Question for AVC or Antique Stone Owners

[HeatherL]

Hi all, I'm considering an AVC and was curious about the culet. For those of you who have a large or very large culet, is it noticeable? I watched a video of an antique stone that had a large culet and it looked like a hole in the diamond. I hate to say that but that's what it looked like. I'm not sure if I liked that look but also wondered how noticeable it really is...... I've never seen one in person so I'm just not sure what to expect.

Thanks!!!!

 

[ecf8503]

I have an AVC with a "slightly large" culet (as described on the GIA report), and it is not very noticeable to me. But then again it is part of the charm, so maybe I just don't "see" it?

 

[Hospatogi]

I have an AVC with a large culet and it is not noticeable in person especially once the stone is mounted on your setting.

 

[Haven]

My stone has a large culet and I don't notice it at all now that it's set. I do look for it sometimes because I LOVE it, though!

ETA: That being said, maybe an antique cut is not for you if you don't like the culet. I think the culet is part of my stone's charm, but I bet if it was something I *didn't* like about the stone, I would notice it a lot more, if that makes sense.

 

[swingirl]

My Old European Cut has a tiny culet (if it has one at all) So I don't see the "hole" but it is part of the character on many of the antique stones. You could find one without a culet if you don't like that look. GOG's stone seem to have very small culets which you may not even notice in real life.

 

[LGK]

Nope. I have three diamonds with culets- one AVC, 1.5 ct with a GIA large culet. I have an Old European Cut, 1.22 ct EGL-USA graded, with a large culet. And I have an uncerted 3.39 ct OEC, with a culet that's been variously described as large and extra large by various appraisers.

And IRL? You rarely spot the culet. You have to have it right up to your face, dead center, to see it as a dark/windowed spot. Mostly it just reflects light like any other facet, because your hands are constantly in motion and you rarely are staring straight down. And once a diamond is set, even then, it isn't that obvious. Pictures make culets incredibly exaggerated, like all those dark looking arrow pictures of H&A stones really. I mean, a culet even in a large stone with an XL culet, it's a fraction of a millimeter, like a poppy seed is way bigger than the culet in my larger OEC. So no- culets really are not very visible in most viewing conditions. And, I have incredibly good closeup vision (I'm very nearsighted).

I'm sure there's some people that find them bothersome IRL, but you just can't judge if they'll annoy you from a picture or a video, unfortunately. Is there anywhere near you that sells secondhand or antique jewelry you can go to look for an antique stone with a culet?

 

[kenny]

A culet is neither good or bad.
It is just part of the look of these cuts.
If you don't like culets perhaps consider another cut or one with a smaller culet.

You commented that a culet looks like a hole.
It is understandable you said that since they do sort of function as a hole, optically at least.
When two diamond facets (such as the table and the culet) are parallel, or under a critical angle the light just passes straight through instead of reflecting on the facet.
It is also called windowing.

I have a little green diamond with a culet that was not cut parallel to the table, probably for weight retention as it followed the shape of the rough, yet the culet still windows.
You can see how the culet is at an angle in the bottom of the right pic.

Also on the bottom of the left pic notice the Kozibe effect.
That's where the culet is reflected many times.
This is a look that I love; it's reminiscent of of a bouquet of flowers.

I'd say the culet IS visible in that it is another of the many facets and it part of the look that I like, even in this tiny diamond.
It is not visible in the sense that it would look like a big dark hole in the middle of the diamond though.

Keep in mind that all still pics can be deceiving when it comes to things like "dark arrows" or culets.
A live moving diamond is quite different as these shapes just blend into the other scintillating facets.

Again if you don't like that look there are lots of other cuts without culets.

 

[HeatherL]

Thank you all so much, this has helped me tremendously. Kenny and LGK your description of the culet is wonderful. I did not realize that the culet was an actual facet and would reflect light. When I watched the video that displayed the antique cushion, the light must have been hitting the stone at the right angle because the stone definitely displayed the windowing. And this is what worried me as I assumed I would see this windowing effect all the time. I would love to be able to see some antique stones in person but that is not possible. Thank you all so much!!!!

 

[nkarma]

I don't get how one cannot see a large or very large cutlet unless the stone is quite small. For my 1.37ct AVC, I can definitely see it easily, but I love it. Read Kenny's post about how cutlets aren't good or bad and are actually an important facet in antique cut stones.