Diamond brilliance is a diamond's optical property that results when exposed to light. A white is reflected off the diamond from the source to the viewer. The brilliance of a diamond is what determines its brightness and sparkle. The white sparkles of a diamond are created by brilliance. Both brilliance and fire create sparkle, but there has to be a balance to have the most sparkle. Fire causes the rainbow sparkle effect.
What Determines Diamond Brilliance?
Cut
A diamond's cut is the 4Cs that have the most significant impact on brilliance. An ideally cut diamond reflects white light to the viewer. A round-cut diamond has the most brilliance since it has visible facets that bounce and reflect light.
The angle of the cut also plays an essential role in the reflection of light. If the cut angle is too shallow, the diamond will not reflect light to the viewer. It is due to light being reflected out from the bottom of the diamond.
If the cut angle is too deep, the light will be reflected out from the side of the diamond. Diamonds are either a brilliant cut or a step cut to achieve an outstanding sparkle. According to the diamond's cut scale, diamonds can be;
- Excellent
- Very Good
- Good
- Fair
- Poor