GCAL By Sarine's Discerning 8X® Ultimate Cut Grade For Diamonds

Forbes

26-07-2025

Cut can significantly affect a diamond's beauty, radiance and market value, since a superior cut ... More allows for a diamond's maximum fire and sparkle to dazzle.
'A perfectly cut diamond, observed New York City-based jewelry designer Lorraine West, 'is one of the holy grails for dealers, designers, manufacturers, retailers and of course, jewelry lovers.' West, whose clients include Beyoncé, Zendaya and Erykah Badu, is known for her artistic designs that gleam with exceptionally well-cut diamonds. Having collaborated with industry leaders like De Beers Group on diamond jewelry pieces for actors to wear on the red carpet, West is a cut connoisseur. 'Evaluating cut quality with maximum precision is one of the most important actions that a diamond grader, designer, manufacturer, retailer or customer must know how to perform,' she said.
Jewelry designer Lorraine West's 18-karat rose gold "Slither" ring comprises 3.73 carats of natural ... More diamonds from Botswana.
That perspective is shared by Angelo Palmieri, president of GCAL by Sarine, a New York-based diamond grading laboratory. 'Cut is what transforms a dull, lifeless rough crystal into the brilliant polished diamond we all cherish,' said Palmieri. 'It's the most controllable of the 4Cs — and the one that truly unlocks a diamond's beauty. A superior cut brings out maximum fire, brilliance, and sparkle. It's also what sets premium manufacturers and retailers apart. Because without an exceptional cut, even a flawless diamond can look ordinary.' While diamond cuts are graded from Excellent or Ideal, then down to Poor at the bottom of the scale, 'some labs' designation of Excellent cut diamonds,' Palmieri observed, 'is based on a wide range of parameters that may include stones with less than ideal proportions in their depth, table, and/or angles. Such proportions can dull the stone's overall brilliance and obscure their fire.' To provide more discerning grading service to designers, retailers and consumers, GCAL by Sarine created the 8X® Ultimate Cut Grade standard.
Angelo Palmieri observed, "Some Excellent cut diamonds embody less than ideal proportions in their ... More depth, table, and/or angles. Such proportions can dull the stone's overall brilliance and obscure its fire."
How The 8X® Ultimate Cut Grade Identifies Superior Diamonds
'Our 8X® Ultimate Cut Grade differentiates a higher level of diamonds than those that are graded as Excellent,' Palmieri related. 'Industry statistics indicate that more than half of all round brilliant cut diamonds receive 'Excellent' Cut grades, yet less than 1 per cent of those qualify as 8X®,' he continued. 'We developed 8X® so that buyers anywhere in the world can confidently and quickly select the most brilliant and beautiful diamonds, even if purchasing online, sight unseen.' (The 8X® standard can be used to analyze and grade both natural as well as lab-grown diamonds.) From consumers looking for the most precise, scientifically-advanced diamond grading information to diamond jewelry manufacturers, designers, retailers, estate jewelers and auction houses, GCAL by Sarine's proprietary AI-driven, 8X® Ultimate Cut Grade identifies the absolute best of the best round brilliant and fancy-shaped diamonds from those that are graded as merely 'Excellent,' or 'Ideal.'
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As Julie Yoakum, President & Chief Brand Merchant for Helzberg noted in an email interview, 'Helzberg believes in empowering customers with both choice and confidence, whether they're selecting a natural or lab grown diamond. GCAL's comprehensive lab grown diamond reports play a critical role in upholding our standards by providing the same rigorous level of detail, accuracy, and assurance that we provide for natural diamonds.' Whether purchasing online or in-person at a Helzberg store, Yoakum related, 'These reports help us deliver transparency to customers and give them peace of mind, and the knowledge that their future heirloom has been created with the care and craft they've come to expect from Helzberg over the last century.'Only diamonds that earn an 'Excellent' score in polish, external symmetry, proportions, ... More optical brilliance, fire, scintillation, optical symmetry and shape aesthetics qualify for the 8X designation. A deficient score in any single category automatically disqualifies the diamond.
How GCAL Developed 8X Standards For Fancy-Shapes
Creating a cut grade for fancy-shaped diamonds is exponentially more complex than for round brilliant diamonds. Each shape requires its own set of parameters, aesthetic considerations, and performance metrics. The scientific process that developed the 8X® Cut Grade for all diamond cuts, including fancy-shaped stones, is grounded in over 25 years of GCAL laboratory data.
In broad strokes, the process involves multiple distinct components, beginning with data collection and performance imaging. As Palmieri recounted, 'GCAL has assessed the optical light performance of over one million diamonds. We have the ability to capture brilliance, fire, and scintillation in videos, as well as photo micrographs of the crown and pavilion, and images of optical symmetry,' he said. 'Along with high-precision proportion measurements, our trove of visual and measurement data enables us to understand what separates the highest of high performing diamonds in any given shape.'
Regarding the identification of top performers, drawing from the dataset mentioned above, GCAL by Sarine then isolates the highest-performing diamonds in a particular shape (such as ovals, princess, marquise, pear, radiant). These are stones that demonstrate exceptional light return, fire, scintillation, balanced symmetry and minimal light leakage, along with ideal shape outline. 'These exemplars are the foundation of our standard,' Palmieri said.
Analyzing Proportions And Faceting; Defining Acceptable Ranges
GCAL by Sarine reverse-engineers all top-performing stones by using high-level proportion analysis tools to create wireframe facet diagrams of each stone. It then labels all facets, measures angles, and assesses combinations, plus observes how subtle variations like pavilion depth vs. crown angle may affect light performance. According to Palmieri, 'This process is shape-specific. For example, a princess cut must have a crown height of 10–15 percent and two distinct pavilion angles with a minimum 20-degree differential. Ovals and pears are analyzed for bow tie presence, shoulder bulge, and shape symmetry.' Finally, marquise stones are evaluated for table alignment, tip precision, and balanced brilliance.
Along with this analysis, Palmieri related, 'We define tight proportion windows for each shape, not just static measurements but relationships between facets. These tolerances allow cutters to produce 8X diamonds across various sizes and length-to-width ratios while preserving optimal performance.'
Fire is activated when white light travels through a diamond and is dispersed into a rainbow ... More spectrum of colors. Such flashes of color come alive whenever the diamond moves.
Validation Through Optical Testing
Every proposed 8X® Ultimate Cut Grade candidate diamond is directly assessed, as opposed to merely estimated. According to Palmieri, GCAL tests for brilliance or white light return; fire or colored light dispersion, scintillation, a.k.a. sparkle under motion, optical symmetry or uniform facet reflection pattern. Then there are tests for shape aesthetics that involve bow tie evaluation, outline symmetry, and bulges. All these points are measured using proprietary technology, precise photography as opposed to renderings, and real-time performance testing, free of any approximations or simulations.
Rigorous Standards, Supplier Tools And Feedback
Only diamonds that earn an 'Excellent' score in polish, external symmetry, proportions, optical brilliance, fire, scintillation, optical symmetry and shape aesthetics qualify for the 8X designation. A deficient score in any single category automatically disqualifies the diamond from fulfilling the 8X standard. To best serve manufacturers, GCAL provides proportion spec sheets and allows file submission prior to cutting. This enables diamond cutters to validate whether or not their planned proportions will meet the 8X standard, thus saving them crucial time, cost, and yield.
In 1919, Marcel Tolkowsky's round brilliant cutting formula calculated the number and placement of ... More 57 facets to maximize light return by enabling light coming into a diamond to get refracted upward through the stone's table and crown— so that it dazzles the viewer.
8X Cut Grade Builds Upon Tolkowsky's Brilliant Tradition
It can be argued without fear of hyperbole that the 8X® Ultimate Cut Grade is one of the diamond industry's most consequential advances since the 1919 publication of Marcel Tolkowsky's book, 'Diamond Design.' Tolkowsky, a Belgian mathematician from a diamond-cutting family, was the first to detail the mathematical principles for maximizing a round brilliant diamond's sparkle and brilliance. His formula focused on those precise angles and facets needed to achieve the best light return in a diamond. Tolkowsky determined that a round brilliant cut should have 58 facets and specific measurements for the crown, pavilion, and table to optimize brilliance and fire. Tolkowsky's method, variously referred to as the Tolkowsky Cut, Tolkowsky Ideal Cut or Ideal Cut, has been the diamond cutters' and jewelry industry's North Star for decades. 'It's one of the finest cuts, one that's often used in high-end jewelry,' Palmieri observed.
According to Paul Hung, founder and CEO of Singapore-based jewelry manufacturer JannPaul Diamonds, 'Consumers drive demand.' Today's information-hungry consumers demand fact-based, detailed evidence regarding a diamond's nature and value. 'With the new GCAL 8X® Proprietary certification,' Hung observed, jewelers and retailers can provide a deeper, more discerning level of service to customers. This standard, he added, allows them to '…keep up with the rapid shift in the demands of a new generation of consumers. After 20 years of searching for a laboratory that can grade diamond cuts accurately; Hung claimed, 'I have found that GCAL, especially with its 8X® cut grade, meets all the criteria that I have been looking for. It allows consumers to look at a certificate, understand it, and walk away knowing that they have purchased the most beautiful diamond.'
A superior cut brings out a diamond's maximum fire, brilliance, and sparkle. It's also what sets ... More premium manufacturers and retailers apart, Angelo Palmieri explained, "Because without an exceptional cut, even a flawless diamond can look ordinary.'
Delivering Consistency, Transparency And Trust
'GCAL fully embodies the essence of consumer protection and transparency in the diamond industry,' said Hung. 'In my honest opinion, GCAL is currently the most stringent laboratory in the world, and they have never compromised on grading results. For the past 6 months, I have been working with the team of GCAL, testing their consistency by sending them various diamonds. Through this process, we have discovered that GCAL has remained consistent with the original grading system first established by the Gemological Institute of America. We have found almost no discrepancies in color and clarity grading.'
For example, Hung continued, 'Two diamonds could be graded Triple Excellent or (what was formerly known as Triple Ideal Zero, though one is far superior to the other. GCAL, on the other hand, has the 8X technology and scientific knowledge' to map the nature of each diamond with unparalleled precision, thus identifying the one that is qualitatively better than the other.
As Yoakum explained, 'Helzberg offers a selection of lab grown diamonds graded to GCAL's exacting 8X standard – an industry breakthrough that elevates grading to a new level of precision and integrity.' By assessing all eight critical aspects of cut and requiring each to fulfill the criteria to receive an 'Excellent' rating, Yoakum added, 'the 8X standard brings an unprecedented level of transparency and consistency to the customer experience. GCAL by Sarine's proprietary technology allows retailers to confidently assure customers that their lab grown diamond meets the highest benchmarks for beauty and craftsmanship.'
Every diamond that earns GCAL's Ultimate Cut Grade standard is accompanied by a QR code that syncs ... More with the lab's mapping and imagery of that stone.
There are other reasons why industry pros value 8X®. Ken Harrison of Quality Gold, a Fairfield, Ohio jewelry company with offices and operations in the U.S., Canada, India and Peru that serves more than15,000 retailers, offers a topical take on this new cut grade. 'Over the past few years there has been a flood of lab-grown diamonds coming into the supply chain causing a dramatic decrease in the price of this type of diamond.' (Even with the increased supply, however, U.S. demand for lab-grown diamonds continues to grow in the US.
While GCAL by Sarine's AI diamond grading methods use advanced camera and lighting systems to ... More examine and record the color and clarity of diamonds, their machine learning algorithms analyze the captured images to produce grading results that are unparalleled in repeatability, consistency, and accuracy.
As Harrison relates, 'I've seen reports that over 50 percent of all U.S. bridal jewelry, which forms the bulk of the jewelry industry, will soon be lab-grown and that this figure will continue to rise. What I want to offer our retailers," he stated, 'is a lab-grown diamond that is superior in brilliance and cut, which would differentiate it from what the masses have. 8X fits the bill. While the cutting and certification for 8X costs Quality Gold a bit more, the added value of offering consumers a finely cut diamond far outweighs the added cost. Why not give people the most brilliant and beautiful lab-grown diamond on the market?' Harrison asked. '8X identifies the best of the best.'
According to a 2015 survey by the wedding planning website The Knot, men spend an average of 4.8 months researching and selecting a diamond engagement ring. (That's roughly 20-21 weeks of investigative shopping.) It stands to reason that many customers seeking a superior natural diamond or lab-grown stone will appreciate the 8X® Ultimate Cut Grade's hyper-precise, time-saving assurances as much as manufacturers and retailers do.