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There are many different cuts of diamonds to choose from. The cut essentially refers to the shape that the diamond is cut into - unless you are in the diamond or jewelry business, but this shape has a great impact on the much the diamond sparkles.

The most popular cuts are heart, marquise, oval, pear, princess, round, trillion, & emerald cuts. The shape has an impact on how much the diamond sparkles, but the actual cutting itself - when the diamond cutter actually cuts the diamond into a particular shape - also matters a great deal. If the diamond is poorly cut, it will lose its sparkle.

However, in the diamond industry, the cut of a diamond doesn't refer to its shape at all. Instead, this is a reference to the stone's depth, width, brilliance, durability, clarity, and other aspects of the diamond. Common cutting problems include a missing or off center culet, misalignment, a diamond that is too thick or too thin, cracks, or broken culets.

When shopping for a diamond, you should of course choose the shape that you like the greatest, but then look at several different diamonds of that shape to find the one with the best cut - the one that sparkles the most, in all types of lighting.