MARTIN & CO A CUT ABOVE…
The right cut can set ‘fire’ to a diamond ring 24
It’s believed that the diamond cutter, Joseph Asscher, who was entrusted with cutting the world’s largest diamond – the Cullinan, dug out of a mine in Pretoria, South Africa in 1905 – took six months to study the famous gemstone before making the first cut. The blade promptly broke before a second attempt saw the diamond successfully cleaved in two. Rumours that Asscher then fainted with the nervous tension are probably unfounded, but who could blame him if he had?
Fortunately, choosing a diamond cut for a piece of jewellery such as a ring, necklace, earring or bracelet need not be such a tense affair today as that experienced by Asscher. But it helps to know what to look out for.
HERE’S A QUICK GUIDE TO DIAMOND CUTS A diamond cut represents a symmetrical arrangement of facets – or flat faces on a gemoteric shape – which together modify the shape and appearance of a diamond crystal. To describe a cut, you’ll hear words like ‘brightness’ or ‘brilliance’ which is the effect of all the diamond’s internal and external reflections of white light. Well-cut diamonds are brighter than poorly fashioned ones.
When white light traveling through the diamond is dispersed into its rainbow of spectral colours, the effect is known as ‘fire’, while ‘scintillation’ is a combination of sparkle and pattern. And the relative size, arrangement and contrast of bright and dark areas that result from a diamond’s internal and external reflections is known as ‘pattern’.
PERFECT SYMMETRY AND ANGLES That’s some of the terminology, but what type of cut should you choose? A Round Brilliant Cut diamond is the most
popular cut today. When the diamond is perfectly cut, the symmetry and angles of the facets will allow the diamond to exhibit a crisp and complete pattern of hearts and arrows.
How about a Princess Diamond Cut which accentuates a diamond's fire and brilliance rather than its lustre? It’s an ideal choice because of its flexibility and fits with nearly every ring style available. An Oval Diamond Cut has an elongated shape, while a Marquise Diamond Cut is a modified brilliant cut diamond in a boat like shape. And, if you liked the story of the Cullinan, you could recreate some of that history for yourself by choosing an Asscher Diamond Cut.
Cheltenham based family jeweller Martin & Co stocks a beautiful and extensive selection of diamond jewellery and is sure to have a cut you like. You can also commission them to create a truly personal, one-off piece incorporating your preferred cut of gemstones.
A long-established family jeweller’s, Martin & Co provides exquisite jewellery from rings to bracelets and luxury watches including Rolex. You can find us in the heart of Cheltenham – when COVID-19 regulations permit – but we’re always open online at
martin-and-co.com
LIVE24-SEVEN.COM
FASHION, HEALTH & BEAUT Y MAR T IN & CO
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84
