In jewelry, facets are the geometrically cut, flat surfaces that cover a gemstone. They act as windows through which light passes and is then reflected outward to produce a diamond’s sparkle. They can be produced in a variety of shapes and sizes, but whatever the shape or size, their purpose is to optimize the gem’s appearance. Generally, the more facets a gemstone has, the more sparkle it has, although the proportion and symmetry of the facets are equally important to the stone’s brilliance and fire.
Light enters and leaves the diamond through facets, so it stands to reason that the more facets a diamond has, the better. These facets, because of their placement and angle, lead to the reflection of light inside a diamond as well. You may be interested to know that a light beam is supposed to reflect about seven times inside a diamond before it exits and hits the eye. This amazing attribute contributes to a diamond’s brilliance and dispersion.
A round brilliant cut diamond has 57 to 58 facets. If the culet is faceted the facet count is 58 and if the culet is pointed, the facet count is 57. All the facets in a diamond have names assigned to them based on where they are located.
Close Up on Diamond Facets
Facets and Angles Allow Reflections of Light From Inside the Diamond
On the crown side there are a total of 25 facets:
Table facet – 1
Star facets – 8
Upper girdle facets – 16, placed as pairs
Below the girdle, which may be rough, polished, faceted, partially polished or partially faceted, there are either 24 or 25 facets:
Lower girdle facets – 16, placed as pairs
Pavilion main facets – 8
Culet – pointed or faceted
When it comes to the number of facets, the facet count is very important in a round brilliant cut. The facet count has to be either 57 or 58.
