A kite-cut diamond is a diamond fashioned to a kite-shaped outline, that is, a quadrilateral with two pairs of equal adjacent sides, an asymmetric long diagonal and an asymmetric short diagonal. The shape is the principal application of the kite outline in fine jewellery and is encountered most often in alternative bridal pieces, three-stone settings, and custom geometric designs. For a treatment of the underlying geometry and the broader family of kite outlines used in coloured stones as well, see the related entry on the kite cut.

Faceting traditions

Kite-cut diamonds divide into two distinct faceting families. The step-cut kite places trapezoidal facets parallel to each of the four sides, in the manner of an emerald cut, and produces the linear, open-mirror look favoured in contemporary minimalist work. Step-cut kites demand higher clarity, generally VS or better, because the long facets do not break up inclusion content. The brilliant-cut kite, by contrast, distributes triangular and kite-shaped facets around a kite-shaped table to deliver scintillation comparable to a modified princess, and tolerates SI-grade inclusion content because of the resulting facet activity.

Optical and performance considerations

Kite-cut diamonds present cutters with a familiar challenge: the asymmetric outline does not lend itself to a single optimum pavilion depth, and a stone that performs well on its long axis will often show light leakage on the short axis if the pavilion is mis-tuned. Stones from competent specialist cutters in Antwerp, Mumbai and Surat are now available with corrected pavilion geometry that yields reasonable face-up performance, but mass-market kite cuts produced from price-pressured rough often exhibit windowed pavilions visible on tilt. As with all fancy shapes, the GIA does not assign an overall cut grade to kite-cut diamonds; assessment is left to the eye and to ratio measurement.

Use in mountings

The principal use of kite-cut diamonds in contemporary bridal is as a centre stone in geometric solitaire designs, set north-south or east-west on a knife-edge or split shank, and as a flanking accent in three-stone arrangements where the kites are oriented apex-inward or apex-outward to direct visual flow toward the centre. Kite cuts are also a recurring component of vintage-look cluster work, where a central round or oval is haloed by four to eight kites arranged radially. Setting a kite cut requires V-prongs at each of the four vertices, since the acute angles are too tight for round prongs to grip without crushing.

Trade and value

Per-carat pricing for kite-cut diamonds runs broadly comparable to that for shield, lozenge and other niche fancy shapes, that is, at a discount to round brilliants and ovals because of weaker secondary market liquidity, partially offset by the cutting yield from rough that does not suit symmetrical outlines. Toronto buyers should expect a 10 to 25 per cent discount to round brilliants of equivalent colour, clarity and carat weight, and should plan for longer search times since kite-cut inventory is held by specialist dealers rather than mainstream wholesale houses.