BUYER'S GUIDE TO ROUND CUT DIAMONDS
Close your eyes and picture a diamond. You are picturing a round brilliant. This iconic diamond shape symbolizes millions of marriages, adorns millions of ears, and paves countless inches of gold. What is the difference between a round diamond and a round brilliant diamond? While other kinds of round cut diamonds are technically possible, like a round rose cut diamond or an antique Old European cut, the modern round brilliant cut diamond is the most popular diamond shape of all time.
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The History of Round Brilliant Diamonds
Diamond faceting began in the 15th century when it was first discovered that diamonds could be polished by their own dust. Before that, rough diamonds and polished crystals were the only way to wear this gem. Faceting unlocked the potential for sparkle. Once diamond cutters discovered the beauty of polished diamonds, they kept innovating, starting by polishing crystals, cutting off the top of the crystal to create a table diamond cut and then step cut diamonds. In the 16th century faceted diamond cutters developed rose cuts, followed by the cushion shape old mine cut.
Mazarins, the first brilliant cuts with more facets to maximize brilliance, were
introduced in the middle of the 17th century. Then the industrial revolution in the late
19th century transformed diamond cutting.
Round Cut Quality Checklist
Color H-D
Table 54%-59%
Clarity VS2-FL
Symmetry Excellent
Cut Excellent
Polish Excellent
Depth 59.9%-62.8%
Fluorescence Medium-None
Comments No chips!
Shop Ideal Cut Round Diamonds
This diamond will outshine others because of its excellent proportions.
This diamond’s light performance is in the top 0.05% of all diamonds,
also referred to as "Super Ideal" by diamond experts such as
Pricescope.com.
This diamond has an HCA Score between 1-2.
RockHer Super Ideal Cut Diamonds are selected by RockHer’s gemologists as having the best diamond angles and proportions using its HCA score that has been pre-calculated just for you.
What is the HCA?
The Holloway Cut Adviser (U.S. Patent 7,251,619 and 20,200,011,807 ) is a tool to help narrow your search for round brilliant cut diamonds based on potential light return, fire, scintillation, and spread using the measurements and proportions on its independent grading report.
RockHer Super Ideal Cut Diamonds are selected by RockHer’s gemologists as having the best diamond angles and proportions using its HCA score that has been pre-calculated just for you.
What is the HCA?
The Holloway Cut Adviser (U.S. Patent 7,251,619 and 20,200,011,807 ) is a tool to help narrow your search for round brilliant cut diamonds based on potential light return, fire, scintillation, and spread using the measurements and proportions on its independent grading report.
How to Buy Round Diamonds
The brilliance of most rounds makes them bright, so you don’t have to buy the top color grade to get a beautiful diamond. You also are less likely to see inclusions because of all that sparkle, so you don’t need to buy a flawless gem to have a beautiful diamond either. But what you definitely don't want to skimp on is cut: look for an excellent cut and your diamond will live up to the potential of the round brilliant cut diamond to dazzle with light reflection.
The best way to buy a round brilliant
diamond is to buy it loose and then set it
into a ring.
Buying a loose diamond will give you more control over its quality. Choose a diamond with a diamond
grading report from GIA or AGS, the world’s most respected diamond grading
laboratories, to make sure that the quality has been independently verified from an accurate and
impartial third party.
If you choose a round diamond with an excellent cut grade from GIA, popularly known as an ideal cut, you’re sure to own a beautiful and well-crafted diamond.
You can also buy diamond cut to an even higher standard: a round brilliant hearts and arrows diamond which demonstrates superior light performance when evaluated with a viewer that confirms the maximum amount of light is being returned back to your eye.
Make sure you buy your loose diamond from a company that demonstrates a commitment to
responsible sourcing. Supporting the Kimberley Process is a great start but the best suppliers go
beyond that, sourcing diamonds directly from sightholders and mines.
Round Brilliant vs Oval Shaped Diamonds vs
Cushion Cut Diamonds
Cushion Cut Diamonds
The two diamond shapes that are most similar to a round brilliant diamond are the oval shape diamond and the cushion cut diamond.
The oval shape diamond is less brilliant than the round brilliant but its elongated silhouette and shallower depth means it looks much larger on your finger than a round brilliant the same weight. In addition, oval shapes sell for less per carat for the same quality and size.
Cushion cut diamonds are similar in size to the round brilliant and are the only other diamond cut that will display the hearts and arrows pattern in a light-performance viewer. A hearts-and-arrows cushion like RockHer’s Cushion Brilliant designed by master cutter Brian Gavin, is a great way to get the precision cutting and high light performance of a hearts and arrows cut for less per carat than a hearts and arrows round brilliant.
Why We Love Round Diamonds
Brilliance. Fire. Sparkle. Nothing dances with light like a round brilliant cut diamond. These unrivalled optics are due to the symmetry and proportions that create optimum reflection, refraction, and scintillation. This diamond shape has the best light reflection of any diamond cut, with the most light that returns to the eye.
Diamond Size Chart
Best Round Diamond Engagement Ring Styles
Our customers’ favorite setting for round diamonds is a simple solitaire diamond band engagement ring. Delicate micropave halo engagement rings are also popular. Recently, we’ve seen more brides interested in unique halo engagement rings that have a more custom look. Simple diamond solitaire engagement rings are an eternal classic that never goes out of style, just like the round brilliant. Popular three stone styles feature three round diamonds or round with tapered baguettes on the side.
What ROSI Recommends
ROSI generally recommends a diamond color grade of H and clarity grade of VS2 for round diamonds. This will give you a diamond that looks colorless with no inclusions visible to the naked eye. If your budget is limited, an eye-clean SI1 diamond is also a good choice. The money you save can be invested in a larger size diamond and a better cut. ROSI recommends excellent cut, symmetry and polish for a round diamond that sparkles beautifully. ROSI also recommends ideal cut diamonds and hearts and arrows diamonds, which do cost more but will
have maximum brilliance.
0.71 Carat Round Diamond
$2,604.00
1.30 Carat Round Diamond
$14,680.00
0.40 Carat Round Diamond
$1,118.00
0.58 Carat Round Diamond
$2,335.00
0.53 Carat Round Diamond
$2,357.00
0.50 Carat Round Diamond
$1,855.00
Over the decades, cutters
adjusted the proportions and
angles to improve light
performance instead of just
saving as much carat weight as
possible.
A round brilliant diamond in the sunlight will throw reflections and rainbows across the room.
The pure circular silhouette of the round cut diamond has inspired many ring styles, from the halo to the solitaire, and the three stone. That’s another reason why the round cut diamond is the most popular diamond shape for engagement rings.
The angles and proportions of round cut diamonds have been researched in depth by diamond grading laboratories and the cutting standards for the round brilliant are higher in general than for any other cut. The round brilliant cut is the only diamond shape with a cut grade on its GIA diamond grading report. Because GIA is the world’s most important diamond grading laboratory, it is very influential in the industry. Cutters know that diamonds with an excellent cut grade or very good cut grade from the GIA sell for more so they work hard to make sure their diamonds meet those high quality standards. That’s great news for you because it’s easier than ever to find a well-cut round diamond.
