Diamond Jewelry Guide Diamond Shapes

Round or Princess? Radiant or Asscher? Emerald or Oval? Whether your taste is classic and traditional or more modern and contemporary, our guide will help you find the perfect shape diamond for your personality.

Diamonds can be purchased in a wide variety of shapes and cuts. While there are plenty of interesting shapes to be found, diamonds are frequently purchased in the ten most popular cut shapes.

Round

The round shaped diamond is the most popular, and is often used as a solitaire in engagement rings, earrings, or pendants. According to The Knot, an engagement and wedding planning website, roughly 53% of engagement ring center stones are round. 

Princess

It is currently a very fashionable cut for engagement rings. It is the most popular 'fancy-cut' diamond because its sophisticated square shape creates the illusion of a larger diamond. Like round diamonds, princess-cut diamonds work in almost any style of ring. A princess-cut diamond should always be set with prongs that protect the four corners, as those are prone to chipping.

Oval

The oval brilliant was popularized and modernized in the 1960's. Containing fire and brilliance, the oval is suggestive of the round shape but is more unique. This shape also creates an illusion that the finger is longer and slimmer. The oval can be set on either the narrow or wide side, depending on personal preference.

Marquise

A modified brilliant cut, the marquise shape creates an illusion that the diamond is larger than it actually may be. Carat for carat, the marquise-cut diamond has one of the largest surface areas of any diamond shape, making it a good choice when trying to maximize perceived size. Symmetry is quite important with this shape, as even the slightest difference can create and uneven, imbalanced look.

Pear

The modified brilliant-cut pear-shaped diamond is a combination of a round and a marquise shape, with a tapered point on one end. Pear-shaped diamonds have graceful rounded shoulders and wings, and offer an appealing outline. Ideally, a pear-shaped diamond should possess excellent or very good symmetry with the point lining up with the apex of the rounded end. As for wearing a pear-shaped diamond, tradition says that the point should always be directed out toward the fingers of the wearer.

Emerald

An octagonal shape, the emerald cut was designed to highlight the qualities of emeralds. However, this cut transfers beautifully to diamonds. The unique look of the emerald cut diamond is due to the step cuts of its pavilion and its large, open table. Instead of the sparkle of a brilliant-cut, emerald cut diamonds produce a unique hall-of-mirrors effect, with the interplay of light and dark planes. This cut is highly coveted due to its rectangle table-top and step-cut side facets. The emerald cut's smoothly beveled corners add visual appeal and provide a secure setting area for the prongs. This cut results in a more mirror-like look and requires a stone of very high quality.

Asscher

It is similar to the emerald cut, though its facets are larger, tend to be square rather than rectangular and feature a higher crown and a smaller table. This combination often produces more brilliance than the emerald cut. In the early 2000s, this cut became popular again as modifications were made that gave the shape more brilliance than earlier Asscher cut diamonds.

Cushion

Designed to retain as much diamond weight as possible, the cushion-cut diamond features a square cut with rounded corners, and resembles a pillow -hence the name. A good number of antique dealers and jewelry enthusiasts are always on the lookout for the older version of these diamonds, as their light patterns tend to be stronger and more distinctive than modern cushion-cut diamonds.

Radiant

It is the first square cut to have a complete brilliant-cut facet pattern on both the crown and pavilion, and is designed to create a vibrant and lively diamond. This cut features trimmed corners similar to the Asscher cut stone. Due to the design of the radiant cut, it requires more diamond mass in order to achieve the brilliance associated with it, so this cut requires a stone of high quality.

Heart

The brilliant-cut heart-shaped diamond is a thoughtful and beautiful symbol of love and romance. Heart shaped diamonds are very popular in solitaire pendants as well as in engagement and promise rings–and are particularly sought after around Valentine's Day. It takes a very skilled cutter to create the heart shape, always keeping an eye on the heart's balance and symmetry. When choosing a heart-shaped diamond, symmetry is a very important characteristic. It is imperative that the two halves of the heart are identical or the heart will look off. The cleft should be sharp and distinct, and the wings should have a very slightly rounded shape. Heart-shaped diamonds are generally not found in less than ½ ct. sizes, due to the difficulty creating this fancy cut.

The article comes from China Chang'an stainless steel jewelry (metal jewelry) manufacturer - A2A, the website is www.stainlesssteelacc.com .