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Fancy Shape Diamonds - Bow Ties, Windows And Fisheyes
By armani.perfumes-mall.com

The term "fancy shape" is often used to refer to a diamond that is not a round brilliant cut. The factors involved in judging the cut of a fancy shape diamond differ according to the diamond shape being assessed.

The various fancy diamond shapes include: oval, pear, marquise (boat shaped) square and rectangular. Cuts for fancy shapes include emerald, princess and Asscher cuts.

Some cuts, such as the princess cut, have many facets similar to the brilliant cut, whereas others, such as the emerald cut, are step-cut and have far fewer facets.

There are many, many factors involved in assessing fancy cuts, and much has been written on the subject, so for the purposes of this article I shall concentrate on a few of the most obvious pitfalls to be avoided when purchasing a fancy shape diamond.

The Bow Tie Effect: This is probably the most common and obvious problem with oval, marquise and emerald cut diamonds. The "bow tie" is a dark area in the middle of the diamond, occurring when the pavilion is cut too deep or is improperly proportioned. A pronounced bow tie can be very distracting and can seriously affect the brilliance and overall appeal of a diamond.

The Window Effect: A window is a clear, washed-out area in the middle of the diamond, caused by a pavilion that is too shallow. In extreme cases, especially in emerald cut diamonds,

it is possible to read print through the table of the diamond when it is placed face down on a newspaper.

The Fisheye Effect: A fisheye can occur in poorly cut round brilliant diamonds as well as in many fancy shapes. It usually occurs in diamonds where the table is too large, and the pavilion is too shallow. It is caused by the reflection of the diamond's girdle (outer edge) back through the table. A diamond with a pronounced fisheye will seriously lack brilliance and its value will be much diminished.

These undesirable features in diamonds usually occur when the cutter has tried to maximise carat weight from the rough crystal. In his attempt to create a bigger diamond from the available material, he has sacrificed beauty in favour of a bigger stone. In my opinion, this is a false economy, because a diamond that lacks brilliance is not the thing of beauty that a diamond should be. I would far prefer to have a beautiful half-carat diamond than an ugly one-carat diamond for the same money. As I often say in my articles: Caveat Emptor, which for non-Latin scholars means Buyer Beware!

John Tidball is the site owner of http://www.peerlessgems.co.uk a website dedicated to advice and guidance on the purchase of diamonds, engagement rings, diamond jewelery and precious gemstones.

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