The diamond girdle refers to the outer border of the precious stone and the grading for the diamond girdle depends on the form at the thinnest as well as thickest point of the outer edge.
The outer edge can be either faceted or may have a granular look or can be polished. The faceted diamond girdle is normally associated with the fine cut stones as the cutter needs to pay extra attention to create the outer edge facets. This does not however influence the grading as in most cases only the thickness of the outer edge is assessed and not the surface look.
The perfect diamond girdle has a thickness in the range of thin to thick. The recommendation is to select diamonds with a thin or medium thin or thick and not the extreme of very thin or very thick. Judgement is made based on visual assessment by a qualified appraiser.
Specific abbreviations are used for the grading of the appearance at the thinnest and thickest parts of the outer edge for example, the ET for extremely thin, the VT for very thin, the T range for thin and the M range for medium, whilst the STK and other S ranges indicate levels of slightly thin. The T range which includes just T, TH and TK stands for thick while the VT stands for very thick and then at the other end of the scale you get the ET for extremely thick. Speak to your jeweller about the grade ranges.
Finally, the thicker diamond girdle will weigh more, but will not have that much of an influence on the sparkle of precious stone. Contact us to help you make the best selection and ensure that you get value for your money.
