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Round brilliant is the most popular cut. It’s clear to see why with its beautiful light-reflecting qualities and superior sparkle. The round shape maximises light and brightness, making a perfect classic engagement ring. The symmetrical shape and 58 facets offer a stunning sparkling display of light performance while hiding inclusions.
“The facet arrangement of a round brilliant does a great job at hiding inclusions. However, to reach maximum sparkle and get the full potential out of a round brilliant diamond, we recommend choosing an Excellent cut (EX) or Very Good (VG) cut grade.”
One of the most popular diamond shapes, square or slightly rectangular princess cut diamonds are classic, chic and timeless. Princess cut diamonds have 58 facets positioned similarly to round cut diamonds, meaning a princess cut is known as the square version of a round brilliant. The square has sharp edges and looks like an inverted pyramid. It’s an excellent alternative to emerald cuts for people who like a squarer shape but want the fabulous sparkle of a brilliant cut.
“Princess cuts can give the illusion of a larger diamond, compared to other shapes with the same carat weight. However, if not cut to a high standard, light does not reflect how it should, which can make the stone appear smaller.”
The emerald cut is a rectangular shape, with long step cuts and linear facets, usually arranged in parallel down the stone. These long lines provide flashes of light, rather than an all-over sparkle. It’s a strong, elegant and sophisticated shape, with quite different qualities to a brilliant round. Emerald shaped stones tend to appear larger than rounder diamonds with the same carat weight, making it a popular choice for those wanting a big bold stone.
“Emerald cuts tend to be more cost effective per carat than most cuts. However due to their glassy nature, Emerald cuts highlight the clarity and colour quality of the diamond. We recommend a clarity grade of VS2 and higher to ensure an eye-clean diamond.”
The Asscher cut is a stylish and unique square-cut diamond, with a vintage, antique look and feel. You will find many 1920’s style rings have an Asscher cut. Although similar to an emerald cut, the Asscher cut’s 58 facets are larger and wide-cut. While an emerald cut is rectangular, Asscher cuts are square with truncated corners, giving an almost octagonal shape.
“Brilliant cuts such as round or princess cuts do well at masking the colour of a diamond. Asscher cuts, on the other hand, are step cuts which puts more emphasis on the clarity of the diamond. Therefore, we recommend a minimum of a VS2 Clarity and H colour.”
The more unusual marquise diamond has the advantage of both length and width, while still being very elegant. Its length gives the illusion of a larger diamond, and offers a flattering elongation effect for shorter fingers. The appearance of a marquise cut can vary depending on the length to width ratio.
“How narrow or wide you want your marquise diamond to be depends on personal preference. However, a length to width ratio of 1.75 – 2.15 is considered the classic marquise cut.”
Oval cut diamonds are a popular choice for engagement rings, as a twist on the classic brilliant-cut. The oval cut offers similar brilliance and fire to the brilliant-cut diamond, with the flattering elongated shaping of the marquise. Oval shaped stones tend to appear larger than rounder diamonds with the same carat weight, making them popular with those who want the appearance of a larger stone, without having to spend more for a higher carat weight.
“If you enjoy the rounded design and brilliance of a round brilliant cut, but want a stone with more character, an oval diamond is a great choice. In addition to this, oval diamonds are generally priced lower than round brilliants.”
The radiant cut can be very striking. It is often popular for radiant cut diamonds to be surrounded with a halo of smaller diamonds, creating a more contemporary style of engagement ring. Because of its bevelled corners, radiant cut engagement rings are less likely to chip, making the shape a good option for those with an active lifestyle.
“For radiant cuts we recommend a minimum of H colour and S12 clarity. As for the cut, the GIA and other gem labs don’t grade the cut quality of fancy shapes such as radiants. Therefore, we recommend seeking the assistance of an expert to judge the cut quality.”
Sometimes known as the tear, the pear cut is similar in elegance to the marquise cut. Often designed with a halo of surrounding stones, it creates a wonderfully flattering shape on the hands, making it a popular choice for engagement rings.
“A pear-shaped diamond should have gently rounded shoulders and wings. If too flat, the stone will appear too narrow. If too rounded, the stone can appear short and stubby. To strike the perfect balance, seek the advice of an expert.”
Often referred to as the ultimate symbol of romance, heart-shaped diamonds are one of the most popular fancy cuts. This unique cut requires skilled craftsmanship. You may find the shape becomes more defined as the size of the diamond increases.
“When choosing a heart cut diamond, symmetry is paramount. It’s very important that the stone is cut to proportion and each side of the stone mirrors the other exactly. Therefore, we strongly advice choosing a diamond with an excellent cut rating.”
Simply put, a cushion cut diamond is in the shape of a cushion or pillow – it’s usually square with rounded edges, but can be rectangular, again with softened edges. Cushion cuts typically have 58 facets, and although they’re generally less brilliant than round brilliant diamonds, cushion cuts have great fire. Diamond fire is what we call the beautiful optical effect of white light breaking into a rainbow of colours due to refraction. This fire is what makes cushion cut diamonds an appealing choice for many.
“Cushion cuts have a different pattern of sparkle to round brilliant and princess cuts, but this does not mean they are any less beautiful. The best way to determine if the sparkle of a cushion cut meets your desires is to see one in person.”
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Learn more text: What colour is a diamond? Many say they’re colourless, however, look closely and most contain subtle tints of yellows, soft pinks and rich browns. Truly colourless diamonds are known as white diamonds and are extremely rare and the most valuable. Diamond colour is graded from D to Z – D being the whitest, most colourless diamond and Z containing noticeable yellow, brown or pink tints. The letters D to Z represent a range of colour based on a combination of tone, lightness or darkness and saturation.
Diamond clarity refers to the assessment of imperfections of a stone. VSI stands for very slightly included. Diamonds with a VS1 clarity grade will always be eye-clean. That means they'll have no imperfections visible to the naked eye. SI stands for Slightly Included. These blemishes are larger or more numerous that those in VSI diamonds.
