Recutting a round brilliant S-Z diamond into a fancy yellow radiant cut affects color because...

• A. Recutting cannot affect hue.
• B. The diamond's weight increases.
• C. Radiant cuts have deep pavilions that lengthen the light path and strengthen hue and saturation.
• D. It only changes brightness, not color.

Answer: (C)

Color in a diamond is closely tied to how light travels inside it. A round brilliant with a relatively shallow pavilion focuses light for maximum brightness, but changing the shape and depth of the cut alters the light’s journey. A fancy yellow radiant cut often has a deeper pavilion, which lengthens the internal light path. That longer path increases the chances that certain wavelengths are absorbed, making the yellow color more pronounced. So the hue and its saturation can be strengthened by this longer light path and additional internal reflections, even if overall brightness shifts as a result. In short, recutting changes color perception because the cut geometry changes how light interacts with the stone.