Often cut to accentuate an individual diamond's inherent characteristics, diamond shapes also reflect a timeless chain of style and fashion through the ages. With each shape wrapped in its own story of creation, the purchase of a diamond becomes the purchase of a unique living legend.
Choosing your diamond shape:
The most important factor in choosing a specific diamond shape is the understanding that shape reflects the aesthetic preference of the wearer. However consideration should also be taken of the wearer's personality and finger size. The descriptions below will help in deciding on your choice of diamond shape.
Round Brilliant Shape
With 75% of diamonds purchased today being a round brilliant cut shape, these are by far the most popular and well known of the diamond shapes. The pursuit by diamond craftsmen over the last 100 years for the maximum fire and brilliance in a round diamond culminated in the round brilliant cut diamond.
The 58 facets of this diamond, divided among its crown (top), girdle (middle band) and pavilion (base), are calibrated according to a precise formula to create a maximum fire and brilliance, unmatched by any other diamond cut.
Round brilliant cut diamonds are very versatile diamonds and will suit all finger sizes. These diamonds are perfect for claw or channel settings, with or without accent stones. In addition round brilliant cut diamonds are excellent for balancing the wearers own cut, colour and clarity preferences.
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Princess Shape
Cut in either a square or rectangular shape, and with stunning brilliance, the princess cut is one of the most popular non-round diamond shapes. They are a particular favorite for engagement rings.
Due to its design, maximum brilliance is achieved though an emphasis of weight in the diamonds depth. Depth percentages of 70% to 78% are not unusual for princess cut diamonds. As princess cut diamonds may vary between square and rectangular shapes we advise on length to width ratios of between 1 and 1.05.
With their pointed corners, princess cut diamonds are perfect for solitaire rings or rings of three or more stones, with the princess as centre stone. They are also ideally suited for a wearer with long or slender fingers.
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Emerald Shape
This rectangle shaped diamond, with cut corners, is also distinguished by its large, open table. It is also known as a step cut due to the appearance of concentric broad, horizontal surfaces, resembling steps.
Due to a large and exposed table, and fewer facets flaws may be more obvious in emerald cut diamonds. As such, it is important to choose a diamond with good clarity and colour grades when considering purchasing an emerald cut diamond.
Buyers seeking the classic emerald cut shaped diamond should look for a length to width ratio of between 1.30 and 1.40. Emerald cut shaped diamonds are often set with multiple side stones to provide balance to its elongated shape.
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Asscher Shape
Very similar in appearance to the emerald cut, the asscher cut is differentiated by a more square shape and the presence of a pavilion with rectangular facets. It is also charecherterised by its distinctive rounded corners.
Developed by the Asscher Brothers of Holland in 1902, this cut has had a dramatic increase in popularity with exposure in shows like "Sex & the city" and on celebrities like Kate Hudson, demand for the asscher cut diamonds has dramatically increased.
Very eye catching, the asscher diamond draws the eye to the diamond. It is recommended that when considering these diamonds, emphasis should also be placed on a diamond with a good clarity grade. A good length to width ratio for these diamonds would be between 1 and 1.05.
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Oval Shape
With a brilliance similar to round diamonds, oval diamonds are generally set together with other stones. Often oval cut diamonds will be set with smaller diamonds, or other gems such as emeralds and sapphires.
Oval diamonds are perfect for women with small hands or fingers as its extended shape gives an illusion of length to the hand or fingers.
For an ideal symmetric oval cut, buyers should look for length to width ratios of between 1.33 and 1.66.
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Marquise Shape
Created under the commission of France's Louis XIV, the Sun King, to memorialize his bright smile, the marquise cut diamond is one of the most elegant diamonds available. It is a highly popular diamond for bridal sets.
With its oval shape and tapered ends the marquise diamond is frequently used as a centre stone, running parallel to the finger, with smaller stones on either side.
Due to its elongated shape the marquise cut diamond is often chosen by people with short fingers, as it creates the appearance of long, slender fingers. We suggest a length to width ratios of between 1.75 and 2.25.
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Pear Shape
The pear shaped diamond, also called a teardrop, is a hybrid combining the most remarkable characteristics of oval and marquise shaped diamonds. It is versatile enough to be used in a wide variety of diamond jewellery, and is excellently suited for engagement rings.
These diamonds have an unbalanced shape and are usually not used together with ornate stones. This unbalanced shape however, creates a slimming effect on the fingers and is also complimentary to people with small or short fingers.
Buyers seeking the most classic pear shaped cut diamond should look for length to width ratios of between 1.45 and 1.75.
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Radiant Shape
Square shaped and with trimmed corners, to enhance brilliance, the radiant shaped diamond is a beautiful combination of the emerald and round diamond shapes.
The radiant shape is cut to incorporate the step-cut of emerald shaped diamonds with the triangular shaped facets found in round brilliant shaped diamonds. It is in fact the first square cut diamond to have the complete brilliant facet pattern in both the crown and pavilion of the diamond. The effect is an impressive combination of elegance and sparkle.
Radiant shaped diamonds are an excellent choice for setting with fancy coloured diamonds, as their shape, proportioning and facet arrangement tend to accentuate colour. They are also very well suited as centre stones, paired with trillions, baguettes, and princess shaped diamonds.
For a square shaped radiant diamond we suggest length to width ratios of between 1 and 1.05. The length to width ratio's of the more rectangular shapes are greater than 1 to 1.10.
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Heart Shape
Never confused with other diamond shapes, heart shaped diamonds are considered to be a novelty by some, are rarely used in engagement rings, but are stunning in pendants and earrings.
Great craftsmanship is required to ensure proper brilliance due to the complexity of the heart shaped cut. A good heart shaped cut also requires proper symmetry, as a poorly crafted heart shape may appear as a round or irregular shape. Buyers of heart shaped diamonds should also make sure that the lobes (top part of the "heart") of the diamond should be rounded and not pointed. We recommend length to width ratio's of between 0.90 and 1.10 for the classic heart shaped looking diamond.
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Cushion Shape
Shaped very much like a cushion, these diamonds have been a favorite for over one hundred years. They have rounded corners and large facets designed to increase their brilliance.
While the larger facets increase the brilliance in these diamonds they can sometimes highlight flaws. As such, those interested in cushion cut diamonds should consider good clarity diamonds and pay particular attention to where flaws have been identified.
Square shaped cushion cut diamonds should be chosen from diamonds with a length to width ration of between 1 and 1.05. Buyers keen on a more square shaped cushion cut should look for length to width ratios of greater then 1 to 1.15.
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Trilliant Shape
Slightly on the daring side, the trilliant shaped diamond, usually in a general triangular shape, provides very good fire.
Also developed in Amsterdam, the precise shape of the trialliant cut diamond will very much depend on the diamond's inherent characteristics. Based on these characteristics the trilliant diamond may be created in either a traditional triangular shape or a rounded triangular shape.
As a result of their ability to be neatly fitted next-to larger stones without gaps and spaces, trilliant cut diamonds are often used as side stones for emerald or princess shape diamonds.
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