AGS 000

Going beyond the "Ideal Cut"

So, now you know what constitutes a perfectly proportioned diamond and right now you're saying ... "Jonathan, THIS IS EXCELLENT INFO!!! Now I can go out and fairly shop apples to apples and know whether I'm being rooked or am I getting a good deal on what I'm considering purchasing!"

Well, while you are now armed with WAAAAAAAAAY more information than the average diamond buyer (including MANY diamond sales people) and lets say you're one of those few who are considering the purchase of an ideal cut stone, you have now entered ...

"The Arena of Ideal Cut Diamonds"

When you cross this threshold into the realm of "Ideal Cut" diamonds. There are some other questions to be answered. Questions like "Is this Ideal Cut diamond an AGS Triple Ideal"? IF it is a triple ideal, does the stone exhibit a hearts and arrows pattern under the specified viewer?

AGS triple ideal & Hearts and Arrows diamonds are diamonds that take you out of the Matrix. ;) It's important to understand them because there are different values for each.

Ok... we're looking at a diamond that has crown angles of 34.5°, it's pavilion depth is 43.1%, it's table size is 56%, the girdle is a nice thickness of "thin to medium" and there's no culet. All it's proportions fall perfectly within the AGS standards of an Ideal Cut diamond.

Well, if you remember in the preceding chapters on cut we also discussed Symmetry and Polish. On most good quality diamonds the symmetry and polish are acceptable and would at least fall at the GIA grade of "good" (on a scale that goes "excellent", "very good", "good", "fair" and "poor"). There is, however, such a thing as having "ideal" symmetry and "ideal" polish. On a GIA report they would be graded individually as "excellent" or on an AGS report "ideal". So what I'm saying is that it is possible to have a diamond cut to "ideal" proportions yet does not have "ideal" symmetry or polish. So when a diamond has all 3 areas of it's cut (proportions, symmetry and polish) be "ideal" ... this is what constitutes the AGS triple ideal. You could not get this info off of a GIA report since GIA does not give enough detail about a diamond's cut nor does it grade cut. Here's an example of an AGS report on a diamond that is an AGS triple ideal. Note under the "Cut Grade" its polish symmetry and proportions analysis. All state ideal. =D I love AGS reports. =P Note on the right side of the report you have all the details of it's cut including pavilion depth/angles, crown height/angles, table, girdle, culet EVERYTHING! These guys have their act together.

Just a note of interest while we're on the subject. You could have a diamond that has a lab report by GIA. The table can be 57%, the culet and girdle can both be "ideal", the polish and the symmetry can also be both graded as "excellent" and you can still have a diamond that's a cut grade of 10!!! The point I'm making is that the GIA report does not provide the crucial information about the pavilion and crown angles to be able to accurately grade the overall cut of the diamond. Remember ... apples with apples.

Can a diamond be a triple ideal cut and still be a stone with a GIA Report?

YES. Since GIA only gives cut grades on polish and symmetry, to know whether a diamond would receive the status of triple ideal some supplemental info is required to make this judgment. This information can be easily provided by a gemologist or jeweler who has the equipment necessary to grade proportions (such as discussed in chapters Cut Grading Methods (a prior chapter) & Cut Analysis 101 (you're coming to this). Here is an example of diamond that has a GIA Report showing the highest GIA grades possible for polish and symmetry (the Excellent/Excellent grading) and the supplemental data showing the proportions falling within the AGS ideal zone.

The proportion analysis on this diamond (as seen below) reveals a "0" according to AGS standards for an ideal cut. Hence a triple ideal cut diamond with a GIA Report.

What is the difference between an AGS "000" and an AGS Triple Ideal Cut?

Within the trade triple "0" (or AGS 000) and triple "ideal cut" are almost used interchangeably. Sometimes those of us within the trade forget and will use the terms with consumers and we often make the mistake that there is actually a difference between a triple "0" and a triple ideal cut. Let me explain.

We've just defined above what constitutes the "triple ideal cut" and how that can be determined from both a GIA and an AGS Reports. However an AGS "000" according to the true definition of the term would be a diamond that is not only a triple ideal cut in it's cut grading but is also a diamond color grade of D, a "0" on the AGS color scale, and a clarity grade of Fl (flawless) or IF (internally flawless) which constitute a "0" on the AGS clarity scale. Here is an AGS Report on a diamond that is a true "AGS 000". "0" grade for cut, "0" grade for clarity and "0" grade for color.

Here is a GIA version of the above (but with a different diamond). The diamond is a triple ideal cut (GIA Ex/Ex polish/symmetry
grade, has AGS ideal proportions, and is a D color Internally Flawless diamond. :) Rare goodies. :)

Beyond an AGS Triple Ideal?

Well ... just when you thought you've seen it all. There are cutters who are such perfectionists that they've take the triple ideal and took it an extra step. Click on "next" to learn about the AGS triple ideal hearts and arrows diamonds.