If you’re looking for a diamond with maximum sparkle, you need to pay attention to diamond depth. This characteristic affects how much light a diamond reflects, which can have a big impact on how much your stone shines.
What Is Diamond Depth?
Diamond depth is defined as the distance from the diamond table, the flat area at the top of a diamond, to the pointed area at the bottom, which is known as the cutlet. Dividing this number by the width of the diamond provides the depth percentage, which is a measurement that diamond experts use to define how close a stone is to an ideal depth.
What Is the Ideal Diamond Depth?
The ideal diamond depth percentage depends on the shape of the diamond. Here are the ideal depth percentages for some popular diamond shapes:
- Round: 59.5–61.9 percent
- Oval: 59–62 percent
- Pear: 59–63 percent
- Princess: 65–70 percent
- Emerald: 61–67.5 percent
- Marquise: 59–63 percent
- Heart: 57–59 percent
- Cushion: 59–62 percent
- Asscher: 59–67 percent
Diamond Depth and Brilliance
When shopping for a diamond, it is a good idea to choose one with a depth within the ideal range for each cut type. Diamonds that are too shallow lose a lot of the light that enters their top surface through the bottom, while diamonds that are too deep scatter reflected light out through the sides of the diamond and can cause the diamond to face up smaller than what the carat weight indicates. A diamond of ideal depth reflects light back out through the top surface, giving you maximum brilliance from your diamond ring.
Diamond Depth and Size
Diamond depth also affects how large a diamond appears. Diamonds with a lower depth percentage have larger top surfaces than diamonds of the same overall size with higher depth percentages. Therefore, if you want your diamond to look as large as possible, choose one with a depth percentage toward the bottom of the ideal range for your chosen cut type.
Choosing a Diamond
In addition to diamond depth, you also need to pay attention to the four Cs when shopping for a diamond. These are clarity, cut, color and carat. By paying attention to all these characteristics when choosing your diamond, you can ensure you purchase the stone that is right for you.