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Glossary of Terms

Baguette shape A rectangular-shaped diamond with rows of step-like facets.
Bar setting Similar to the channel setting, it is a circular band of diamonds that retains each stone with a long thin bar.
Bearding or girdle fringes The outermost portion of the diamond, called the girdle, can develop small cracks that resemble whiskers during the polishing process. With gentle polishing, bearding can be diminished or removed entirely.
Bezel setting In a bezel setting, a rim holds the stone, surrounding it completely. Bezels can have straight or scalloped edges, and they can be molded into any shape to accommodate the stone.
Blemish An imperfection on a diamond's surface.
Brilliance The amount of reflected white light that radiates from the diamond's surface.
Brilliant cut Brilliant cuts reflect the most light from within the stone. A round brilliant-cut diamond has 58 facets. Other brilliant cuts include the heart, oval, marquise and pear.
Carat Measures the weight of a diamond. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams. One carat can also be divided into 100 "points." A .75-carat diamond is the same as a 75-point or 3/4-carat diamond.
Channel setting Most commonly found in wedding and anniversary bands, a channel setting sets the stones immediately next to each other.
Clarity A graded scale that measures the amount of imperfections within a diamond. It ranges from flawless (FL) to severely included (I3).
Cluster setting This setting surrounds a larger center stone with several smaller stones.
Cloud A minor inclusion within a diamond.
Color Diamonds are graded on a color scale established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The scale ranges from D (colorless) to Z. Hues such as pink, blue, green, yellow and red appear in the class of gems known as Fancy diamonds.
Crown The top of a diamond.
Culet The bottom point of the diamond, which may or may not contain a facet.
Cushion cut A mixed-cut diamond shaped like a square pillow.
Cut Refers to the angles and proportions a skilled craftsman creates in transforming a rough diamond into a polished gem. A well-cut diamond reflects light internally from one mirror-like facet to another, disperses it and reflects it again through the top of the stone. Poorly cut diamonds leak light through the side or bottom, resulting in less brilliance and lower value.
Depth A diamond's height from culet to table.
Depth percentage Height divided by width. Depth percentage determines brilliance and sparkle.
Diamond A crystallized carbon stone that is the hardest substance known to man
Diamond grading reports Documents issued by gemological laboratories that evaluate a diamond’s cut, clarity, color and carat.
Dispersion When light enters a diamond it reflects off the facets and the angles cut into the stone. This distribution of light is known as dispersion.
Emerald shape A rectangular diamond with cut corners
Eye-clean The appearance of a diamond, when viewed by the naked eye, with no visible inclusions or imperfections
Facets These are tiny surfaces polished onto a rough stone that lend a finished diamond its shape. The way light interacts with these facets generates a diamond's brilliance and sparkle.
Fair cut While still capturing some sparkle, this cut lacks brilliance and proportion when compared to the Good and Very Good cuts.
Fancy shapes Any diamond shape other than round, such as marquise, square, emerald, oval, heart or pear.
Feather A small crack or fissure that constitutes a flaw within a diamond.
Finish Describes a diamond’s exterior. A well-polished diamond has a superior finish.
Fluorescence An illuminating blue hue that glows from the surface when a diamond is lit under ultraviolet light.
Girdle A narrow band that encircles the width of a diamond.
Good cut An acceptable, more reasonably priced cut with adequate proportions.
Growth or grain lines These internal flaws are usually visible only by slowly rotating the diamond. They appear as small lines or planes inside the diamond.
Gypsy setting A setting predominantly used in men's jewelry. The band is one continuous piece that grows thicker at the top. A stone sits in the middle of the band.
Ideal cut A perfectly proportioned round diamond
Illusion setting A more complicated setting than most, this setting surrounds the stone in order to make it seem larger. The metal setting around the stone usually features an intricate design.
Inclusions The birthmarks of a diamond, these internal imperfections appear within most stones. Inclusions make a diamond unique. Clarity measures the quantity and visibility of inclusions.
Marquise shape An elongated, oval diamond with sharp points at each of its narrow ends.
Mixed cut With its step-cut and brilliant-cut facets, the mixed cut combines the beauty of the emerald cut with the sparkle of the brilliant cut.
Pavilion Bottom portion of the stone, under the girdle, leading to the culet.
Point One hundredth of a carat.
Polish The external finish of a stone, which ranges from excellent to poor.
Poor cut A poorly cut diamond can be either cut too deep or too shallow. Either shortcoming results in diminished brilliance.
Princess cut A square or rectangular diamond noted for its exceptional brilliance.
Prong or claw setting Four or six claws cradle the diamond. Claw settings hold large stones securely.
Proportion Proportion is the relationship between the angles of the facets on a diamond’s crown and pavilion.
Radiant cut A rectangular diamond with both a step-cut and a scissor-cut on the crown and a brilliant-cut on the pavilion.
Scintillation When light reflects off of a diamond, the sparkle that emanates from the facets of the gem is called scintillation.
Shallow cut A cut that leaks light through the bottom facet, which decreases brilliance.
Shape One way to describe the appearance of a diamond. The most common shapes are round, triangular, square, marquise, pear, oval and heart.
Sparkle The amount of reflected light that radiates from a diamond's surface.
Step cut The step cut has rows of facets that resemble the steps of a staircase. The emerald cut and the baguette are examples of the step cut.
Symmetry The arrangement of the facets and finished angles that are fashioned by the diamond cutter. A well-cut and well-proportioned diamond’s symmetry can have a beneficial effect on the stone’s brilliance. Grading reports state the diamond's symmetry in terms Excellent, Very good, Good, Fair, or Poor.
Table facet Sometimes called the face, his is the largest facet of a diamond, located at the top of the gem.
Table spread The width of the table facet.
Tension setting A tension-set diamond is held in place by the pressure of the metal band.
Trillion shape A triangular diamond with 50 facets.
Very Good cut (Premium) A well-proportioned cut that features exemplary brilliance and reflection. A very good cut meets the highest standards for a quality diamond.
Well cut Describes proportions that generate great brilliance.