• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

J Shalev Diamonds HomepageJ Shalev Diamonds

Diamonds and bespoke diamond jewellery, London

TO BOOK AN APPOINTMENT CALL + 44 207 404 4022
  • Home
  • About
    • Our story
    • Benefits
  • Services
  • Collection
  • Loose diamonds
    • Register
    • Login
  • Diamonds explained
    • The 4 Cs
    • Certifications
  • Sell
  • News
  • Contact

Girdle Finish – Bruted, Polished & Faceted

28th March 2017 By Coby Shalev

There are three types of girdle finish: bruted, polished and faceted. In actual fact, the type of girdle finish has little effect on the brilliance of a stone.

Just a few decades ago almost all round brilliant cuts had a bruted girdle because of the way diamonds were cut. It is a single, continuous, unpolished surface going around the circumference of the diamond. This frosty appearance is created when a rough stone is rounded against another rough stone in a process called bruting. Today, with the availability of modern machining equipment, most girdles are either polished or faceted

Types of Finish Performed on the Girdle

 

If a bruted girdle is badly done it is known as a “bearded girdle” because the girdle’s surface resembles a man’s beard. Viewed under magnification, it can be seen to have many tiny “feathers” which gives the diamond an opaque and frosty appearance. In badly worked diamonds the feathers can even extend into the diamond’s body and become marked as inclusions.

There is little benefit to having a bruted girdle. In the case of a bearded girdle, the risk of having numerous “miniature cracks” around the diamond, provides little protection should the stone get damaged or knocked.
The most common types of finish found in modern day diamonds are polished and faceted girdles.

In polished girdles the entire girdle is polished into a single large and clear facet around the circumference of the diamond, thus enabling one to see through into its body. This is more uncommon in round stones, but is more common for square or rectangular diamonds, given their shape.

In the faceted finish a series of very small facets are made around the entire circumference of the diamond. This process removes any tiny feathers which may have been caused in the bruting process. A faceted girdle gives a cleaner and more complete look to the diamond. The additional facets allow the light to reflect off the girdle, providing extra brilliance, especially when viewed from the side.

Leading Diamond laboratories, such as the GIA, only evaluate the thickness of the girdle and not the appearance. Therefore, if it is too thick or too thin, it can effect the overall grading of the stone.

Filed Under: Uncategorised

Primary Sidebar

Archives

  • May 2025 (1)
  • April 2025 (3)
  • March 2025 (1)
  • February 2025 (2)
  • January 2025 (2)
  • December 2024 (2)
  • November 2024 (2)
  • October 2024 (2)
  • September 2024 (2)
  • August 2024 (2)
  • July 2024 (1)
  • June 2024 (2)
  • May 2024 (3)
  • April 2024 (1)
  • March 2024 (2)
  • February 2024 (2)
  • January 2024 (4)
  • December 2023 (1)
  • November 2023 (2)
  • October 2023 (2)
  • August 2023 (3)
  • July 2023 (2)
  • June 2023 (1)
  • May 2023 (1)
  • August 2018 (2)
  • May 2018 (5)
  • January 2018 (2)
  • December 2017 (4)
  • November 2017 (3)
  • October 2017 (4)
  • September 2017 (3)
  • August 2017 (3)
  • June 2017 (1)
  • May 2017 (3)
  • April 2017 (4)
  • March 2017 (4)
  • December 2016 (4)

Association Logos

London Diamond Bourse
World Federation of Diamond Bourse Member
International Gemological Institute
HRD Antwerp
American Gem Society Member
GIA

Call to Action

Receive news and special offers

Footer

  • FAQ
  • Terms, Mission and Privacy
© 2025 J. Shalev Diamonds · Website by Liquid Moon

J Shalev Diamonds Cookies Policy

Our Website uses cookies to improve your experience. Please visit our Terms, Mission and Privacy page for more information about cookies and how we use them.

Close