What is a Super Ideal Cut Diamond?
Hi Danny, I’ve been reading your blog for awhile now and would appreciate it if you could explain what is a super ideal cut diamond… I have seen the term used on different web sites with descriptions which vary from anything which has been graded with an overall cut grade of GIA Excellent or AGS Ideal, to those cut within the center region of the range designated for the zero ideal cut proportions rating, to those which exhibit a hearts and arrows pattern, and I’ve even seen it used to describe fancy cut diamonds occasionally. I appreciate any clarification you can provide, I am getting ready to buy something in the range of 1.60 – 1.70 carats, VS clarity, F/G color, possibly SI-1 and H color, if I can find something which is eye clean and still going to face up white, let me know your thoughts… - Tom H.
Definition of a Super Ideal Cut Diamond:
Within the tight knit community of diamond dealers which focus on the production and distribution of diamonds which are cut to an exceptional level of diamond cut quality and optical symmetry, it is generally agreed upon that a “super ideal cut diamond” is a round brilliant cut diamond which has been cut to a level of perfection which will warrant an overall cut grade of either GIA Excellent or AGS Ideal-0, which has been cut to the center spectrum of the range designated by the AGS Laboratory for the zero ideal cut proportions rating (this is essentially the range designated by Marcel Tolkowsky as an ideal cut diamond) and which exhibits a crisp and complete pattern of Hearts & Arrows. The hearts pattern pictured to the left is the pattern which appears within this 1.604 carat, G-color, VS-1 clarity, Brian Gavin Signature round diamond, which is an excellent example of a “super ideal cut diamond” because it meets all of the criteria indicated above.
As you can plainly see, the diamond exhibits a crisp and complete pattern of hearts and arrows, the hearts are evenly spaced and uniform in size and shape. The diamond has an overall cut grade of AGS Ideal-0, as determined by the American Gem Society Laboratory (AGSL) on their Proprietary Light Performance grading platform, which uses Angular Spectrum Evaluation Technology (ASET) to measure the brightness of the diamond. And with a total depth of 60.7% and a table diameter of 57.0% and a crown angle of 34.6 degrees with a pavilion angle of 40.7 degrees with a thin to medium, faceted girdle, it is definitely cut to the center of the range designated for the zero ideal cut proportions rating. As such, it is a text book example of a super ideal cut diamond, and typical of what you can expect from the diamonds featured within the Brian Gavin Signature collection.
Can a Fancy Shape Diamond be “Super Ideal” cut?
I’ve also seen fancy shape diamonds described as “super ideal cut diamonds” on other web sites and have been confused by their use of the term to describe diamonds which seem far from ideal, as super ideal cut diamonds… many of them had polish and symmetry ratings which were less than GIA Excellent or AGS Ideal, which further added to my confusion. Suffice to say that it is likely that the people operating these web sites either do not fully understand the definition of a super ideal cut diamond, or they are merely using the term in hopes of attracting diamond buyers with a limited understanding of what constitutes a super ideal cut diamond.
