What are Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds?
The most popular shape for a diamond, the round brilliant accounts for approximately 70% of diamonds sold. It’s classic styling and brilliance are unsurpassed. On its own, or in a setting with other stones, the round brilliant is a timeless choice.
Round diamonds typically cost 25 to 30% more than fancy cut diamonds. The higher price is due to a variety of factors – its popularity, its aesthetic beauty, and when cut, more of the stone is removed than in the fancy shapes, creating more waste material.
A round brilliant diamond will have 57 or 58 facets, generally 33 on top and 24 or 25 on the bottom. There may be either a point or a culet (another facet) on the bottom. The cuts are designed to reflect and refract the incoming light for three attributes – brightness, fire, and scintillation – that give the diamond its beauty.
The Gemological Institute of America provides a cut quality grade for standard round brilliant diamonds that fall in the GIA D to Z color range. These grades range from Excellent to Poor.