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Forum: Diamonds In the Real World
DIAMONDS
AND PROFESSIONALS
How Many Facets Are In A Standard Diamond?
The standard diamond has 56 facets, but not all diamonds conform. If there is a small hole (called a culet) on the bottom, then it could be counted as number 57. Furthermore, if the flat top surface of the diamond is counted, there could be up to 58. If there are fewer than 56 without the culet or table, the cutter was probably lazy or incompetent. If there are more than 58 including the culet and table, the cutter was probably trying to hide some mistake or flaw.
Some Diamonds Are More Colorless Than Others
If you look at two different diamonds that are both certified as colorless (for example, in the D standard category), you may even see with your own eyes that they are not the same. That's because the D rating covers a range of quality. Like any other range, there is a top and a bottom. The top of each range will hold its full market value reliably, while the bottom is often heavily discounted or even varies from rating to rating depending on the laboratory used to evaluate it. Reputable dealers will be honest about these differences and try to give you top quality for your money.
The same kind of range problem also exists with the clarity rating of the diamond, and with the cutting and polishing. All of these ranges explain why diamonds which can have exactly the same rating certificate have diverging prices.
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