New York – One year after introducing 8X, a new cut grade standard for round brilliant diamonds, the Gem Certification & Assurance Lab has expanded it to include fancy shapes.
The lab introduced the 8X Ultimate Diamond Cut Grade in April 2021 to reflect advances in diamond cutting technology and techniques, and the resulting cuts from top diamond manufacturers.
The cut grade takes into account eight factors. (For comparison, GIA bases its cut grade on seven factors).
The laboratory says that after the introduction of 8X, it received many requests to develop it for fancy shapes.
So it created the new 8X Fancy Shape Diamond Cut Grade, which is notable because fancy shape diamonds are typically graded only for polish and symmetry.
GCAL’s new cut grade takes into account eight critical factors: polish, external symmetry, proportions, optical brilliance, fire, scintillation, optical symmetry and aesthetics of shape.
Similar to the 8X rating for round brilliants, polish, external symmetry and proportions focus on the physical precision of the diamond’s surface, facet shapes and angles. Optical Brilliance, Fire and Scintillation analyse how a diamond handles light.
The final two grading factors, Optical Symmetry and Shape Aesthetics, are about optical precision, or the craftsmanship of the crown and pavilion facets and how they work together.
Angelo Palmieri, GCAL’s COO and partner, says the lab has a “vast wealth of analytical images and data” from all the stones that have passed through it since it opened in 2000, including millions of photomicrographs, direct assessment images of optical brilliance, optical symmetry, scintillation, fire and measurements.
This put them in a good position to build correlation tables between proportions and performance, he said. For ovals, for example, they developed data-mining software to analyse images and build custom applications to calculate the bow and shoulder bulge.
“The result, I believe, is a diamond certificate that recognises the exceptional craftsmanship of fancy cut diamonds. And not just with words, but with analytical and visual analysis to back up those claims,” said Palmieri.
“This is the proof retailers need to demonstrate a diamond’s brilliance, fire, scintillation and beauty, and it’s the visual, scientific and accurate proof consumers have been looking for to make a more informed decision.”
The Cut Grade can be used for both natural and lab-grown diamonds.
Reports are priced the same as the 8X Ultimate Diamond Cut Grade and look similar to those produced for round brilliants.
GCAL will introduce the 8X Oval and 8X Princess Diamond Cut Grade certificates at the upcoming JCK Las Vegas jewellery show.
Additional 8X Fancies will be introduced later this year, GCAL said, confirming that pillows will be next.
