ANATOMY OF AN EMERALD CUT DIAMOND
About The Emerald Cut
The emerald cut diamond is of rectangular, elongated shape with chiseled step cuts. Straight linear facets are usually arranged in parallel down the stone.
For added robustness and to protect from fractures, the corners of the diamond are usually cropped.
The emerald cut provides a large surface table and for deep clarity. Through its long step cuts, the diamond offers abundant reflections both of white and coloured light. They are generally rectangular but are occasionally square in shape.
An emerald cut diamond tends to appear larger than other similar carat weight stones. They have also proven extremely popular with the celebrity fraternity.
Emerald "Stepped Cut"
Quality Of Cut
Because grading entities (including the GIA) don’t give a cut grade for fancy shaped diamonds, it can be challenging to assess the quality of the cut. Nevertheless, there are parameters that make it easy to select a fabulous emerald cut diamond.
Preferred Proportions
Dimensions like percentage depth and table table, and length to width ratios impact how the diamond looks and how much light it reflects. The focus should be on the depth being below 75%, although other aspects are also of importance.
The table percentage is optimal between 60% and 70%. Between 57% and 60% or 71% to 73% still makes for a very good diamond.
The perfect depth is between 61% and 67%, while 59% - 61% or over 68% to 71% is still highly desirable.
Length To Width Ratio
Ideally this ratio should be between 1.38 and 1.52. It is best to choose an emerald cut with a ratio of at least 1.30 and less than 1.60.
Length To Width Ratio Is A Key Factor
Colour & Clarity
Any marks or inclusions found in the middle of the stone will be clearly visible. Because both the pavilion and crown are relatively shallow, diamonds with step cuts such as emerald cut diamonds are typically not so bright nor as fiery as brilliant cut stones. In this regard, the diamond clarity is accentuated to the naked eye.
It is therefore best to opt for a clarity of VS2 or higher, although it is sometimes possible to find an emerald cut diamond of Si1 clarity which appears essentially "eyeclean".
As a function of the large surface area of the stone, the diamond colour tends to be more detectable. In this regard, we would advise against choosing an emerald cut with a colour grading below H.