The brilliance of a diamond is all about its cut, and when it comes to maximizing sparkle, understanding diamond cut could be the key to finding the perfect engagement ring.

Navigate This Guide:

• Introduction
• 7 Practical Tips for Examining Diamond Cuts in Engagement Rings 
• Understanding Diamond Cuts and Sparkle
• The Unrivaled Round Brilliant Cut
• Comparing Other Sparkly Diamond Cuts
• Factors Influencing Sparkle 
• How do the Other Cs Influence Diamond Sparkle? 
• The Setting’s Impact on Sparkle 
• Conclusion
• 7 FAQs

Introduction

Brilliance, fire, and scintillation – these are the three words you will hear more than any other when you start seriously looking at diamonds. Of course, they all refer to one key feature – the diamond’s sparkle – but, individually, they refer to white light, colored light, and the way the diamond is brought to life under moving light sources.

Combined, they represent the very reason why so many of us are won over by the diamond, above all other gemstones.

Sparkle is one of diamond’s key properties, but getting the very most sparkle is not always a walk in the park. Many factors impact the extent to which a diamond will sparkle and, whatever cut or shape we’re leaning towards, it pays to know how your chosen diamond will be affected. So, which diamond cut sparkles the most? 

Before we dive deeper into the specifics, here are some practical tips to help guide your decision-making process:

7 Practical Tips for Examining Diamond Cuts in Engagement Rings 

When selecting a diamond engagement ring, particularly with a focus on finding the most sparkling cut, there are several practical tips to consider. These tips will help you make an informed decision and choose a diamond that meets your desires in terms of both aesthetics and quality. 

• Tip 1: Understand the Importance of Cut Grade: The cut grade of a diamond is crucial in determining its sparkle. Look for diamonds with a high cut grade, typically marked as ‘Excellent’ or ‘Very Good.’ These grades indicate that the diamond has been cut in a way that maximizes its brilliance and fire. Remember, the cut grade is more important than the shape when it comes to sparkle. 
• Tip 2: Examine the Diamond Under Different Lighting Conditions: To truly understand a diamond’s sparkle, observe it under various lighting conditions. Look at it under natural light, indoor lighting, and even with a jeweler’s loupe if possible. A diamond that sparkles intensely under diverse lighting conditions is a good indicator of superior cut quality. 
• Tip 3: Compare Different Diamond Shapes: While the Round Brilliant cut is renowned for its sparkle, don’t limit your options. Compare it with other shapes like the Princess Cut, Oval, or Cushion Cut. Sometimes, a different shape might appeal more to your personal preference and still offer a considerable amount of sparkle. 
• Tip 4: Pay Attention to Symmetry and Proportions: A diamond’s symmetry and proportions significantly impact its ability to reflect light. Diamonds with excellent symmetry and well-proportioned cuts will exhibit more sparkle. Check for symmetry by looking at the alignment of facets and ensuring they are evenly spaced and aligned.
• Tip 5: Look for a Good Balance in Diamond’s Depth and Table: The depth and table size of a diamond influence its ability to refract and reflect light. A diamond with a well-balanced depth and table ratio will have enhanced sparkle. Avoid diamonds that are too shallow or too deep, as they can lose light and appear less brilliant. 
• Tip 6: Check for the Presence of Flaws and Inclusions: While clarity is less critical than cut in determining sparkle, significant flaws and inclusions can detract from a diamond’s appearance. Examine the diamond for visible inclusions that might impact its ability to sparkle, especially if they are located at the top or center of the diamond. 
• Tip 7: Consider the Diamond’s Finish: The finish of a diamond includes its polish and overall condition. A well-polished diamond will have more sparkle as it allows light to reflect more effectively. Check for any surface flaws or roughness that might hinder the diamond’s ability to sparkle.

Now that you’ve got these practical tips, use Jeweler AI below to find the perfect engagement ring that suits your style and budget:

Understanding Diamond Cuts and Sparkle

The many precise facets cut into a diamond’s surface after it is taken from the earth mean that light is refracted and dispersed through the stone and transformed into sparkle, while its high shine means that a small amount of light is instantly reflected, creating even more sparkle.

The facets, or faces, are the many angled surfaced you can see on any cut diamond. The table – a larger, flat surface at the very top of the diamond – represents the largest facet, surrounded by the crown of the diamond. It is through this area that most sparkle is released, although the entire structure of the diamond is necessary to creating brilliance, fire, and scintillation.

The Science of Diamond Sparkle

Dispersion is the key to creating separate flashes of white light (brilliance) and colored light (fire), a process also central to creating the darker areas within the stone, which lend more contrast to those bright flashes.  

Different shapes feature different numbers and arrangements of facets, creating totally different light performances.

Each facet is angled slightly differently to the facets surrounding it. As the light moves over the diamond, each facet will ‘spark’ individually, bringing the diamond to life with countless flashes of light that seem to shine from within.

This is why step cuts (like Asscher and Emerald cut diamonds) do not appear quite as lively as brilliant and fancy cuts. With longer facets, light has more space to travel across each facet, meaning that step cuts appear to shine rather than ‘spark’ under the light.

The Unrivaled Round Brilliant Cut

The Round cut – also known as the Round Brilliant – takes the crown as the most sparkly diamond shape out there. But, like any shape, it has to be cut to a high quality in order to truly shine.

It should come as no surprise, then, when we tell you that the Round Diamond Shape remains the most popular choice for engagement rings.

While the Round diamond is the most traditional shape out there, its current form only came into existence in 1919. Specifically engineered to provide the most brilliance, fire, and scintillation possible, it remains unrivalled in its ability to sparkle more than any other diamond cut.

A Deep Dive into Its Facets 

The Round Brilliant diamond features a total of 57 facets (provided it has no culet at its base). A small number of Round cut diamonds are cut to a high enough standard that they create a pattern of hearts and arrows across the table and crown, discernible from a specific angle. These diamonds are aptly known as hearts and arrows diamonds, although any Round diamond with an Excellent grade of cut will offer the same level of sparkle.

Comparing Other Sparkly Diamond Cuts

Certain shapes are cut according to the facet pattern of the Round Brilliant, ensuring a high degree of sparkle, although they are not round. These are also highly popular in engagement rings, even though they’re a little less sparkly. 

Cushion cut diamonds, Ovals, Pears and Marquise diamonds all represent modified brilliant cuts. They offer a high degree of sparkle, created via a complex arrangement of small facets, though not as much as the perfectly proportioned Round cut. 

So, do modified brilliant diamonds sparkle?

Yes – provided they are cut to a high standard (as any diamond shape should be) and free from noticeable inclusions and blemishes, every one of these diamonds will offer an incredible light performance.

Factors Influencing Sparkle 

First off, you’ll want to consider the Key Difference between cut and shape. More often than not, the terms ‘cut’, and ‘shape’ are used interchangeably, but it pays to know the difference – although both factors impact a diamond’s sparkle.

Shape refers to the diamond’s design – its silhouette – and does not give any indication of a diamond’s quality. For instance, Round, Pear, Oval, Heart and Emerald are all common diamond shapes.

These are often referred to as diamond cuts, although the subject of ‘Diamond cut’ is a totally different one.

When we’re talking about the Four Cs, cut refers to many aspects that influence a diamond’s quality. For instance, the diamond’s depth and table, proportions and symmetry. High quality diamonds with high symmetry, ideal proportions and excellent polish will sparkle far more than those with lower grades in this area – although there’s much more to it than that, and something any shopper should look into before reaching for their wallet.

For now, however, we’ll take a look at those shapes – namely, which one sparkles the most, and why.

How do the Other Cs Influence Diamond Sparkle? 

Color

Color does not determine how much a diamond sparkles. Cut quality, shape, and, to a lesser extent, clarity will determine how much it sparkles.

Nevertheless, we would always recommend that shoppers stick to the Near Colorless category for diamonds, comprising the color grades G, H, I and J. While picking a diamond with a noticeable yellow tint is not going to diminish sparkle (unless, of course, that diamond features a poor cut quality or visible inclusions) it will negatively affect the diamond’s appearance.

In other words, while cut is the most important, neither color nor clarity can afford to ‘fall by the wayside’ or take a backseat entirely. An exquisitely cut L-color diamond will still appear yellow, no matter what.

Clarity

Clarity barely affects sparkle. Even a visibly included diamond will sparkle, provided the inclusions aren’t so bad that light can’t travel through the diamond’s center properly. Cloudy diamonds are much duller, for instance, or diamonds with so many blackspots that light can’t refract properly throughout the pavilion. 

An eye clean diamond – however low the clarity grade – will still sparkle, provided that the cut is good. 

Carat

Carat weight only impacts sparkle to the extent that bigger diamonds naturally sparkle more, because they’ve got larger surface areas that take in more light. Generally speaking, sparkle is proportional to the size of the diamond. 

Maintaining Your Diamond’s Sparkle

Keep it clean and, if it ever sustains any minor surface damage, take it to get polished by a professional. 

First things first, you can’t make a diamond sparkle more than its cut and shape allows. You’ll never get an Emerald cut to scintillate like a Round cut, just as you’ll never get a diamond with a cut grade of ‘Good’ to sparkle like a diamond with a cut grade of ‘Excellent’.

But, if your diamond is starting to look a little lifeless, then you can bring back that sparkle simply by learning how to care for your diamond ring.

Some ring setting styles do enhance a diamond’s innate sparkle. For instance, the bright white sheen of this Cathedral Platinum Engagement Ring offers the ideal complement to a sparkling diamond, while the cathedral elevates it higher above the finger and allows more light to pass into (and out of) the diamond.

Nevertheless, using your ring setting is only beneficial if your diamond has a high cut quality to begin with. Otherwise, it won’t yield the intended results.

The Setting’s Impact on Sparkle 

Certain settings will block the diamond’s light source more than others. A floating diamond setting will let the diamond sparkle a lot more than a bezel setting, for instance. Take a look at different setting styles, and consider how much of the diamond is blocked from the light. 

Conclusion

The diamond’s cut, and its chosen shape, are the two driving forces behind a diamond’s sparkle.

While the Round cut is held as the ultimate diamond shape for maximum sparkle, however, there’s no need for you to let that stand in the way of personal preference. All diamonds will offer a strong and mesmerizing shine – and a great amount of sparkle – provided they have been cut to a very high standard, which is what we always endeavour to achieve finding with Jeweler AI.

In other words, if you’re looking at a Round cut diamond in one hand, and an Oval cut diamond in the other – and they have both been cut to the same excellent quality – you won’t notice much difference between the two. 

7 FAQs

• Q: Which diamond cut sparkles the most? 
• A: The Round Brilliant cut is widely recognized for offering the most sparkle due to its 57 or 58 facets designed to maximize light reflection and refraction. 
• Q: Does the clarity of a diamond affect its sparkle? 
• A: While clarity is important, it’s less impactful on sparkle compared to the cut. Significant inclusions can impact sparkle, but a diamond’s cut quality is the primary determinant of its brilliance. 
• Q: Can the color of a diamond influence its sparkle? 
• A: The color of a diamond doesn’t directly affect its sparkle. However, a diamond with a high color grade (near colorless) can appear more brilliant due to the lack of color tint.
• Q: How important is symmetry in a diamond’s sparkle? 
• A: Symmetry is vital for a diamond’s sparkle. Well-aligned and proportioned facets enhance a diamond’s ability to reflect light, contributing to its overall brilliance. 
• Q: Does the setting of a diamond ring affect its sparkle? 
• A: Yes, the setting can influence a diamond’s sparkle. Settings that allow more light to enter the diamond, such as prong settings, can enhance its brilliance. 
• Q: Can a diamond lose its sparkle over time? 
• A: A diamond’s intrinsic sparkle doesn’t diminish, but it can appear less brilliant if it’s dirty or has surface blemishes. Regular cleaning can maintain its sparkle. 
• Q: What is the best way to examine a diamond’s sparkle? 
• A: The best way is to view it under different lighting conditions, including natural and artificial light, to observe how it reflects and refracts light.