An extra facet on a diamond is an additional polished surface that is not required by the stone’s normal cutting pattern. It may be created during corrective polishing or weight preservation. Its importance depends on size, position, visibility, symmetry impact, and whether it changes the diamond’s outline or vulnerable edges.
A diamond has many polished surfaces as a result of the process of cutting. Extra facets are required to be added during the cutting process to achieve an overall polished surface and symmetry of the diamond. Extra facets are added to correct finishing problems, such as removing a sharp edge or removing an inclusion. Because an extra facet is added to the outside of a normal plan, it affects the symmetry of the diamond.
An Extra Facet on a Diamond may or may not be visible to the naked eye. Because of their location, some extra facets may or may not affect the way in which light reflects through the diamond. For instance, an extra facet in the pavilion may be visible and may alter the symmetry of how light reflects through the diamond, while an extra facet on the girdle may be difficult to view and is unlikely to alter the symmetric appearance of a diamond.
Understanding an Extra Facet on a Diamond may prove useful in comparing certified diamonds, assessing diamonds for repetitive jewelry production, and inspecting diamonds in a wholesale lot. Pasted text
What Is an Extra Facet on a Diamond?
When a normal facet is placed on a diamond in the wrong location, it is considered an extra facet. All other extra facets are located outside the normal plan of a finished diamond design.
A small additional facet can be found in the girdle, pavilion, or crown. The value of an Extra Facet on a Diamond depends on its size, position, visibility, and surrounding facets. Often, it is the case that an extra facet’s value is determined by its size, position, visibility, and surrounding facets.
Understanding normal diamond facets helps distinguish a planned facet from an additional facet that sits outside the normal design. Pasted text
What Is the Reason for Adding Extra Facets During Diamond Cutting?
Normal facets are added for a reason, and therefore a cutter would not add a facet without a good reason. A facet may be added to eliminate a surface-reaching characteristic, improve a local area of the outline, or maintain the maximum possible weight. A cutter also may leave an Extra Facet on a Diamond to address an issue that is likely to be visible.
It is the intention of a cutter to remove all irregularities during the cutting process. However, it is often more practical to leave an extra facet to remove surface-reaching irregularities. Maintaining carat weight is an important reason for leaving an extra facet.
The broader diamond polishing process helps explain why cutters may need to balance surface finishing, shape, symmetry, and weight retention.
Not all extra facets are positive. A large, prominent, or outlining Extra Facet on a Diamond shows that a compromise had to be made in the cutting result. Pasted text
Where Are Extra Facets Found?
Extra facets are normally seen along the diamond girdle. Extra facets can be found in the crown as well as in the pavilion.
Placing a facet is obvious in some places and not so obvious in others. A small facet on the pavilion side can be placed more subtly than a facet placed on the crown or a facet placed at the table. A facet placed on a pavilion corner is pertinent to gem setting, and a facet placed in a side pavilion is not.
Understanding diamond anatomy can make the position of an Extra Facet on a Diamond easier to evaluate because the crown, girdle, pavilion, table, corners, and points have different visual and practical roles.
Edge or point placement should also be considered during inspection. A facet placed on an edge increases that edge’s exposure and makes it more vulnerable to damage. Pasted text
Can an Extra Facet on a Diamond Impact Symmetry?
Yes, additional facets can adversely impact diamond symmetry, and a prominent extra facet should negatively affect symmetry. Therefore, the presence of an Extra Facet on a Diamond should also be considered when evaluating the overall symmetry of a diamond.
While a prominent extra facet can negatively impact the overall symmetry of a diamond, other aspects of the polish and symmetry can make up for the deviation and still result in good diamond symmetry. On the other hand, poor overall symmetry can result in a complete polish and symmetry that makes up the overall symmetry of the diamond.
Evaluating symmetry requires a lot of consideration. For example, let’s say a diamond has an imperfect proportion and symmetry is evaluated during a grading review. The diamond may have been cut too deep, which can cause extra faceting, meaning field magnification would need to be considered.
Buyers can also review diamond symmetry grades when assessing whether an Extra Facet on a Diamond is part of a broader symmetry issue. Pasted text
Normal Facets vs. Extra Facets
| Feature | Normal Facet | Extra Facet |
|---|---|---|
| Part of planned cut design | Yes | No |
| Required by cutting style | Yes | No |
| Follows standard pattern | Yes | No |
| Can influence symmetry? | Yes, by alignment and proportion | Yes, if size or position is significant |
| Optical design and shape formation? | Yes | No |
| Corrective polishing or local adjustment? | No | Yes |
| Buyer’s concern? | Cut quality | Visibility, location and effect |
An Extra Facet on a Diamond should be distinguished from facets that are part of the planned design, including star, bezel, pavilion main, upper girdle, and lower girdle facets.
The intended arrangement can be understood more clearly by reviewing standard diamond faceting patterns. Pasted text
Does an Extra Facet on a Diamond Affect Clarity?
An extra facet is considered a polished facet and therefore would not affect clarity.
It is important to consider separating polish and symmetry from clarity when analyzing grading reports. With certified diamonds, one diamond is evaluated against the other diamonds, therefore a more in-depth evaluation is required. The report should indicate what aspects of the finish need the most attention.
An Extra Facet on a Diamond does not affect clarity. Extra facets are more of a finishing feature and would not affect the clarity of the diamond. Pasted text
Does an Extra Facet on a Diamond Affect Polish?
Extraneous facets happen when the stone is cut in a particular way and leaves behind “extra” sections that need to be “cleaned up” to achieve a polished finish. This can affect the polish of a stone but does not mean a stone was cut poorly. Whether a stone is symmetric is assessed differently.
If facets are not in the correct positions, then a stone is considered to be asymmetrical. If a stone has extra facets, it affects the symmetry of the stone.
Understanding diamond polish separately from symmetry helps prevent an Extra Facet on a Diamond from being incorrectly treated as only a polishing defect.
During normal B2B inspections, a great deal of buyers assume that each extra facet is a polishing defect. Rather, the question should be: is the facet symmetric, and what effect does it have on the overall outline of the stone? Pasted text
Does an Extra Facet on a Diamond Affect Brilliance or Light Performance?
If a facet is placed close to the girdle, it will obviously not affect light performance or brilliance, but if there are facets placed in the pavilion, it will not affect light performance or brilliance either. The placement of facets affects light performance.
Light performance is the result of all the facets interacting with each other. More scientific details on this relationship can be found in Lepdo’s Medium discussion of diamond brilliance and scintillation.
When a consumer is examining a diamond to see if the cut is symmetric, deviation from symmetry is usually the determining factor to tell if it is actually a real diamond.
For this reason, an Extra Facet on a Diamond should be examined as part of the overall facet arrangement rather than being evaluated without considering surrounding facets. Pasted text
Is an Extra Facet on a Diamond Detrimental to Durability?
Additional faceting may decrease the durability of a diamond; however, it may not always be a concern. It depends on the location. An Extra Facet on a Diamond positioned on a vulnerable part of a diamond requires a closer inspection of the surrounding geometry.
A facet that is positioned on a protected area should not have any effect on durability. A facet that is located in a thin area such as the girdle, or a facet that alters the geometry of a point, requires a more extensive examination. The GIA has published information on the princess cut that states an additional facet located in a corner of the cut increases the risk of chipping.
Fancy shaped diamonds have special considerations. Each fancy shaped diamond has its own unique concerns. When purchasing fancy shape diamonds, points, local girdle thickness, facet junctions, and final setting design can be examined prior to approval. Pasted text
How to Inspect an Extra Facet on a Diamond
1. Review the Report
There are many different ways an additional facet can be reported on a diamond grading report. It can be listed as a comment. It may affect the symmetry or finish grade of the diamond. It can also affect the plotting of the facets.
When evaluating an Extra Facet on a Diamond, the report provides the first point of reference before physical inspection.
2. Locate the Facet With Magnification
Once a report has indicated the presence of an additional facet, it can be located using 10X magnification. Determining the location of a facet is very important when assessing if it is problematic.
3. Analyze Size
One also has to take into account the size of the facet. If a facet is substantially larger than the other facets of a diamond, this should also be reported.
The size of an Extra Facet on a Diamond should therefore be considered together with its position and the surrounding facet structure.
4. Check the Face-Up View
An additional facet in a pavilion-set stone may not diminish face-up symmetry as much, since it is more difficult to see it from the face-up position.
5. Inspect Symmetry and Outline
Check the extra facet for broken outlines, irregular outlines, and local asymmetry.
An Extra Facet on a Diamond that changes the outline may deserve more attention than one that remains difficult to identify in the face-up position.
6. Inspect Edge Areas
For a point- or corner-set stone, assess local girdle thickness and take into account the final setting. A stone with a shape like a pear or marquise, which exposes points, would be more critical.
7. Compare the Stone With the Purpose for Buying
In the case of a precision purchase, customers may adopt a more rigid standard for rejection compared to a standard purchase. With loose diamonds, uniformity throughout the parcel may be as important as the feature on a single stone.
This makes an Extra Facet on a Diamond particularly relevant when many stones are being compared for the same production program. Pasted text
Should Buyers Reject Diamonds With Extra Facets?
Extra facets do not always warrant rejection. Symmetry grade, size, location, visibility from the face-up position, and potential effect on durability have to be analyzed. Buyers must also determine the reason for which the diamond is being purchased.
An Extra Facet on a Diamond should therefore be evaluated according to the full quality requirement rather than rejected only because an additional facet is present.
For unique cutting styles, first, the buyer should decode the facet pattern to see if there are extra facets that may be part of the intended design. This is especially important when examining unique cut diamonds. Pasted text
Extra Facet on a Diamond for B2B Buyers
Extra facets are important to wholesale buyers, especially if the stones within a parcel show the same phenomenon. Variation in the cutting decisions can impact the faceting design and may impact the overall look of the stone, especially if the cutter left extra rough in the diamond.
For a B2B buyer, an Extra Facet on a Diamond becomes more important when repeated across stones because the buyer may be evaluating consistency for a particular jewelry or manufacturing program.
Lepdo Diamonds is a diamond manufacturing and trading company based in Surat, India. For the trade buyer, the crucial point of assessment is not if extra facets are present or not. The crucial point of assessment is if stones conform to the required standards for the program. Pasted text
Common Misconceptions About an Extra Facet on a Diamond
Is an Extra Facet Always Poor Cutting?
Not always. An Extra Facet on a Diamond can be very minor and may not be that noticeable.
Is an Extra Facet Always an Inclusion?
No. An extra facet is a polished surface, and an inclusion is an imperfection within the diamond.
Does an Extra Facet Always Mean a Lower Grade?
Not always. The effect may be determined by the size of the facet, where it is located, if it is visible, and also by the grading system’s assessment of symmetry.
Are Extra Facets Only Present in Low Quality Diamonds?
No. Extra facets may be present in higher quality diamonds. Discriminating buyers may always take into consideration the presence of an Extra Facet on a Diamond regardless of quality.
Does an Extra Facet Always Increase Clarity?
No. An extra facet can eliminate a local surface feature to help improve clarity, but the presence of an extra facet does not guarantee clarity will improve. Pasted text
Frequently Asked Questions About an Extra Facet on a Diamond
1. What Causes an Extra Facet in a Diamond?
An Extra Facet on a Diamond can occur during the cutting of a diamond. A cutter may be trying to eliminate a local surface feature or help define a sharp edge of a facet. An extra facet may also be used to balance a weight consideration.
2. Can an Extra Facet Be Detected Without Using Magnification?
Not usually. The size of the extra facet and its location affect whether it can be seen without magnification. Larger extra facets in more prominent areas of a diamond may be seen without the use of magnification.
3. Does an Extra Facet Decrease a Diamond’s Value?
An Extra Facet on a Diamond may negatively affect a diamond’s value, but to what extent would depend on other factors such as appearance, durability, buyer preference, symmetry, and overall grade.
4. Can a Diamond Have an Extra Facet and Still Have Good Symmetry?
Yes. A diamond can have a small extra facet and still have very good symmetry. When determining the final symmetry grade of a diamond, all factors of symmetry are taken into consideration, including how pronounced they are.
5. Are Extra Facets and Naturals the Same?
Not at all. Naturals are part of a diamond that was part of the crystal that formed the diamond and was left on the diamond. Extra facets are added to the diamond.
6. Are Extra Facets More Prevalent in Fancy Shapes?
Yes. Extra facets are usually found at corners or points of fancy shapes. Extra facets are found in all shapes of diamond if the design is very geometric, like the rose cut. An Extra Facet on a Diamond should be assessed along with other aspects of the diamond like the girdle and the setting.
7. Is Disclosure of an Extra Facet Mandatory?
Not mandatory. However, if an extra facet is large enough to affect the symmetry or appearance of the diamond, disclosure is recommended.
8. How Should a Wholesale Buyer Assess Repeated Extra Facets?
Buyers should analyze symmetry grade, shape of facets, their location, and face-up visibility. It is important for buyers to be vigilant about these factors, especially when purchasing diamonds in the wholesale market. With B2B buying, repetition is crucial because a wholesaler does not care whether every stone can be sold individually.
An Extra Facet on a Diamond should therefore be assessed individually and as part of parcel-level consistency. Pasted text
What Buyers Should Know About an Extra Facet on a Diamond
An Extra Facet on a Diamond is a polished surface that does not conform to the standard arrangement of facets. It is important to understand the location of the extra facet, whether it is visible, and how it impacts symmetry, outline, durability, and optical pattern.
The grading report of a diamond is just a preliminary report. It should be evaluated in combination with a physical analysis and a face-up evaluation. When extra facets on diamonds are analyzed relative to the overall quality of the diamond, a small, relatively well-hidden extra facet might be fine, and a large, poorly placed extra facet might not even warrant rejection. It really depends on the expectations for the diamond, setting, and other requirements.
For retailers, wholesalers, and jewelry manufacturers, an Extra Facet on a Diamond should ultimately be judged according to the required visual quality, symmetry, durability, setting design, and consistency expected from the stone or parcel.
