57 facets is the number of facets in a modern round brilliant cut diamond.
As you look at your diamond face-up, you will see a huge facet on the top, that is called the Table Facet.
Surrounding the Table Facet are 32 facets (8 Bezel, 8 Star, 16 Upper Half as they are called). Together with the Table Facet, this makes the Crown of your diamond, or the top half.
Next is the Girdle of the diamond, which is essentially the circumference junction between the Crown and the Pavilion.
The Pavilion is the bottom half of your diamond, which consists of 24 facets (8 Pavilion Main, 16 Lower Half). They come together to form the Culet, or the point of your diamond. Sometimes, there is an extra facet placed at the bottom of the Culet to protect it from chipping, so technically, a modern round brilliant cut diamond can have 57 or 58 facets.
So what does all this mean? Well in a nutshell, each facet has an angle and a relative size which directs light thru the diamond. So when light enters the Table Facet of your ring, it travels diagonally thru the diamond and strikes a Pavilion Facet, bounces back up to a facet in the Crown and repeats itself until the light exits the diamond.
This white light action is what makes your diamond so beautiful! So when you look at your diamond, look for brightness, fire and scintillation. Is your diamond bright, happy? Does it have flashes of color? Are there flashes of light and dark as you move your diamond? Then you have a nicely Cut diamond...one of the important 4Cs of diamond buying.
So why is my blog called 57 Facets? Because the modern round brilliant cut diamond should always have exactly 57 facets. 57 facets results in maximum brilliance, regardless of size or color. It’s the most popular cut of the world’s most precious gemstone, and my personal favorite. I strive to make all my jewelry just this way – to the highest standards and exactly right for its purpose.