What is the difference between diamond and brilliant?

Diamond denotes the material, brilliant the cut. A brilliant is a diamond cut into the round shape with 57 facets. Every brilliant is a diamond, but only round-cut diamonds are brilliants.

Is a brilliant as real as a diamond?

Yes. A brilliant is a real diamond. The term only says something about the cut, nothing about the authenticity or quality of the stone.

Which cut is used at Diamonds in Glass?

The round brilliant cut. It reflects light from every perspective and thereby unfolds the strongest effect in the glass body.

Is a brilliant more expensive than other diamonds?

The cut is one of four value-determining criteria (the 4Cs). A precise brilliant cut can increase the value because it uses the light optimally, but the interplay of all four criteria remains decisive.

Diamond or brilliant? The difference simply explained

Hardly any term in jewellery is confused as often as this one. Diamond and brilliant sound like two things but mean the same material in different processing. The short answer is above. The long one explains why the shape decides the effect.

Diamond is the material, brilliant the cut

A diamond is a naturally formed gemstone of pure carbon. Only the cut gives it its later shape and play of light. If a diamond is cut in the round brilliant cut with 57 or 58 facets, it is called a brilliant.

Other cuts such as emerald, princess, oval or baguette remain diamonds too, but carry the name of their respective cut. The brilliant is therefore not a gemstone of its own but the name for a diamond in the brilliant cut.

At a glance

Diamond = the material (carbon, crystalline, hardest natural substance).
Brilliant = a diamond in the round cut with 57 or 58 facets.
Every brilliant is a diamond, not every diamond a brilliant.

Pendant with a diamond in brown glass, held between two fingers — The brilliant cut: 57 facets, calculated for maximum light return.

Why 57 facets of all things

The brilliant cut is an optical calculation. The angles of the facets are set so that incoming light is reflected inside the stone and thrown back upwards instead of escaping at the bottom. The result is the brilliance that gives the cut its name.

„A diamond does not shine by itself. It returns the light you give it.“

Why Diamonds in Glass relies on the brilliant

In the glass this property becomes decisive. The curvature of the glass body acts like a lens and guides the light to the stone from all sides. The round brilliant takes in this light from every perspective and returns it. A flat or angular cut would have dead angles. That is why the brilliant forms the basis of every piece.

See how the brilliant comes to life in the glass.

See the process

Frequently asked questions

Answered briefly

Diamond denotes the material, brilliant the cut. A brilliant is a diamond cut into the round shape with 57 facets. Every brilliant is a diamond, but only round-cut diamonds are brilliants.
Yes. A brilliant is a real diamond. The term only says something about the cut, nothing about the authenticity or quality of the stone.
The round brilliant cut. It reflects light from every perspective and thereby unfolds the strongest effect in the glass body.
The cut is one of four value-determining criteria (the 4Cs). A precise brilliant cut can increase the value because it uses the light optimally, but the interplay of all four criteria remains decisive.