Your obsession with diamonds is not a new phenomenon. Throughout history, the sparkle-cut diamond has been central to many significant events, wars, and grandiose displays of affection. The British Empire was notorious for carrying this precious stone from its colonies.
The Kohinoor diamond unearthed in Central India and South Africa's Cullinan Diamonds were all "gifted” by colonial rulers to the reigning monarch. Diamonds have also been the cause of war in Angola, Congo, Liberia, and the Central African Republic for years. They are a beloved possession for many because of their elegance and sparkle.
A diamond's brilliance, also known as its sparkle, depends on light’s interaction with the diamond’s cut. It varies among different cuts. It is the cut that sets the distinction for this precious stone. If you want an eye-catching diamond, opt for a specific cut.
Which cut diamond sparkles the most? The best diamond cut for sparkle depends on a few factors:
The Diamond's Unique Crystal Structure
Although many people opt for fancy cuts, the brilliance of the diamond may still remain average. The radiance of an average fancy cut is mainly due to the diamond’s crystal structure, which consists of a lattice of carbon atoms. The crystal lattice allows light to enter the diamond and bounce off its surface through reflection, contributing to the diamond's sparkle. Diamond cutting takes advantage of this inherent feature of the crystal to enhance its brilliance.
The Diamond's Facets
Diamonds have elements called facets, which are tiny surfaces that reflect light in a way that creates a beautiful and intense sparkle. The more facets a diamond has, the more brilliance the diamond exhibits. Facets bounce off light through:
Light
A diamond crystal needs light to sparkle. When light strikes a diamond, it permeates through its transparent structure, gets reflected several times on the internal surface, and leaves as white light or a spectrum. As the diamond moves, the reflected light alternates between white light and rainbow colors, and dark contrasts, producing an effect known as scintillation. The display of this reflected light is known as its brilliance or sparkle.
Reflection
Reflection occurs when light changes direction as it bounces from one facet to another. Facets reflect this light multiple times inside the diamond structure through a process known as internal reflection. The phenomenon creates a sparkle effect called fire because of the resulting dazzling brilliance.
Refraction
As light passes through a diamond’s facets, it slightly bends, changing its direction, in the process, enhancing the diamond’s internal reflection. The effect is known as refraction. Jewel makers measure refraction by calculating its refractive index - the amount of light reflected and transmitted. The higher the refractive index, the greater a diamond’s brilliance. You can increase a diamond’s refractive index by adding more facets to its crystal structure.
Dispersion
As light bounces from facet to facet, it separates into colors, creating a spectacular display of light colors which gets reflected out of the diamond structure. The effect is called dispersion.
The Diamond Cut
You can achieve maximum brilliance by increasing a diamond’s facets because facets impact light behavior inside the diamond’s structure, creating a sparkle effect. Thus, the technique used in the diamond cut is the most essential thing to achieve radiance.
Most sparkles come from the cut design. What diamond has the most sparkle? Round brilliant-cut diamonds have the most sparkle because they have the highest number of facets.
The standard round brilliant-cut diamond has 58 facets, including the one in the culotte. Marcel Tolkowsky pioneered the cut in 1919 and replaced the “European” or “old-cut” diamond.
FAQs
Do Smaller Diamonds Sparkle More?
A common misconception about diamonds is that size affects sparkle. A bigger diamond has more facet space. However, the cut determines what diamond has the most sparkle. Two different diamond sizes with a similar cut will have the same brilliance.
Which Diamond Shape Sparkles Least?
Not all fancy cuts enhance the diamond's brilliance. For instance, an emerald-cut diamond has an eye-catching shape. However, the design produces dull diamonds because of the design and step-cut facet pattern.
Does Diamond Cut Affect Sparkle?
Although a clean diamond has luster and crystals, it will remain dull without a cut to expose its facets. The diamond cut determines how sparkly your diamond becomes because it creates facets in the diamond shape which reflect, refract, and disperse light.
What is The Best Diamond Cut to Reflect Light?
All diamond-cut diamonds reflect light. However, the diamond's brightness and sparkle depending on the refractive index produced from the cut. The round cut contains the most facets, 58 in total, creating the diamond's highest refractive index.
For this reason, round-cut diamonds are the most popular in the market because of their maximum brilliance and sparkle. The round cut is the perfect option if you want a diamond cut that glistens, even in low light.
Do Higher-Quality Diamonds Sparkle More?
The sparkle and light hues a diamond produces come from reflecting white light. Higher-quality diamonds have more clarity, increasing their ability to reflect white light. Inclusions and color interfere with the diamond's reflection ability. The D-color diamond is the highest quality of this precious rock available, producing the most sparkle because of its clarity.
