There are many different cuts of diamonds to choose from. The cut essentially refers to
the shape that the diamond is cut into – unless you are in the diamond or jewelry
business, but this shape has a great impact on the much the diamond sparkles.

The most popular cuts are heart, marquise, oval, pear, princess, round, trillion, and
emerald cuts. The shape has an impact on how much the diamond sparkles, but the actual cutting itself – when the diamond
cutter actually cuts the diamond into a particular shape – also matters a great deal. If the diamond is poorly cut, it will lose
its sparkle.

However, in the diamond industry, the cut of a diamond doesn’t refer to its shape at all.
Instead, this is a reference to the stone’s depth, width, brilliance, durability, clarity, and
other aspects of the diamond. Common cutting problems include a missing or off center culet, misalignment, a diamond that
is too thick or too thin, cracks, or broken
culets.

When shopping for a diamond, you should of course choose the shape that you like the
best, but then look at several different diamonds of that shape to find the one with
the best cut – the one that sparkles the most, in all types of lighting.