When one hears of diamond cut they usually think of the different kinds of diamond shapes they've seen in jewelry, the princess, the round and so on. In the world of diamond grading diamond cut refers to something else. It refers to how well a jeweler has cut the diamond to achieve maximum carat size and brilliance, or the millions of glittering sparkles you can see when you turn your diamond in the light. Poorly cut diamonds will often sell at a cheaper rate than the better cut. Interestingly ninety five percent of diamonds aren't cut for optimum brilliance. There are four factors involved in the diamond cut, proportion, finish, symmetry and polish.

The proportions of the cut have to do with the table percentage compared to the depth percentage. The table is the flat surface on the top of each kind of diamond cut, while the depth has to do with the width of the diamond from top to bottom. A good table to depth ratio will allow all light entering the diamond to be reflected back through the surface.

The symmetry of a diamond is how well the facets of a diamond match up. If the facets don't match then light entering the diamond will leak out the sides and not be properly reflected to the surface. The classifications of symmetry are the same as for polish.

The polish of a diamond refers to how finely polished the surface is to make it very reflective. Diamonds are the hardest materials on earth and they must be polished using diamond grit, so the process is time consuming. The grades for polish range from Ideal to Excellent, Very good, Good, Poor and Fair.

A diamond's finish is made up of the individual diamonds polish and symmetry. If a finish is very good then the polish and symmetry's of the diamond were very good, excellent, or ideal.