What is a culet?
The culet is a small facet at the bottom of a diamond that serves as the diamond's endpoint. It is located at the tip of the diamond's pavilion and is typically a tiny flat facet. The size and visibility of the culet can affect the overall appearance and value of the diamond.
Traditionally, diamonds were cut with a small point at the culet, but today, many diamonds are cut with no culet at all. This is because a larger culet can allow light to leak out of the diamond, reducing its brilliance and sparkle. Diamonds with a larger culet can also be more vulnerable to chipping and damage, as the point of the culet can be more delicate than the rest of the diamond.
On the other hand, a well-cut diamond with a small or no culet can reflect more light back through the top of the diamond, increasing its brilliance and fire. This is why diamonds with a small or no culet are generally more highly valued.
The culet size is typically graded on a scale from "none" to "large", with "none" being the most highly valued.When grading diamonds, the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) uses the following terminology for culet size:
- None: The culet is not visible under 10x magnification
- Very small: The culet is visible under 10x magnification, but difficult to see with the naked eye.
- Small: The culet is slightly visible with the naked eye.
- Medium: The culet is easily visible with the naked eye.
- Large: The culet is very noticeable and can impact the diamond's overall appearance.