Question for StormDoor, DiaGem, GarryH, and other cutting experts

[Isabelle]

Can you guys weigh in on how important cut is to the appearance of size? IOW, can a diamond be cut in such a way to appear larger by making the table big? And on the flip side, can a well cut diamond give the illusion of being larger than it is simply by sparkling more? What is your opinion on the effect a well cut diamond can have on the appearance of SIZE to the *untrained eye*, ie casual observer of a ring on the hand of someone you meet? (We got into this discussion on another thread, and I thought it would be helpful to ask actual diamond cutters!) Thanks for any insight you can give.

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 3/27/2008 9:47:02 AM
Author:Isabelle
Can you guys weigh in on how important cut is to the appearance of size? IOW, can a diamond be cut in such a way to appear larger by making the table big? And on the flip side, can a well cut diamond give the illusion of being larger than it is simply by sparkling more? What is your opinion on the effect a well cut diamond can have on the appearance of SIZE to the *untrained eye*, ie casual observer of a ring on the hand of someone you meet? (We got into this discussion on another thread, and I thought it would be helpful to ask actual diamond cutters!) Thanks for any insight you can give.

A well cut diamond will appear larger than a poorly cut diamond. The edge to edge sparkle makes a HUGE difference.

Garry Holloway has had two sample sets of two stones cut that he sells to jewelers. In one of the sets there is a stone the size of a .75ct diamond that looks as large as a stone cut poorly that is the size of a 1 ct diamond. They look the same size to the eye, even though the .75 is measurably much smaller than the 1ct.

In the other set there are two stones cut to one carat size, one being well cut and the other being poorly cut. The well cut stone looks and hugely larger than the poorly cut stone. There have been pictures of these sets posted somewhere on this board and the difference is quite amazing.

Wink

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 3/27/2008 10:02:59 AM
Author: Wink

Date: 3/27/2008 9:47:02 AM
Author:Isabelle
Can you guys weigh in on how important cut is to the appearance of size? IOW, can a diamond be cut in such a way to appear larger by making the table big? And on the flip side, can a well cut diamond give the illusion of being larger than it is simply by sparkling more? What is your opinion on the effect a well cut diamond can have on the appearance of SIZE to the *untrained eye*, ie casual observer of a ring on the hand of someone you meet? (We got into this discussion on another thread, and I thought it would be helpful to ask actual diamond cutters!) Thanks for any insight you can give.

A well cut diamond will appear larger than a poorly cut diamond. The edge to edge sparkle makes a HUGE difference.

Garry Holloway has had two sample sets of two stones cut that he sells to jewelers. In one of the sets there is a stone the size of a .75ct diamond that looks as large as a stone cut poorly that is the size of a 1 ct diamond. They look the same size to the eye, even though the .75 is measurably much smaller than the 1ct.

In the other set there are two stones cut to one carat size, one being well cut and the other being poorly cut. The well cut stone looks and hugely larger than the poorly cut stone. There have been pictures of these sets posted somewhere on this board and the difference is quite amazing.

Wink

Wondering if this is one of the examples you mean Sir Wink?

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/carat.asp

 

[Isabelle]

Thank you. this is what I have always believed as well, but I wanted to make sure I wasn''t dreaming.

 

[WinkHPD]

Date: 3/27/2008 10:05:55 AM
Author: Lorelei

Date: 3/27/2008 10:02:59 AM
Author: Wink

Date: 3/27/2008 9:47:02 AM
Author:Isabelle
Can you guys weigh in on how important cut is to the appearance of size? IOW, can a diamond be cut in such a way to appear larger by making the table big? And on the flip side, can a well cut diamond give the illusion of being larger than it is simply by sparkling more? What is your opinion on the effect a well cut diamond can have on the appearance of SIZE to the *untrained eye*, ie casual observer of a ring on the hand of someone you meet? (We got into this discussion on another thread, and I thought it would be helpful to ask actual diamond cutters!) Thanks for any insight you can give.

A well cut diamond will appear larger than a poorly cut diamond. The edge to edge sparkle makes a HUGE difference.

Garry Holloway has had two sample sets of two stones cut that he sells to jewelers. In one of the sets there is a stone the size of a .75ct diamond that looks as large as a stone cut poorly that is the size of a 1 ct diamond. They look the same size to the eye, even though the .75 is measurably much smaller than the 1ct.

In the other set there are two stones cut to one carat size, one being well cut and the other being poorly cut. The well cut stone looks and hugely larger than the poorly cut stone. There have been pictures of these sets posted somewhere on this board and the difference is quite amazing.

Wink

Wondering if this is one of the examples you mean Sir Wink?

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/carat.asp

I believe it is. If not it is something incredibly similar and it is easy to see how dramatically the cut affects the visual appearance of the gem.

Wink

 

[strmrdr]

The set Wink is talking about:
http://ideal-scope.com/cart_zoom_item.asp?Id=28&ShowAdd=Y

 

[strmrdr]

This topic isnt really that cut and dried as that set however.
Because a RB can have larger spread than a typical ideal cut and still look good in a lot of lighting conditions and look its size.
But it is not as well balanced as the ideal cuts and in some lighting not as nice looking.

 

[surfgirl]

Date: 3/27/2008 10:02:59 AM
Author: Wink
A well cut diamond will appear larger than a poorly cut diamond. The edge to edge sparkle makes a HUGE difference.

Yes! In certain lighting, my stone looks significantly larger because of the brilliance that appears from edge to edge - making it "come alive" to the absolute edges of the girdle. I think that''s what Wink''s saying. It IS a very noticeable difference indeed!

 

[oldminer]

You may get a response based on a subjective judgment that the table size or the brightness makes a stone appear to be larger or smaller, but it is subjective and hardly based on fact. Size is dictated by the square mm of the diamond within its girdle plane. The things which have a true, objective effect on visual size are diameter (length, width), bulging or flat curvature of the sides, etc. The rest is not what changes the actual size.

 

[Isabelle]

This is all very interesting. Thank you for the imput.