What Are Uncut Diamonds? Types, Measured & Valued
Diamonds are women’s forever. This gemstone is considered worth admiring due to its preciousness and shining appearance. But in actual, this dazzling sparkle is achieved through proper cutting and polishing. Having that said, people always look to shop for well-cut and polished diamonds rather than raw and uncut ones. However, the unshaped and unpolished raw diamonds cost less expensive per karat. Read on to know what are uncut diamonds, how they are measured and valued, and everything in between.
Defining Uncut Diamonds
Be it a lab-grown or naturally mined, an uncut diamond doesn’t possess any facets or geometrical shape. Due to not giving a particular professional cut and any professional polishing, they are also referred to as Raw or Rough Diamonds.
Uncut diamonds, more often, are mined naturally. Without any neat cutting and professional polishing diamonds is quite unattractive. That’s why we find uncut diamonds much cheaper but still uncommon, compared to cut diamonds. These raw diamonds are mostly used in industries due to having excellent properties. However, professional cutters make use of these uncut diamond pieces to add to the beauty of the beholder by shaping them and incorporating into scintillating jewelry.
Uncut Diamond’s Types
The way a diamond is cut defines its brilliance because better cut proportions ultimately affect the light reflection. However, rough diamonds do not sparkle the same way as cut one does. Reason? They have asymmetrical and unpolished facets that can’t emit sunlight brilliantly.
With that said, uncut diamonds may have different forms, clarity, color, and sizes. Mostly used for industrial purposes but sometimes given a cut for gem quality, an uncut diamond can be congo cubes, triangular in size, or white and gray semi gem quality.
Have a look at some of the uncut diamond’s examples, given below.
Famous Uncut Diamonds
1. SERGIO RAW DIAMOND:
It was the largest raw diamond that ever existed. But, it could only use for industrial purposes, not in jewelry making process.
2. TIFFANY YELLOW DIAMOND
Bought by Charles Tiffany in 1879, this Tiffany diamond was one of the largest yellow diamonds ever mined. It was roughly weighed 287.4 carats but got 82 facets (that is 24 more than a normal cut diamond)and 128.54-carat weight after the finished cut.
3. CULLINAN DIAMOND
This largest gem-quality diamond was named after the mine’s chairman, Thomas Cullinan. Weighing 3106.75 carats roughly, “The Great Star of Africa” (the largest clearcut diamond) also came from this most treasured gemstone.
4. What is CONGO CUBES UNCUT DIAMOND?
Congo cubes are unique rough diamonds coming from Congo. Naturally mined in yellowish and gray color with the effect of cloudy texture, these diamonds are also available in white, gray, and black color. They are mostly preferred to be used for making rough diamond jewelry (uncut jewelry) and art decoration jewelry.
How uncut diamonds are measured and valued?
Professionally cut and polished diamonds are the most valued ones. They sparkle intensely because properly cut facets are responsible for making the diamond shimmer.
However, the factors that determine the value of uncut diamonds are termed as 4Cs – Carat, Color, Clarity, and Cuts. The cut refers to the proportion, symmetry, and polish of the piece. It’s an important factor that changes the way light bounces off the diamond, making it appear more gleaming. To know more about how an uncut diamond is measured & valued, consider the following factors.
Nature of rough diamonds
The inherent quality of a diamond, which comprises its size, color, and clarity, has a significant impact on its value. Rough diamonds will not sparkle, but the quality of the rough diamond will decide the price of the finished cut diamond.
1. Uncut Diamond’s Clarity
Most of the natural mined diamonds have flaws that can be fixed by polishing and cutting. That’s how the clarity of diamonds is observed. The fewer the natural flaws are, the higher clarity grade the piece will have. It makes something very clear, that is less flawed uncut diamonds are assumed more valuable as compared to the ones with prominent flaws.
2. Uncut Diamond’s Color
Uncut diamonds have natural colors like yellow or brown. If a diamond piece is mined having a stronger hue of any of these colors, it will consider less valuable. However, an uncut colorless diamond is worth more than the former ones because very rare diamonds are mined as colorless. It makes them unique and a high pricing gemstone.
That’s why you should always go for the colorless flawless uncut diamond piece. Its more rare, inexpensive, and valuable even than the cut diamonds too.
4. Uncut Diamond’s Carat
Diamond’s 1 Carat weighs 200mg. It indicates that the higher the carat weight is, the more valuable the diamond piece will be. But uncut diamonds of higher carats aren’t always valuable. As clarity determines more than half of the diamond’s price, the naturally flawed uncut diamond even with higher carats will be less expensive than the flawless smaller diamond.
5. Uncut Diamond’s Shape
This factor also makes a huge impact on the worth of uncut diamonds. A big piece of rough diamond having an odd shape will have less value because if you decide to cut it, a lot will have to be removed. . This effort makes them cheaper compared to a small diamond of symmetrical shape.
Read More: Moonstone Meaning- Benefits, Healing Properties & Colors
Pros & Cons of Uncut Diamonds
You don’t need to consider deciding on uncut diamonds a problem because they’ll not cost you as much as a clear-cut authentic diamond piece will do. But still, since it’s not a huge but at least a deal, you should know everything to make an informed decision about it.
Pros Of Uncut Diamonds
Inexpensive: Uncut diamonds are cheaper because they haven’t gone through the efforts-required processes like cutting and polishing. It can easily be bought in hundred dollars compared to even the smaller size cut diamond costing thousands.
Conflict-free: An uncut diamond must have a Kimberley process certificate that proves that these diamonds are imported and exported from the war-free area.
Artistic and Unique: Since they are uncommon, they can be styled and designed in different artistic ways.
Cons Of Uncut Diamonds
Dull and Edgy: Cutting and Poslishing a diamond makes it dazzle. That’s why you’ll find uncut diamonds possessing no shine at all.
Colored and Flawed: Once mining is done, only the potential diamonds having the gem grades get selected for jewelry cuts and polishing. And, the lower quality diamonds are sent to be used for industrial purposes.
Tough to decide on: it needs a skilled man that can see whether the diamond piece is worth investing to get properly cut and polished or not. You can’t do it on your own.
