By Gary A.
Edited by Brian M.
Published Aug 1, 2022
Edited on Oct 16, 2024
Balancing size and brilliance can be tricky, especially when navagating between shallow-cut vs spread diamonds, but understanding the key differences can make all the difference in finding the perfect diamond.
It’s easy enough learning the diamond shapes. Ovals, Rounds, and Pears – even Emeralds – are self-explanatory, while Cushions, Princesses, and Radiants are all striking enough to engrain themselves on your memory pretty quickly.
It’s also a pretty straightforward process getting your head around carat weight – the fourth of the Four Cs. Relating only to the size of the diamond – a major selling point for any shopper – this is likely to remain front and center in your mind throughout the entire process of finding and purchasing a diamond for your engagement ring.
What can be a little tougher to get your head round, however, is the subject of cut. Unlike ‘shape’ and ‘carat’, a diamond’s cut quality is predicated on a number of factors, such as symmetry, polish and, of course, proportion.
A diamond’s proportion impacts how large it appears, and how much it will sparkle – inarguably the two most important aspects for any diamond, and a compelling reason to do your research on shallow cut diamonds.
Before we dive deeper into the specifics, here are some practical tips to help guide your decision-making process:
Now that you’ve got these practical tips, use Jeweler AI below to find the perfect engagement ring that suits your style and budget:
A shallow cut or ‘spready’ diamond is one that has been cut with incorrect proportions that make it wider and shallower than it should be. From the side, the pavilion will look significantly shorter and ‘squatter’ than you would expect it to. From above, however, the diamond will look a lot larger than other diamonds of the same carat weight.
This is down to weight distribution, and the fact that the diamond cutter distributed far too much of the diamond’s weight into its table and crown, and not enough into the lower portion – the pavilion.
The upper surface of the diamond is considerably wider than it is on a well-proportioned diamond, meaning that, from the side view, its weight appears to be spread outwards rather than evenly distributed throughout the stone’s shape.
If a diamond is cut shallow, then light cannot be refracted through the center of the diamond in the way it’s supposed to, meaning that shallow cut diamonds appear significantly less sparkly than others that have been cut to ideal proportions.
The main purpose of the diamond’s pavilion is to reflect light through the center of the stone, and then direct it back through the crown. This is why it needs to be cut at a very specific angle – one which allows as much of the light that enters the diamond to leave it via the crown and table as possible. Otherwise, the light is lost through the pavilion and, as a result, wasted.
In other words, the light being converted into brilliance and fire across the surface of the diamond is significantly limited, leading to a dull stone lacking in the electrifying sparkle for which diamonds are famed.
The diamond’s GIA report will contain detailed information on its cut proportions, and learning how to interpret these will prove invaluable to you during your search.
Then again, if you’re shopping from a reputable seller who hand-picks each diamond for its beauty and appeal, you won’t need to worry about accidentally investing in a dud. Just remember that every store and vendor is different. While, at WillYou, we ensure every single diamond we sell meets a high standard for beauty and sparkle, some sellers take a more liberal approach. This is why knowing how to read a GIA report will never go amiss.
We would only ever recommend our readers invest in Excellent or Very Good diamonds, as Good, Fair and Poor cuts can all too easily impact the diamond’s beauty.
Beyond that grade, however, you’ll find individual grades for polish and symmetry, and a diagram featuring grades for the girdle and culet, as well as depth and table proportions.
Each diamond shape has an ideal depth proportion, usually between 60% to 62% except Princess which is between 70% to 72%. There’s no use in using measurements, since even a small increase or decrease in carat weight will mean different measurements are required. Percentage ranges, however, remain the same whatever carat weight your chosen diamond is.
Besides, a shallow diamond will just look…off. It will look like it has been stretched sideways, spread over too much surface area with not enough weight underneath the pavilion.
So, why are some diamonds shallow cut? For the simple reason that they look bigger, and far more impressive – that is, until the light hits them. While some diamonds are specifically cut to produce the highest quality diamond possible, others are intentionally cut ‘wrong’ to preserve as much of the original stone as possible, and fetch a high price for their carat weight alone.
It’s a fact of life by this point that many, many shoppers want to get the biggest diamond possible. Going beyond the status quo and splashing out on a veritable rock of a diamond has an undeniable prestige about it. It’s a trend set by celebrities – and one that’s been encouraging us to ‘go big or go home’ for almost a hundred years.
And why not? The bigger the diamond, the easier it is to appreciate its beauty – and the harder it is to miss.
The only trouble is that larger diamonds cost considerably more than those of a more modest size. Pushing beyond 1 carat can quickly push shoppers into double figures and, for some, fitting that within their budget just isn’t possible.
This is why there will always be a market for shallow cut diamonds. At face value, a 1 carat spread diamond will appear to be much larger than the rest, and may even impress some onlookers.
The trouble is that most shoppers wind up disappointed sooner or later. While their intentions were in the right place, a diamond’s ability to make an impact lies in its sparkle and beauty just as much as it does its size – if not more.
Diamonds that don’t produce their distinctive sparkle can even look more like cheaper gemstones used to imitate diamond, like cubic zirconia. It’s one thing knowing that your diamond is real, but another thing entirely making sure it looks real – and this is a major pitfall many uninformed shoppers can fall into.
Shallow diamonds may seem like a good idea – and that’s why some people will continue to buy them. But, while they’re a good idea for the diamond cutter, who is able to get a much larger diamond out of a rough stone, and avoid cutting away too much diamond to get an ideal shape, they’re a very poor choice for engagement rings.
Sparkle is what draws us to diamonds in the first place. An eruption of fire and brilliance is the first thing your future bride will lay eyes on when you lift the lid of the box and bring that ring out into the open for the first time, but it’s not guaranteed unless you understand the importance of a properly proportioned diamond.
There are so many ways to save money on a diamond and get a little more for a little less, but sacrificing on proportions isn’t one of them.
Diamonds cut to ideal proportions will be more expensive than diamonds that have been cut too shallow or too deep, since either extreme will have a negative impact on light performance.
You’ll notice that, for every diamond shape out there, the ‘ideal’ range for depth has a lower and upper limit. It’s more than possible to go too far in either direction, and for exactly the same reason: a pavilion that is too long will also misdirect light and diminish the amount of sparkle visible from the table and crown.
Deeper diamonds won’t be able to offer the same (supposed) benefit of making the diamond appear bigger, since the weight is distributed vertically rather than horizontally. The result will be a narrow, lifeless diamond that appears much smaller than its carat weight would suggest.
Cut is the most important feature in any diamond, and should never be treated as a secondary quality to look for.
Shallow diamonds may seem like a good idea – and that’s why some people will continue to buy them. But, while they’re a good idea for the diamond cutter, who is able to get a much larger diamond out of a rough stone, and avoid cutting away too much diamond to get an ideal shape, they’re a very poor choice for engagement rings.
Sparkle is what draws us to diamonds in the first place. An eruption of fire and brilliance is the first thing your future bride will lay eyes on when you lift the lid of the box and bring that ring out into the open for the first time, but it’s not guaranteed unless you understand the importance of a properly proportioned diamond.
Focus on all of the Four Cs during your search for a diamond, but remember that Cut offers the least amount of leeway. While you can afford to play around with your diamond’s clarity and color grades, the balance between a beautiful diamond and a poorly proportioned diamond is a lot more delicate, and should be treated as such.
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