What Is Diamond Cut?

A diamond’s cut is defined by its symmetry, proportions and polish. More than any other characteristic, the cut determines the stone’s overall beauty and brilliance. At Orrling, every diamond—whether small or large—is cut with one goal in mind: to maximize light, sparkle and life within the stone, never to simply preserve carat weight.

Diamond cut is often confused with diamond shape, but they describe different aspects. Cut refers to how well a diamond’s facets are crafted and how they interact with light. Shape, on the other hand, describes the diamond’s outline or silhouette.

Why Is Diamond Cut Important?

In simple terms, the cut determines how brilliantly a diamond sparkles. Even a stone with exceptional color and clarity will look lifeless if it is cut poorly. A well-cut diamond, however, captures light beautifully—reflecting and refracting it to create unmatched brightness and scintillation.

At Orrling, our artisans devote meticulous attention to achieving perfectly balanced proportions. Every round brilliant engagement diamond we select meets the highest standards of craftsmanship, ensuring exceptional performance and radiance. This precision is central to what defines an Orrling diamond.

The Orrling Difference

Triple Excellent Cut

All Orrling round brilliant engagement diamonds meet the highest cut standard—triple excellent, the top grade recognized in the industry. This ensures exceptional light return and brilliance, giving each stone a radiance that stands out.

To achieve this grade, a diamond must earn an “excellent” evaluation in three areas: cut precision, polish and symmetry. We entrust this meticulous work to our master artisans, among the most skilled in their field. They craft all 57 or 58 facets of each diamond to exacting standards, ensuring every Orrling stone displays its full potential.

Diamond Education

Diamond Cut Grading Chart

While many jewelers work with cut grades ranging from “excellent” to “poor,” Orrling maintains uncompromising standards. We do not alter or soften our criteria to fit the norm. Diamonds cut too deep or too shallow—often found elsewhere—allow light to leak from the sides or bottom, diminishing brilliance. Misaligned facets can further disrupt the flow of light, reducing the diamond’s overall sparkle.

The specifications described here apply exclusively to individually certified engagement diamonds set within selected Orrling ring designs.

Types of Diamond Cuts

Every Orrling diamond is expertly crafted to achieve maximum brilliance and light performance. Across all diamond shapes, three primary cutting styles are used: the brilliant cut, the step cut, and the mixed cut.

Brilliant Cut

Brilliant-cut diamonds feature triangular and kite-shaped facets arranged to maximize light return and sparkle. The round brilliant, with its 57 or 58 facets, is the most iconic example and is admired for its vivid brilliance. Other shapes such as cushion, oval, marquise, heart also use this faceting style, offering a similarly lively and radiant appearance.

Step Cut

Step-cut diamonds feature long, parallel trapezoid-shaped facets that create a clean, architectural look—much like a series of elegant steps. This style highlights a diamond’s clarity and color rather than sparkle, offering a refined, mirror-like brilliance. The emerald cut is the most iconic example of the step-cut style.

Mixed Cut

Mixed-cut diamonds blend the characteristics of both brilliant and step-cut faceting, creating a balance of sparkle and refined clarity. An example of this approach is the Orrling True®–inspired cut, featuring a crown composed of step-cut facets paired with a brilliant-cut pavilion for enhanced light performance.

Speak With A Diamond Expert

Orrling’s diamond specialists are here to guide you as you begin your engagement ring journey—offering clarity on the 4Cs, helping you explore our ring designs, or assisting you in creating a bespoke piece crafted just for you.

Frequently asked questions
What is diamond clarity?

Diamond clarity reflects the purity and rarity of a stone, determined by how easily its natural characteristics can be seen under 10x magnification. A diamond is considered flawless when no inclusions (internal features) or blemishes (surface imperfections) are visible at this level of inspection. At Orrling, we select only an exceptional fraction of the world’s gem-grade diamonds—approximately the top 0.04%.
What’s the best diamond clarity?

The highest clarity grade is FL, meaning flawless. For a deeper understanding of clarity and to view our clarity chart, explore our Orrling Diamond Guide.
What are diamond clarity grades?

Diamond clarity grades indicate a stone’s purity and the presence or absence of visible inclusions when viewed under 10x magnification. Below is the GIA clarity scale, used throughout the industry. Orrling accepts only diamonds within the FL, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1 and VS2 ranges.

FL

Flawless—no inclusions or blemishes visible under 10x magnification.

IF

Internally Flawless—no internal inclusions under 10x; only minor surface features.

VVS1 / VVS2

Very, Very Slightly Included—extremely small inclusions that are difficult to detect.

VS1 / VS2

Very Slightly Included—minor inclusions, still small and not easily seen without magnification.

SI1 / SI2

Slightly Included—noticeable inclusions under 10x but often not visible to the naked eye.

I1 / I2 / I3

Included—more noticeable inclusions, which may affect transparency and brilliance.
What’s the difference between clarity and color?

Clarity describes a diamond’s purity and the visibility of natural inclusions under 10x magnification.

Color refers to the subtle body tint found in white diamonds, ranging from completely colorless to slightly warm hues.
What’s the difference between clarity and cut?

Clarity measures the purity of a diamond and how visible its internal and external features are under 10x magnification.

Cut evaluates how a diamond’s proportions, symmetry and polish influence the way it reflects and returns light—ultimately determining its sparkle.