Diamond Shapes and Cut Types | Our Detailed Guide

Diamonds, renowned for their brilliance, ability to captivate, and key symbols of love, come in various shapes that offer distinct optical effects.

In this article about diamond shapes and cut types, we will delve deeper into each shape’s unique fire and brilliance while providing valuable insights into choosing the perfect diamond for your desires. Not all shapes and cuts are created equally, and you need to understand them so that you can choose the right one for you. 

Each shape has its own distinct appearance and enhances the beauty  of the diamond in different ways.

How Many Different Diamond Shapes Are There?

There is a wide variety of diamond shapes available, each with its own unique characteristics and visual appeal. The number can vary based on where you are in the world. However, we cover what we consider are the 14 most popular. 

Popular Diamond Shapes & Cuts

This paragraph introduces a discussion on the popular diamond shapes. These shapes are widely recognized and sought after in the diamond industry due to their unique characteristics 

Each shape offers its own distinct features that make it worthy of consideration, such as the brilliance of the round cut and the exceptional sparkle of the princess cut. 

Round Cut

The round brilliant cut, renowned for its radiating brilliance and sparkling fire, remains the most favored shape among diamond enthusiasts. One of the biggest pros of this cut is that it is timeless. It is characterized by its rounded corners and perfectly symmetrical design, allowing light to reflect and refract within the stone, creating a stunning display of scintillation.

The round cut’s elongated shape (it’s not actually round) gives it a classic appearance with a modern twist, making it an ideal choice for those who desire both tradition and innovation in their diamond jewelry design. With its exceptional ability to showcase a diamond’s clarity and brilliance, the round cut continues to captivate hearts worldwide. You can’t go wrong with a round cut.

Up next is the princess cut, another popular diamond shape known for its exceptional brilliance and unique square or rectangular facets.

Princess Cut

Princess-cut diamonds, particularly known for their brilliance and facet shapes (square or rectangular), are a captivating alternative to the classic round cut. This popular diamond shape showcases its remarkable sparkle through its clever geometric design.

The princess cut’s sharp corners and clean lines create a modern and sophisticated look that appeals to those seeking an elegant yet contemporary style. Its square rectangular shape emphasizes the diamond’s size, making it appear larger than other cuts of similar carat weight, making it great for smaller diamonds. Because it can have both rectangular and square facets the princess adds versatility to this already enchanting choice.

Emerald Cut

In contrast, to the princess cut, the Emerald cut isa diamond shape that showcases the original clarity of the stone through its rectangular facets. This unique cut combines clean lines that reminds one of an emerald with the brilliance typically associated with round diamonds. 

The Emerald cut is favored by those who desire a more understated elegance and appreciate a diamond’s natural clarity. An emerald cut should only be done on diamonds with high clarity because of this reason.

Diamond cutters carefully craft each Emerald-cut diamond to maximize its brilliance and fire, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a timeless and sophisticated look.

Oval Shape

Oval-shaped diamonds offer a twist on the classic cuts such as the round cut. This cut enhances the elegance of long and slender fingers while exuding an undeniable grace and charm.

The oval shape is great for those seeking a unique and sophisticated diamond cut. With its elongated silhouette and rounded edges, this shape creates a sense of symmetry and balance and is great for taller people with longer fingers and hands. 

It also maximizes the carat weight, making the diamond appear larger than it actually is.

Oval diamonds are known for their brilliant sparkle, similar to round diamonds but with a modern twist. They have become particularly sought after due to their ability to accentuate the wearer’s hand and create a soft and delicate look.

These two cuts share similarities in their ability to combine different shapes for a distinct aesthetic appeal.

Up next is the pear shape, which, like the oval shape, cleverly uses different shapes and angles to create a distinct aesthetic appeal.

Pear Shape

Combining the elegance of the shape of a teardrop with the brilliance of a round diamond, the pear shape is a captivating choice for those seeking a unique and striking engagement jewelry piece. Similar to the oval shape, Its elongated shape creates an illusion of length, making fingers appear longer and more slender.

The pear-shaped diamond is characterized by a rounded end and a pointed tip, resulting in a graceful and feminine look and is not a great shape to be worn by men. This shape offers versatility as it can be worn with the point facing either up or down, allowing for different styles and settings. The pear shape also showcases a diamond’s exceptional brilliance due to the high number of facets. With its timeless appeal and modern twist, the pear-shaped diamond is an excellent option for those who desire both classic beauty and individuality in their engagement ring.

Advantages	Disadvantages
Creates illusion of length	Prone to bow-tie effect
Versatile in wearing style	Requires precise proportions
Exceptional brilliance and fire	Tip susceptible to chipping

Cushion Cut

The cushion cut has rounded corners and large facets, offering impeccable brilliance and clarity to its wearer This diamond shape is known for its soft and romantic appearance, making it a popular choice for couples looking for a touch of vintage charm, and is a great choice for engagement rings.

The cushion cut combines the best features of both  round brilliant and princess cuts, making it a very popular and modern cut. Its larger facets allow light to reflect beautifully, resulting in simply amazing sparkle and scintillation. Whether set in a solitaire or surrounded by smaller diamonds, the cushion cut exudes elegance and sophistication and can be set in a number of different kinds of settings and ring types.

Heart Shape

The heart shape, with its symmetrical curves and pointed  bottom, captures the essence of romance and love, making it a great  choice for engagement rings. Its unique design symbolizes affection and devotion.

Some key features of the heart shape include:

• Symmetrical curves that create an elegant,balanced appearance.
• The pointed bottom is called the culet and adds a distinct touch to the overall shape to make it look like a heart.
• Heart-shaped diamonds are most commonly set in prong or bezel settings to accentuate their beauty.
• The heart shape is versatile and can be used in various jewelry designs apart from engagement rings, but it is most common for engagement & wedding rings

Marquise Cut

The marquise cut diamond possesses a distinctive elongated shape that captivates with its graceful silhouette. This unique diamond shape is an elongated version of the round brilliant cut but more angular than an oval shape and features pointed ends that create a strikingly eye-catching look.

The marquise cut is famous for its ability to emphasize the size of the diamond, making hands and fingers appear longer and more slender. Its elongated shape also creates an illusion of greater carat weight, adding to its allure.

Radiant Cut

This cut is all about uniquely trimmed corners and clean, seamless lines. It’s as if the emerald cut and the round cut had a baby. Radiant cut diamonds showcase a rectangular or square outline. 

The radiant cut’s faceting pattern allows light to reflect and refract within the stone, creating a stunning display of sparkle – much more so than other cuts. With its larger facets, this cut maximizes the diamond’s clarity, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a brilliant and eye-catching stone.

Next, we will explore another step-cut diamond shape – the Asscher cut – which offers its own unique characteristics and charm.

Asscher Cut

Asscher-cut diamonds, known for their square shape and step-cut faceting style, have gained popularity in recent years due to their unique characteristics and charm. Kate Middleton’s engagement ring features a stunning Asscher-cut diamond surrounded by smaller round brilliant-cut diamonds, showcasing the timeless elegance of this cut and helping improve its popularity. 

The asscher has both the brilliance of a round diamond and the geometric appeal of a square shape. Its step-cut facets create a distinctive hall-of-mirrors effect that highlights the diamond’s clarity to really make it pop. This cut is particularly suited for those who desire an antique or vintage-inspired look. 

The asscher cut’s versatility allows it to be set in various styles of jewelry, not just rings.. 

Trilliant Cut

Trilliant-cut diamonds, characterized by their triangular shape and flat top, have gained recognition as an independent cut for wedding rings. Historically, they have been primarily used as side diamonds in jewelry designs.

 The unique shape of trilliant-cut diamonds creates striking and eye-catching geometric reflections. With its three equal sides and pointed corners, the trilliant cut is a new, modern cut with a contemporary aesthetic

When these diamonds are well-cut, they exhibit exceptional brilliance and fire due to their large facets. Trilliant-cut diamonds are versatile and can be set in various types of jewelry settings, allowing them to stand out on their own or complement other gemstones. Their triangular reflections make them a popular choice for those seeking an unconventional yet elegant look.

Old Mine Cut

The trilliant cut is just one of many diamond shapes available, each with its own unique characteristics and historical significance. Another intriguing diamond shape is the old mine cut. 

Dating back to the 1700s, this cut features a squarish shape with rounded edges and was incredibly popular during the Victorian era. The old mine cut diamonds were hand-cut (yes, actually done by hand & tools) with 58 facets, resulting in a charmingly vintage appearance. It’s fascinating to see how different diamond shapes have evolved over time, offering a wide range of options for those seeking individuality in their jewelry choices.

Lozenge Cut

One of the lesser-known diamond shapes is the lozenge cut. This four-sided shape resembles a squashed square or a diamond shape. The lozenge cut features a step cut, which enhances the brilliance of the stone by showing off its facets in a beautiful way.

The lozenge cut evokes feelings of elegance, sophistication, and exclusivity because of how rare it is. 

Its unconventional shape sets it apart from more popular diamond cuts like round or princess-cut diamonds, making it an excellent choice for those seeking something that will truly stand out in a crowd. The lozenge cut’s elongated silhouette can create the illusion of longer fingers when set in jewelry, adding to its appeal.

Baguette Cut

Featuring an elongated, slender silhouette (like the bread) and a step-cut faceting style, the baguette cut exquisitely showcases its limited number of facets, creating a captivating play of light that is truly mesmerizing. 

The rectangular facets of the baguette cut diamond enhance its inherent clarity and brilliance. With only 14 facets, this cut is often used in smaller stones and delicate jewelry pieces such as diamond rings or diamond earrings. 

The clean lines and sleek shape of the baguette cut give it a sophisticated and elegant appearance. Its elongated form also makes it ideal for accentuating other diamond shapes or serving as side stones in larger settings. This cut is not usually used for the primary diamond.

When considering which diamond shape to choose, the allure of the baguette cut lies in its unique ability to add both subtlety and sparkle to complement center stones

Now that we have explored the characteristics of different diamond cuts, let us move on to discussing how one can choose the right shape for their desired jewelry piece without missing a step.

Why Length-to-Width Ratio Matters

The length-to-width ratio of a diamond is an important factor to consider because it can greatly impact the appearance and brilliance of the diamond. 

The ratio is simply calculated by dividing the length of the diamond by its width. This number has a significant effect on how the diamond looks on your finger.

For example, a higher length-to-width ratio creates an elongated diamond that  covers more of your finger, while a lower ratio will cover more of the band. 

Additionally, as you are now aware, different shapes have different ideal length-to-width ratios. Understanding this aspect can help you visualize how your engagement ring will look and ensure that it meets your personal preferences.

It’s worth noting that anything outside of the ideal range might negatively affect the brilliance and cut of the diamond.

Transitioning into the next section, let’s explore how diamond shape affects price…

How Diamond Shape Affects Price

The cost of a diamond is  greatly influenced by its shape, with round brilliant cut diamonds being the most expensive due to their popularity and the precision required in their manufacturing process.

Princess cut diamonds are slightly more affordable than round cut diamonds, as they use about 80% of the rough diamond.

On the other hand, fancy-shaped diamonds such as radiant, emerald, cushion, and asscher cuts are more affordable because they utilize most of the rough diamond and result in fewer discarded diamond chips. Typically, the more waste there is for a cut then more expensive it will be.

Which Diamond Shape Costs The Most?

Among the various diamond shapes, the absolutely timeless Round Brilliant cut stands out as the most expensive due to its widespread popularity and exceptional cut. Its high price can also be attributed to factors such as the quality of rough diamonds used and carat weight.

However, it is important to note that there are other diamond shapes available at lower price points for those on a budget.

Now let’s explore which diamond shape costs the least.

Which Diamond Shape Costs The Least

The pear and marquise cuts tend to be the more affordable options within the realm of diamond shapes. Due to their less common nature compared to round, princess, and cushion cuts, these shapes are often priced lower than the popular round cut

Despite their lower cost, they still possess their own unique beauty and charm, but they may be more difficult to put in a setting

Which Diamond Shape Looks The Biggest?

Notably, the marquise, pear, oval, and emerald diamond shapes are well-known for creating the illusion of a larger size due to their elongated forms and high length-to-width ratio. When it comes to engagement rings and settings, these shapes can make a significant impact in terms of appearance.

Imagine a marquise-shaped diamond that elongates the finger and creates an elegant and sophisticated look. Or picture a pear-shaped diamond that combines the round and marquise cuts, resulting in a soft and delicate appearance with a special flair.

An oval diamond offers a classic look with a modern twist, accentuating long and slender fingers. And an emerald-cut diamond showcases its original clarity with rectangular facets step-cut into the pavilion.

These shapes not only give off an impression of more than an average diamond size to help its wonders show off, but also add uniqueness to any engagement ring design.

Moving forward, let’s explore how different diamond shapes affect face-up size…

How Diamond Shapes Affect Face-Up Size

Different diamond shapes can have a significant impact on the perceived face-up size.

These shapes have a longer length-to-width ratio, which makes them appear larger when it’s important to note that while certain diamond shapes may appear larger face-up, they may not necessarily be heavier in carat weight. This means that even though they look bigger visually, they don’t always weigh as much as a round brilliant cut diamond of similar dimensions.

Understanding how different diamond shapes affect face-up size can help individuals choose the best shape for their desired ring style and personal preferences.

What Is the Best Shape for Diamond Rings?

One very, very important consideration when choosing a diamond for an engagement ring is the shape, as it can greatly impact the overall appearance and style of the ring. Among the classic shapes, each one has its own unique characteristics that appeal to different individuals and not some shapes are more trendy while others are timeless.

For those looking for a diamond that appears larger, shapes with larger facets such as the emerald cut or radiant cut may be preferred. These cuts have fewer facets but larger ones, which can give the illusion of a bigger stone.

On the other hand, some people may prefer a perfect shape like a round brilliant or oval cut, which are known for their timeless elegance.

Other Factors to Consider in Diamond Selection

In addition to considering the shape and cut of a diamond, there are a number of other major factors to consider when selecting a diamond.

These factors include whether the diamond is natural or lab grown and consists of the 4Cs of diamonds (carat weight, color, clarity, and cut), the design of the diamond, and the cost.

Understanding these factors can help individuals make an informed decision when choosing a diamond that meets their preferences and budget.

Natural vs Lab Grown Diamonds

Lab-grown diamonds are an emerging alternative to natural diamonds, offering a sustainable and cost-effective option for consumers often resulting in being as low as half the cost of natural diamonds with similar characteristics. These diamonds are created in a laboratory using advanced technology that replicates the conditions under which natural diamonds form.

Lab grown diamonds possess the same physical, chemical, and optical properties as natural diamonds, making them indistinguishable to the naked eye. Lab diamonds are real diamonds.

They can be cut into various shapes just like natural diamonds and often use the same cut & shapes as natural diamonds.

Additionally, lab-grown diamonds do not have any ethical concerns associated with mining practices or human rights issues.

In the subsequent section about ‘cs of diamonds,’ we will explore the different characteristics that define diamond quality and value without skipping a beat.

4Cs of Diamonds

When it comes to the Cs of diamonds, both natural and lab-grown diamonds are evaluated based on the same criteria despite the difference in how diamonds are made.

The 4Cs – cut, clarity, color, and diamond’s carat weight – determine the overall quality and value of a diamond. While we have discussed the different cuts of diamond rings in our previous subtopic, it is important to note that innovative diamond shapes can also affect a diamond’s beauty and brilliance.

Cost

As with anything, you’ll definitely want to think about how much you might potentially spend on a diamond since you’ll be spending anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollarsThe price of a diamond is influenced by various factors, including its size, shape, and cut type.

Diamond shapes & cut types can vary greatly in terms of their cost, with some shapes being more expensive than others. Factors that can affect the cost of a diamond shape include:

• Rarity: Some diamond shapes, such as the round brilliant cut, are more popular and therefore more readily available, resulting in a lower cost compared to rarer shapes like the heart or pear.
• Labor and skill involved: Certain diamond cuts require more precision and expertise to create, which can increase their cost. For example, princess-cut diamonds often have higher prices due to their intricate faceting.

It’s essential for buyers to carefully consider both the desired shape and cut type of a diamond when assessing its overall value and determining if it aligns with their budget constraints.

Can the shape of a diamond affect its value and price?

Yes, the shape of a diamond does affect its value and price. Different diamond shapes have different levels of popularity and demand, which have an effect on their market value. Additionally, certain shapes require more skill and time to cut, logically resulting in higher prices.

Are there any diamond shapes that are considered more suitable for engagement rings?

Certain diamond shapes are highly favored for engagement rings. The round brilliant cut, princess-cut, and oval diamonds are popular choices for engagement rings and you usually can’t go wrong with any of these cuts

How does the cut of a diamond affect its overall appearance and sparkle?

The cut of a diamond greatly affects its overall appearance and sparkle because of how the angles can reflect light and trick the yee. 

Are certain diamond shapes more prone to chipping or damage than others?

Certain diamond shapes may be more prone to chipping or damage than others. Factors such as the shape’s corners, facets, and overall design can influence its durability. It is important to consider these factors when choosing a diamond shape for longevity and wearability. More angular diamonds are at a bigger risk of being chipped than the rounder, more circular shapes with more obtuse cuts.

Do different diamond shapes require specific settings or designs for jewelry?

Different diamond shapes are certainly better with different settings and jewelry designs For example, princess-cut diamonds look better in a four-prong setting, while oval diamonds may be complemented by a halo setting to  accentuate their elongated shape.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding the different diamond shapes and cut types is essential when selecting the perfect diamond for you or a loved one. Each shape offers its own unique beauty and optical effects, allowing you to choose a diamond that suits your style and preferences.

Whether it’s the brilliance of a round brilliant cut or the elegance of an emerald-cut, each shape has the ability to tell its own unique story.