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Parts of a Diamond
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Anyone reading or discussing a diamond quickly encounters the use of terminology that is unique to the description of a
diamond. The following illustration identifies the different parts of a diamond. We use the round diamond because the
majority of diamonds are rounds, but all cuts of diamonds have the same basic components..table, crown, girdle, pavilion
and culet.
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Roll cursor over facet chart to view the different facets
on the diamond illustrations above.
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Click here to learn about the four C's starting with Carat weight
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Facet - The diamond is shaped by a cutter who takes the rough
diamond material and shapes the diamond by cutting flat surfaces
into the material. Each flat surface is called a facet. All of the
facets together define the final shape of the diamond.
Table - The table is the flat surface on the top of the diamond.
Light reflecting or refracting back up through the table gives the
diamond its brilliance and scintillation. Table percent is the size of
the table in relation to the diameter of the diamond at its widest
point. This measurement, in conjunction with others, is used to
distinguish a well-cut stone from an ordinary or poorly cut diamond.
Crown - The crown is the entire top part of the diamond between
the table and girdle.
Girdle - The girdle of the diamond is the band around the widest
part of the diamond. The girdle is defined by how thick it is, and
whether it is plain, polished or has facets cut all the way around it.
Pavilion - The pavilion is the bottom part of the diamond below
the girdle.
Culet - The culet is the very bottom surface of the diamond. If the
diamond does not come to an exact point, the culet is actually the
58th facet of a round brilliant. The culet is characterized by its
size, and does not affect the grading of a diamond unless it is very
large. If the diamond comes to an exact point, the diamond has no
culet. That explains the "None" designation for culet on the lab
certificates
