Diamond Bead Cut

The diamond bead is a diamond that has been faceted and drilled. It is seldom completely spherical, and may have any shape, from round to a disc.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS AND CUTTING ISSUES
The diamond bead is covered with small facets on all sides, often in steps. There is no girdle, table or culet. The diamond bead is always cut from dodecahedroid rough of a near-spherical shape. Much of the material in the pipeline is being cut and faceted in India because the work is very labor-intensive and the drilling is extremely difficult; however, other cutting centers are also making beads.

PRICING AND SUPPLY
There has been a new surge of interest in the diamond bead in the past year-and-a-half. Supplies are generally good, but well-calibrated and well-matched diamond beads are still difficult to come by. Like the diamond briolette, which is also experiencing a revival, most of the diamond beads on the market are newly cut. Typical current qualities are white and off-white, with the best available being a G to H color, VS to SI, but diamond beads come in a range of colors from yellow champagnes to browns. As is true of most diamond cuts, whiter, brighter beads are more expensive than the off-color beads. One-third carat beads in G to H,VVSI, which are rarely totally clean, are selling for about $800 per carat. Larger beads in the same quality are moving in the $1,200 per carat range, with higher prices commanded for calibrated or matched stones and carat sizes up to $1,500 per carat. There are few diamond beads on the market larger than three-quarters of a carat. Typical sizes range from 2.5 mm to 6 or 7 mm.

MARKETS AND MARKETING
The diamond bead is enjoying a revival that was spearheaded by highend jewelry designers, notably Cynthia Bach of Los Angeles. In 1999, Bach designed a necklace and bracelet suite of diamond beads that was worn by Cate Blanchette at that year's Golden Globe Awards. Another LA-based designer, Erica Courtney, has also been using diamond beads.

WHAT BUYERS SHOULD LOOK FOR
Brilliance - as with any diamond cut - is the most important factor to consider, then clarity, then color. Cut is a consideration because the stone is fully faceted on all sides. Another important consideration is the drill hole. Many diamond beads are drilled too narrowly to allow the wire to be threaded effectively. Larger holes, as those found in pearls, are not possible, since the diamond bead reflects the line of the hole throughout the body of the bead. Sometimes drill holes can be widened slightly, but only at the expense of losing some of the diamond's brilliance.