{"id":20269,"date":"2026-10-12T04:04:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T04:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.provencejewellery.com\/?p=20269"},"modified":"2026-10-12T04:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T04:04:10","slug":"diamond-table-and-depth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.provencejewellery.com\/nl\/blog\/diamond-table-and-depth\/","title":{"rendered":"Diamond Table and Depth: Ideal Percentages by Shape"},"content":{"rendered":"
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When people shop for a diamond, the conversation usually starts with carat weight, color and clarity. Yet the factor that decides whether a stone looks lively or lifeless is its cut, and two of the quickest numbers for judging cut appear on almost every certificate: the table percentage<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0and the depth percentage<\/b><\/strong>.<\/p>

This guide explains what these two measurements are, how to calculate them yourself, which ranges suit each diamond shape, and why the ranges you find online so often disagree. You will also learn what table and depth cannot tell you, how they apply to lab-grown diamonds and moissanite, and how to use them as a practical filter when buying or sourcing stones.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What Is a Diamond Table?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The table is the large, flat facet on the top of a diamond, the one you look straight down at. On a round brilliant it is an eight-sided facet at the centre of the crown, surrounded by the star, bezel and upper girdle facets. Think of it as the main window of the stone: light enters through it, and it is also the window through which you see light returning from inside.<\/p>

How table percentage is calculated<\/b><\/strong><\/h3>

Because diamonds come in every size, the table is expressed as a percentage so that stones can be compared fairly:<\/p>

FORMULA<\/b><\/strong><\/p>

Table % = table width \u00f7 average girdle diameter \u00d7 100<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0Example: a table 3.65 mm wide on a stone 6.50 mm across has a table percentage of 3.65 \u00f7 6.50 = 56.2%<\/b><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why bigger is not always better<\/b><\/strong><\/h3>

A larger table lets in more light and produces broader flashes of white light, which we call schittering<\/b><\/strong>. But it leaves less room on the crown for the surrounding facets to break that light into colored flashes, which we call vuur<\/b><\/strong>. A smaller table does the opposite: more crown facets, more fire, but less white light and sometimes a busier, less open look.<\/p>

So the aim is balance, not an extreme. That is why every shape has a recommended range instead of a single \u201cbest\u201d number.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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What Is Diamond Depth?<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Depth, sometimes called total depth or height, is the distance from the table at the top of the diamond to the culet, the tiny point or facet at the bottom. It is made up of three parts: the crown height above the girdle, the thickness of the girdle itself, and the pavilion depth below it.<\/p>

Depth is also shown as a percentage of the stone\u2019s width so that different sizes can be compared:<\/p>

FORMULA<\/b><\/strong><\/p>

Depth % = total depth \u00f7 average girdle diameter \u00d7 100<\/b><\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0(for fancy shapes, the stone\u2019s width is used) Example: a stone 4.00 mm deep and 6.50 mm across has a depth percentage of 4.00 \u00f7 6.50 = 61.5%<\/b><\/strong>.<\/p>

GIA defines total depth<\/a> as a percentage of the average girdle diameter<\/p>

Most certificates list the measurements in millimetres as well as the percentages. That means you can check the math yourself in a few seconds, which is a handy sanity check on any stone.<\/p>

Depth and hidden weight<\/b><\/strong><\/h3>

Everything below the girdle is hidden when the stone is set and viewed face-up. A deeper stone carries more of its carat weight underneath, where you cannot see it. A shallower stone spreads that weight across a wider face. This is why two diamonds of identical carat weight can look noticeably different in size, and why depth deserves attention even when the price looks attractive.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why Table and Depth Matter: How Light Moves Through a Diamond<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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A well-cut diamond behaves like a carefully arranged set of mirrors. Light enters through the crown, travels to the pavilion, reflects from the pavilion facets, and returns up through the top toward your eye. Table and depth are two of the main proportions that set the angles in this light path. When they are balanced, most of the light returns to the viewer. When they are not, some of it leaks out of the bottom or the sides.<\/p>

What happens outside the ideal range<\/b><\/strong><\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Condition<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

What happens to the light<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

What you tend to see<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Too shallow<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

Light strikes the pavilion at too shallow an angle and escapes through the bottom instead of reflecting back.<\/p><\/td>

A glassy or washed-out centre, sometimes called a \u201cfisheye\u201d or \u201cwindow\u201d effect. The stone can look wide for its weight.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Too deep<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

Light can leak out of the sides of the pavilion before it returns to the viewer.<\/p><\/td>

A darker centre and a smaller face-up appearance than other stones of the same carat weight.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Table too large<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

More light enters and returns as white light, but the crown has less room to disperse it.<\/p><\/td>

Bright, but with less fire and a flatter look.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Table too small<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

The crown breaks light into more colored flashes, but less white light returns.<\/p><\/td>

Plenty of fire, but the stone can look less bright or busier.<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Face-up size versus carat weight<\/b><\/strong><\/h3>

Carat is a measure of weight, not size. Because a deep stone hides weight in its pavilion, its diameter can be smaller than that of a better-proportioned stone with the same carat weight, and even a fraction of a millimetre is visible when the two are placed side by side. A very shallow stone shows the opposite problem: it looks large, but its sparkle suffers. The best choice is usually a well-balanced stone, not the one that merely looks the biggest on paper.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Ideal Table and Depth by Shape<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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The chart below summarizes commonly used guideline ranges for popular shapes. Treat it as a starting filter that helps you set aside poorly proportioned stones, not as a pass-or-fail test. A diamond just outside a range can still be beautiful if its other proportions are right, and a diamond inside every range can still disappoint.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Vorm<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

Table %<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

Depth %<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

What to watch<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Rond briljant<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

54\u201360<\/p><\/td>

59\u201362.5<\/p><\/td>

The most studied shape. A table of about 54\u201357% is the classic balanced zone.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Ovaal<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

53\u201363<\/p><\/td>

58\u201363<\/p><\/td>

Check length-to-width ratio and look for a dark \u201cbow-tie\u201d across the centre.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Peer<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

53\u201363<\/p><\/td>

58\u201364<\/p><\/td>

Bow-tie and symmetry of the two shoulders matter as much as the numbers.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Kussen<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

58\u201368<\/p><\/td>

61\u201368<\/p><\/td>

Varies with the cut style (squarer or more elongated, chunky or crushed-ice). Judge the look.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Prinses<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

64\u201375<\/p><\/td>

64\u201375<\/p><\/td>

Sources disagree most here. Prefer stones in the middle of the range and check the corners.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Smaragd \/ Asscher<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

60\u201368<\/p><\/td>

60\u201368<\/p><\/td>

Step cuts rely on clean \u201chall of mirrors\u201d flashes. Some sources allow tables up to about 72%.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Stralend<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

61\u201369<\/p><\/td>

61\u201367<\/p><\/td>

A hybrid of brilliant and step cutting. Depth beyond the range tends to look small face-up.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Markiezin<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

53\u201363<\/p><\/td>

58\u201362<\/p><\/td>

Check the bow-tie and the evenness of both points.<\/p><\/td><\/tr>

Hart<\/b><\/strong><\/p><\/td>

56\u201362<\/p><\/td>

56\u201362<\/p><\/td>

Limited published data. Judge by symmetry of the lobes and light return.<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Why you will see different numbers on different websites<\/b><\/strong><\/h3>

If you have researched this topic, you have probably noticed that the \u201cideal\u201d range for the same shape changes from site to site. There are good reasons for this:<\/p>