Recutting is defined as what?

• A. Repairing minor surface scratches only.
• B. Repairing damage or refashioning a polished diamond to improve its clarity, proportions, or color, or to modernize an old-style cut.
• C. Turning a diamond into a cubic form.
• D. Scaling up carat weight without changing proportions.

Answer: (B)

Recutting involves removing material from a polished diamond to change its geometry—its shape, proportions, and facet layout—in order to improve light performance or to modernize an old-style cut. It’s a more substantial change than just polishing; by refashioning the facets, a cutter can enhance aspects like brilliance and sometimes even apparent color or clarity, and it can bring a vintage cut up to current standards.

That’s why the description that emphasizes repairing damage or refashioning a polished diamond to improve clarity, proportions, or color, or to modernize an old-style cut is the best match. It captures both addressing flaws and altering the cut to achieve a better overall appearance.

Why the other ideas don’t fit: repairing minor surface scratches alone is just repolishing, not recutting; turning a diamond into a cubic form isn’t a meaningful or possible transformation for a diamond; scaling up carat weight without changing proportions would require adding material or growth—neither of which recutting accomplishes.