Round
Diamond Cut
This cut is the most classic and popular of all the diamond cuts. The round brilliant is the only cut that maximizes shine and can be graded excellent ideal cut in certifications. Mathematically, it’s the cut that maximizes the material in the best way. So most diamond sales are in this style, its beauty and unparalleled shine make it so.
Princess
Diamond Cut
This brilliant cut was designed as the square alternative for the Round Brilliant. Its facet numbers are higher thus having an excellent light return in a beautifully proportioned stone. What you look for in this cut is the perfect 1 to 1 ratio, meaning the length and width must measure the same or very close to that. Princess cuts satisfy the customer who wants the shine of the round brilliant with a twist. The only thing to watch out when buying this cut is the protection of its corners, which can be fragile when set not too carefully.
Cushion
Diamond Cut
The beauty of this mixed cut results in a stone that is classic and elegant, but edgy at the same time. Actually appearing in the 19th century, it was born from the old rose cut and was considered the most popular cutting style. In the 21st century it has returned more romantic and with more facets. Usually to achieve the correct proportions (which can range from squarish to rectagular) there has to be weight retention on the pavillion, meaning that the stone seems a little smaller than its round counterparts. But there is no match for the look of this diamond on your finger!
Heart
Diamond Cut
Appearing in the 1400´s, this romantic shape was even used as a gift from Mary Queen of Scots to Queen Elizabeth in the 1500´s. There is no shape meaning more than this one, and usually its sales spike around Valentine´s Day. Born from a slight tweak from the pear shape, its 60 facets make it a brilliant stone with a romantic twist. The ratio in this shape should be ideally 1 to 1 like the princess to make it more perfect. They look specially well in pendants but make great center pieces!
Oval
Diamond Cut
For romantics, the Oval means a more vintage take on the Round Brilliant. Its elongated shape makes the look of this stone a little bit grander, and you can translate that in carat size, with round brilliants looking a tad bit smaller than their oval counterparts. Even though it first appeared more than 200 years ago, it was in the 1960s that the newer and more brilliant shape was introduced. When buying ovals, you have to consider the ratios not being too long to affect the shine and not have the bowtie effect (when there is a shadow cast in the shape of a bowtie in the middle of the diamond) like marquises.
Marquise
Diamond Cut
This exquisite cut, also known as the eye shaped or boat shaped diamond, was designed when King Louis XV from France wanted to gift a diamond shaped like the lips of his mistress, Madame de Pompadour. The word marquise is given from the fact that people in the court wore these diamonds to show their rank. When buying this stone, it is very important that the ends are completely straight to each other, any difference will affect overall balance. Its shape elongates fingers and makes them more slender, and well cut stones do not show an effect called ¨bow tie¨(a darker bow tie shape in the center of the diamond). Its look is unparalleled regal and often accompanies colored gemstones.
Emerald
Diamond Cut
The classic and endless temporality of this cut takes us back to the 1500s, when the first “step cut” came to be. With much less brilliance than its counterparts, the Emerald cut showcases the diamonds clarity rather than its light return. With cut out corners and a look of steps, it was used in the beginning for green natural emeralds to stress the stone less when cutting, since emeralds tend to chip, and later was adapted to diamonds. The ideal proportions ask for this stone to have ratios around 1 to 1.5 length and width, with more rectangular stones elongating fingers. There is nothing compared to a woman wearing this cut, it showcases the stones natural qualities effortlessly.
Asscher
Diamond Cut
Also known as the Square Emerald cut, this cut is the equivalent of the emerald cut but in a square 1 to 1 ratio shape. Instead of being elongated this shape showcases all the natural beauty of the diamond, in step cut, with a singular effect in symmetry. Even though it was created around the beginning of the 20th century with the art deco movement, and was quite a rarity, the new cut with more facets was re-introduced around the 1980s. Clarity in this cut is very important, meaning that everything can be seen and the stone must be eye clean, so VS and above is a must.
Pear
Diamond Cut
This cut is a hybrid born from the round brilliant and the marquise, and is also known as the teardrop shape. Other forms that are similar to it were found since the 1400’s, but the new pear shape with 58 facets appeared in the 1960s. When buying this beautiful shape, it is very important that its “shoulders” are balanced and it is not too slender, causing the bow tie effect like the oval and marquise, where there is a darker shadow in the form of a bowtie in the middle of the diamond. Also, color is sometimes very visible at the tip, so getting a premium color is key. This shape looks beautiful in pendants and earrings, and will make fingers look longer when worn as a center stone.
Radiant
Diamond Cut
With more facets than an average cut, the radiant cut has the outside shape of the emerald, the pavilion of a round, and outstanding shine of a princess in one stone. It is also one of the newest cuts, appearing in the 1970s and revolutionizing the way cutters thought about hybrid cuts. This brilliant diamond will satisfy anyone who wants something brilliant and all-in-one!