The awe-striking beauty of a cut diamond emanates from its inherent physical and optical properties in combination with a cutter's ability to maximize the display of these properties. It is the precision, care and artistry, which the cutter brings to the stone that releases the diamond's full potential. Here we focus on the modern round brilliant cut diamond because it is the most popular shape sold and it produces the best light return, in the form of brilliance, dispersion and scintillation, to the eye.
Brilliance is the total light reflected to the eye from both surface and internal reflections.
Scintillation is the flashing or sparkling of light which occurs when either the diamond or light source are moved. Often there is no culet facet and the stone is pointed on the bottom, leaving a total of 57 facets. Also, in higher quality goods the girdle is frequently faceted, but these facets are not counted in the total. Finish , which includes polish and symmetry, is also an important contributor to a diamond's beauty. Polish features largely describe the condition of the surface of the stone, and include abrasions of the facet junctions and the culet, rough and bearded girdles, nicks and pits, and scratches and polishing marks if they do not affect the clarity grade.