other. The initial girdle facet A′, B′ and C′ are then polished to divide each initial girdle facet into two girdle facets at preferably 20° on each side (left and right) from the center of each initial girdle facet such that two girdle facets A 1 , A 2  are formed from the initial girdle facet A′; two girdle facets B 1 , B 2  are formed from the initial girdle facet B′ and two girdle facets C 1 , C 2  are formed from the initial girdle facet C′. This forms six girdle facets A 1 , A 2 , B 1 , B 2  and C 1 , C 2  from the initial three girdle facets A′, B′ and C′ with each of the girdle facets A 1 , A 2 , B 1 , B 2  and C 1 , C 2  being essentially of equal length and give the diamond  10  the triangular shape upon which the crown facets are polished as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         [0041]    The main crown facets A-F are polished onto the diamond  10  such that each of the six main crown facets will have a substantially equal and oppositely positioned main crown facet. However, the main crown facets are not in alignment with the main girdle facets and are in fact shifted from a corresponding main girdle facet by polishing each main crown facet at a predetermined angle away from the adjacent corresponding girdle facet. Each of the three main crown facets A,C and E should preferably be directed 15° away from its adjacent corresponding main girdle facet in a first common direction and the main crown facets B, D and F should be directed the same 15° away from its adjacent corresponding main girdle facet but in a common second direction opposite the first direction such that each main crown facet has an edge in parallel alignment with an edge of an opposing main crown facet, i.e., opposing edges  12  and  15  of main crown facets A and D should be in parallel alignment, opposing edges  13  and  16  of main crown facets B and E should be in parallel alignment and opposing edges  14  and  17  of main crown facets C and F should be in parallel alignment respectively. The main crown facets A-F are preferably polished within an angle degree range of 33.8°-35.2° and are polished to be substantially of equal size and depth. 
         [0042]    The pavilion side of the diamond is then polished to provide six main pavilion facets PA,PB,PC,PD,PE and PF, as is shown in  FIGS. 4 and 5 , with each pavilion facet polished at an angle degree ranging from 40.6°-41.1° in alignment corresponding to the six main crown facets A-F and not to the shape of the diamond. The six pavilion facets PA-PF are triangular in shape, meet at the common culet point  20  which is at the center of the diamond  10  and form a star-like pattern. Two pavilion half facets are polished about each main pavilion facet to form a total of 12 pavilion half facets PH 1 ,PH 2 ,PH 3 ,PH 4 ,PH 5 ,PH 6 ,PH 7 ,PH 8 ,PH 9 , PH 10 ,PH 11  and PH 12 . All of the pavilion half facets are polished within an angle degree range of 42.4°-43.4° and should be substantially of the same height as measured from the culet point  20  but will be of varying depth levels as is evident in  FIG. 5  wherein facet PH 1  has a significantly higher depth level than facet PH 2 , facet PH 4  has a significantly higher depth level than PH 3  and PH 5  has a significantly higher depth level than PH 6  etc. Nevertheless each of the pavilion facets are substantially identical in height and angle degrees. 
         [0043]    The crown star and crown half facets are preferably polished after the pavilion side of the diamond has been polished to form six crown star facets S 1 ,S 2 ,S 3 ,S 4 ,S 5  and S 6  as is shown in  FIGS. 6 and 7  surrounding the table facet T and within an angle degree range of 13.8°-16.8° but in an arrangement such that three of the crown star facets S 1 , S 3  and S 5  have a substantially common shape which is different from the substantially common shape of the crown star facets S 2 ,S 4  and S 6 . This is due to the non-alignment of the main crown facets and the main girdle facets as explained earlier. Lastly, the crown half facets H 1 , H 2 , H 3 , H 4 , H 5 , H 6 , H 7 , H 8 , H 9 , H 10 , H 11  and H 12  are polished within an angle degree range of 35.4°-40.6°. However, because of the anomalies in the alignment of the main crown facets and the girdle facets it is preferred to polish the crown half facets H 1 , H 4 , H 5 , H 8 , H 9  and H 12  within an angle degree that is at least 2° higher than the crown half facets H 2 , H 3 , H 6 , H 7 , H 10  and H 11 . 
         [0044]    The triangular shaped diamond of the present invention will yield a hearts and arrows pattern substantially equivalent to the hearts and arrows pattern of the round cut despite its asymmetrical shape provided it is shaped and cut in accordance with the present invention as hereinabove taught and preferably when cut to satisfy the optimum parameters set forth below in Table I: 
         [0000]    
       
         
               
               
               
             
           
               
                   
                 TABLE I 
               
               
                   
                   
               
             
             
               
                   
                 Total Depth: 
                 59.4%-67.8% 
               
               
                   
                 Table size 
                 52.4%-58.2% 
               
               
                   
                 Pavilion Depth 
                 46.2%-49.8% 
               
               
                   
                 Crown Height 
                 13.6%-16.8% 
               
               
                   
                 Main crown angle 
                 33.8°-35.2° 
               
               
                   
                 Main pavilion angle 
                 40.6°-41.1° 
               
               
                   
                 Crown star facet angle 
                 13.8°-17.4° 
               
               
                   
                 Crown halves facet angle 
                 34.6°-43.4° 
               
               
                   
                 Pavilion halves facet angle 
                 42.4%-43.4   
               
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 The diamond should be measured repeatedly as to insure the cut parameters are obtained. The angles and dept size should be verified for accuracy using conventional analyzers.