8 Carat Round Diamond Ring

The round‐cut diamond is the most popular shape, accounting for 75% of all diamonds sold in most size. This shape’s popularity is attributed to the way it is cut, which, moreso than other shapes, allows it to beautifully reflect light.

For 8 carat diamond rings, round isn’t quite as popular a shape, as many people tend to choose elongated shapes like the oval or emerald cut. However, if you are looking for the the stone that sparkles the most, then an 8 carat round brilliant diamond would be the one to choose!

Rounds typically cost 25%‐35% more than fancy shapes because demand is high and yield is low. When compared to other shapes, more of the rough stone is lost in the cutting of a round diamond, raising the cost of each carat retained.

Most round diamonds are “brilliant‐cut”, containing 57 facets, or 58 if there is a culet.

Marcel Tolkowsky’s 1919 publication: “Diamond Design: A Study of the Reflection and Refraction of Light in Diamond,” described the ideal proportions of a round cut in order to maximize light return and dispersion.

The original Tolkowsky specifications are as follows: 53% table, 59.3% depth, 34.50 crown angle, visible culet. Due to theoretical and technological advancements, these parameters have since been perfected.SHOP ROUND DIAMONDS

CUT

The table below serves as a general guideline for evaluating the cut of a round diamond. GIA takes these and other factors into consideration when assigning a cut grade.

IDEAL	EXCELLENT	VERY GOOD	GOOD	FAIR	POOR
TABLE %	53 – 58	52 – 53 or 58 – 60	51 or 61 – 64	50 or 65 – 69	< 50 or > 69
DEPTH %	58 – 62.3	59 – 62.3	58 – 58.9 or 62.4 – 63.5	57.5 – 57.9 or 63.6 – 64.1	56.5 – 57.4 or 64.2 – 65	< 56.5 or > 65
CROWN ANGLE	34 – 34.7	34 – 34.9	32.1 – 33.9 or 35 – 35.9	30.1 – 32 or 36 – 37.9	29 – 30 or 38 – 40.5	< 29 or > 40.5
PAVILION DEPTH	42.8 – 43.2	42 – 42.7 or 43.3 – 43.9	41 – 41.9 or 44 – 45.5	39 – 40.9 or 45.6 – 48	< 39 or > 48
GIRDLE	Thin (1%) to Medium (3%)	Thin to Slightly Thin	Very Thin to Slightly Thick	Very Thin to Thick	Very Thin to Very Thick	Extra Thin to Extra Thick
CULET	None	Very Small	Small	Medium	> Medium
L/W RATIO	1.00	1.00 – 1.01	1.02	> 1.02

When you’re looking for an 8 carat diamond, we recommend that you still prioritise cut quality, to ensure that your diamond sparkles brilliantly.

While a big diamond is impressive on its own, a big diamond that sparkles well is significantly more impressive!

COLOR

Color is another factor of diamond evaluation that is based purely on personal preference. Diamond colors range from D‐Z, with D being colorless and Z indicating a light yellow hue.

Many of these color distinctions are subtle and unrecognizable to the untrained eye, but these variations heavily impact price. Despite the appeal of diamonds in the D‐F range, many consumers are actually purchasing diamonds in the G‐I range because of the slight warmth they convey.

Below you’ll find a general guide for evaluating color in round diamonds.

EXCELLENT	VERY GOOD	GOOD	FAIR	POOR
< .50 CT	D – G	H – I	J – K	L – M	> M
.51 – 1.0 CT	D – G	H – I	J – K	L – M	> M
1.0 – 2.0 CT	D – F	G – H	I – J	K – L	> L
> 2.0 CT	D – F	G	H	I – J	> J
FLUORO	NONE	FAINT – MED	STRONG	VERY STRONG

CLARITY

Finally we come to clarity; another subjective matter, because every consumer has a specific standard.

When it comes to inclusions, some folks don’t mind it, while others will only take stones that appear eye‐clean and yet others still only wish to buy a flawless stone.

Check out this guide for clarity in round stones:

EXCELLENT	VERY GOOD	GOOD	FAIR	POOR
< .50 CT	FL – VS2	SI1 – SI2	I1	I2	> I2
.51 – 1.0 CT	FL – VS1	VS2 – SI1	SI2	I1 – I2	> I2
1.0 – 2.0 CT	FL – VVS2	VS1 – VS2	SI1 – SI2	I1	> I1
> 2.0 CT	FL – VVS2	VS1 – VS2	SI1	SI2	> SI2

All of these are of course just starting points, so if you’re looking at an 8 carat round diamond, you’ll need to inspect the individual diamond and ensure that you are comfortable with its level of clarity to ensure that no inclusions or flaws are visible to the naked eye.

ASET & IDEALSCOPE

Both ASET and Idealscope images can help you to better exaluate the light performance of your diamond. Both tools will reveal areas of light leakage in white, but an ASET reading contains more detailed information. Because of this, it is the preferred method for evaluating fancy cut diamonds. However, because of the idealscope’s simplicity, it is a more user-friendly tool for non-gemologists. All you need to know when reading an idealscope is that white areas represent light leakage (bad) and red areas indicate light return (good).

Check out these images below for examples of ASET and Idealscope readings for round diamonds.