Ideal Cut Diamonds

     Perhaps the most defining characteristic of a diamond is its cut. It has the greatest overall influence on a diamond’s beauty and determines how much sparkle we see. We often make the mistake of thinking that a diamond’s cut is its shape (round, emerald, etc.), but it actually relates to how well the stone reacts to light.

     Well-proportioned and carefully angled, ideal cut diamonds are of the highest quality. When light enters the diamond, it is reflected directly through the top of the diamond and travels to the observer’s eye. Diamonds that are cut too shallow, allow light to escape from the bottom instead of reflecting off the top. This diminishes brilliance and leads diamonds to appear dull. Similarly, deep cut diamonds poorly reflect light and yield a dull, muted appearance.

     The finest ideal cut diamonds exhibit what is known as a Hearts and Arrows pattern. This phenomenon is a result of perfect proportion and symmetry, leading the facet reflections to create overlapping, kaleidoscopic patterns. Eight symmetrical arrows can be seen though the top of the diamond and eight hearts when the diamond is viewed from the bottom up, creating the prized “cupid effect.” If you took the time to stack these diamonds up on top of each other, each one of the facets would line up with perfection.

     Michael Barin uses ideal cut diamonds throughout his pieces because he believes that “the amount invested in a center stone should be framed in perfection.”