Of the four Cs — cut, colour, clarity, and carat — cut is the only one decided entirely by a person. Colour and clarity are accidents of geology; carat is simply weight. Cut is craft: the precise angles and proportions a cutter chooses to release the light held inside a rough stone. It is, to our eye, the single quality that separates a diamond that merely sits there from one that seems lit from within.
Cut is not shape
The first confusion to clear up: cut and shape are different things. Shape is the outline — round, oval, emerald, cushion. Cut is the quality of the faceting within that shape: how well the proportions, symmetry, and polish work together to return light to the eye. A round brilliant and an emerald cut are different shapes; either can be cut beautifully or badly.
How light behaves
A well-cut stone takes light in through the top, bounces it between the internal facets, and sends it back out through the top toward you. Cut too shallow or too deep and the light escapes through the sides or bottom — the stone goes lifeless and grey, however high its colour grade. This is why a smaller, well-cut diamond will almost always outshine a larger, poorly cut one.
The shapes we set most
- Round brilliant — fifty-seven facets engineered for maximum return of light. The most forgiving and the most brilliant; our default for the Solitaire and the studs.
- Oval — the brilliance of a round with a softer, elongating silhouette on the hand. Flattering and a touch more individual.
- Emerald — a stepped, open cut that trades sparkle for a quiet, glassy clarity. It rewards a fine stone and a calm setting.
- Cushion — a rounded square with antique warmth; it scatters light in broad, soft flashes rather than sharp pinpoints.
Buy the best cut you can, then let carat follow. A brilliant half-carat will always say more than a dull full one.
What we look for at the bench
Every stone we set is chosen in person, graded for cut above all, and matched to its setting so nothing competes with it. We decline anything we cannot trace to a responsible source — beauty, for us, has to be honest as well. If you are choosing between two stones, send us both reports and we will tell you, plainly, which one we would set.
