Diamond Cuts Beginners Guide with Everything You Need to Know

It is the cut that releases the diamond’s full brilliance. It dictates the way light going through when the diamond is moved, the way it flashes.

So, let’s break down some of the most popular diamond cuts to understand the nuances that make one style stand apart from another.

The Round Brilliant Cut - Iconic for a Reason

There’s no better place to start our tour of cuts than with the round brilliant, one of the first diamond cuts ever invented, and a bona fide icon of the 1700s. What accounts for its enduring allure? The round brilliant embodies a diamond’s most prized characteristics — superlative brilliance and fire.

The round brilliant is engineered to return light at a maximum. Its 58 facets are set at domed angles engaged in carefully thought-out trigonometrical relationships in order to maximize light return, dispatching it out of the top; hence the lance of white flashes among the most popular of gemstones.

Most people, will immediately envision a round brilliant, which is in fact the most popular cut. Approximately 75 percent of all diamonds sold today are fashioned in a round brilliant, in part because the round brilliant opens every stylistic possibility. It accommodates every conceivable setting style, and is the quintessential diamond solitaire that holds center-stage on every bridal ring.

On the downside, the round more completely utilizes more of the rough diamond to cut, resulting in paying a premium of 25 to even 30 percent more per carat than with other shapes. Many feel that the unbeatable sparkle is worth the premium.

The Princess Cut - Sharp Lines and Limitless Shine

For those inclined to cry yes to the endless shimmer and shine of the round brilliant but no to the heat, the princess cut is a worthwhile compromise. It is the square or rectangular-cut diamond, flat-bottomed and faceted with sharp, clean lines and corners. It is fresh-faced and modern for modern times.

Unlike rounds that focus light back up the top, princess cuts have extra facets that focus light down the sides too. Toggle the diamond with your thumb and forefinger and you’ll see flashes of light jumping down the sides. The effect is showy and dramatic.

A princess cut retains about 80 percent of the weight of its rough counterpart compared with a round of equivalent carat weight that retains just 50 percent, potentially saving around 20 percent on the cost.

The princess cut is most fashionably deployed without a partner, in the spare solitaire setting, so that each of those hypnotizing light-corner facet-perches can bathe in uninterrupted maximum light.

The Cushion Cut - Vintage Romance Meets Modern Charm

It’s pretty much as it sounds, a cushion cut diamond has the shape of a pillow with rounded corners and oozes retro romance, but its wide, shallow facets offer up an amount of brilliance that echoes the pizazz of a round.

This old world elegance and dazzling light effect have caused the cushion cut rather than the princess to rise to the top of the list of purchases in recent years.

One major cushion cut advantage, for instance, is that its design meets about 70 percent of a rough diamond’s weight, thus keeping costs lower than that of an equivalent sized round. With its appeal in terms of beauty, brilliance and affordability, the cushion cut has rightly become a unisex favorite.

The Emerald Cut - Glamour and Sophistication

With its flat sides, the emerald cut diamond is aptly named to remind one of the rectangular or emerald cut of the green gem. This elongated cut has broad straight facets perpendicular to the sides.

One outstanding feature of emerald cuts is that they can be made from fewer diamonds than faceted cuts (less than 3 percent of diamonds are cut this way). Why so infrequent? Emerald cuts retain only 50 percent of the stone’s rough outline.

Even though bold linear lines of the emerald cut show a stone’s clarity to great advantage, its lack of curves gives it an air of cold geometry – the last thing a romantic might be looking for. On the other hand, the emerald cut exudes subtle and sublime Art Deco glamour, and is a gem cut for the jaded.

The Asscher Cut - Recently Revived Vintage Chic

The vintage-inspired Asscher cut preceded the emerald cut to bring square-shaped diamonds into modern glamour. The Asscher cut, created in 1902, brings the straight, stripe-like faceting of an emerald to a cool square.

The Asscher, a design to fade from fashion after its heyday, has been making a comeback in recent years. Contemporary versions add additional facets on the bottom to enhance light return through the top, boosting the sparkle but keeping the vintage edge.

And, similar to the emerald, the Asscher carves away approximately half of the original rough diamond. Yet, just as vintage never goes out of style, the comeback of the Asscher proves that old world and modern beauty can go hand in hand.

The Oval Cut - A Winning Combination

Oval cut diamonds also feel different from regular pieces, as they’re like an elliptical version of a round stone, with the brilliance and fire of a round, but also the individuality of a marquise or pear, but the outline is a nice mix of the two.

The soft, rounded sides of an oval cut suit both vintage and modern designs, contributing to this shape’s versatility. Another selling point is the oval’s ability to retain almost 70 percent of the weight of a rough diamond, making emerald cuts and ovals much more affordable than brilliant cuts of comparable carat size.

Another is that the oval’s larger surface area gives the same-weight as diamonds diamond appearance than than a diamond face-up, boosting its popularity to an optimal face-up size.

The Marquise Cut - Eye-Catching Elegance

A boat-shaped diamond with two gently tapered points at each end, the marquise cut is so called after ‘marquise’ – which is French for ‘little boat’. The balance of the marquise form, designed to be elongating and flattering, comes from its symmetry.

Because of their extra length of outline, marquise diamonds can look larger than their carat weight, which is handy as they finish at only 45 percent of the rough, making them (relatively) good value.

Since it flatters the shape, today’s marquise will regularly have round or pear shapes mounted under its ends to bring out its lean, elongated lines. Marquise set in rings, earrings and pendants make beautiful, slim-looking jewelry.

The Pear Cut - Feminine, Flattering, and Versatile

Pear cut diamonds take the fire of a round and add the tapered point of a marquise, while the essential teardrop shape boasts a rounded bottom half that catches the eye and leads up to a ring-like top tip.

With its innate femininity and gentleness, the pear cut is considered the perfect engagement ring. The shape is meant to contour to the finger, aiming for an elongating, slimming effect with the point facing up.

The pear cut can also be cut as directional pendants, with the point up for the modern oomph, or downwards for more classic allure or a sense of ethereal beauty. The special brilliance and rarity of the pear cut gives it timeless, global allure.

The Heart Cut - Epitome of Romance

That the heart was considered the most romantic of diamond shapes is entirely understandable, as the geometric form is perfectly disguised in the heart-cut’s cherished emblematic title. Is there any better expression of romance than a heart-shape sparkler?

While they retain only about 50 percent of the rough diamond for the cut, hearts are hot commodities because of their shape and sentiment. As with other brilliant cuts, hearts are optimized to maximize available light.

Whether given as a precious gift or worn as an eternal message of devotion, a heart cut diamond is the epitome of emotion. A sought-after shape for engagement rings and pendant, you can be sure a heart cut diamond will be cherished.

The Radiant Cut - The Best of Both Worlds

If you’re drawn to a brilliant round diamond but prefer the stepped, geometric look of an emerald cut, the radiant cut fills the bill handily. An emerald-cut diamond with stepped, geometric facets and a pronounced hall-of-mirrors effect – from the Cutting Edge collection at Tiffany 2015. This hybrid gemstone has the blazing brilliance of a brilliant round matched with the sleek, geometric corners that characterise the emerald cut.

The radiant cut contains around 70 facets in total and exhibits them in an arrangement that allows for maximum light return and superior sparkle. In this modern cutting style, up to 70 percent of the rough diamond is retained in a finished stone. This means that radiant cut diamonds offer the visual appeal of more expensive brilliant styles without the exorbitant sticker price. It’s a win-win situation.

And as for the radiant cut, stick with length-to-width ratios from 1.0-1.5 for ideal, balanced proportions that show off this style’s signature, sophisticated square profile to greatest advantage. Set square in modern solitaires, lively facets play to center stage in the spare confines of an impeccably sleek, minimalist setting.

The Trilliant Cut - Drama in Triplicate

If you like shapes that fly outside the box, you will immediately be smitten with the trilliant’s triangular outline and the fact that this cut boasts a plethora of triangular and kite-shaped facets that create light displays that recall a brilliant round’s signature optical razzle-dazzle. The triangular outline itself creates undeniable drama and edge.

When it is all said and done, trilliants sliced away from a rough diamond retain about half of that rough. This is higher than lower-end diamonds but below the highest-end diamonds, putting trilliants towards the middle of the affordability scale. Trilliants aren’t as common as classic mainstream shapes, but for those who favour dress-up pieces and are interested in something a little off the beaten path, the unique wow-factor of trilliants can make them an exciting choice.

Trilliant diamonds make perfect partner stones surrounding a solitaire center gem. The triangle naturally leads the eye inward to the middle, and if that’s not enough allure for you, trilliant side stones add even more glamour and mystery.

The Trapeze Cut - Edgy Geometry

The trapeze cut (also known as a trapezoid cut) earns its name with its cool trapezoidal shape. It pairs the brilliant glint of the round with the sleek lines of a triangle.

As with any triangular window cut, the internal facets catch light and twinkle when viewed from the sides, so they look stunning set on halo rings, open pendants or other high-visibility settings. For the ultimate demurely daring look, go for the trapeze cut’s geometric punch.

The Baguette Cut - Modernist Charm

The term baguette cut refers to the French word for a thin ‘rod’ or ‘bar’, a description that aptly fitting for the term’s name, given the shape’s straight, elongated profile. Baguette cuts are unique because they have step facets that run parallel to the sides.

Baguettes are a good option for accent stones. Their straight shape goes well with round or princess cut solitaires – the angular lines of the baguette balance out and contrast with the rounded point or many facets of a center cut.

To preserve the ‘straight-as-a-baguette’ appearance of baguettes, prongs should be shared-prong or channel set, so that edges stay straight and sleek. Because it focuses on form rather than flash, the baguette lends an angular, modern beauty to jewelry designs. Its staccato lines lend a contemporary edge.

The Crescent Cut - Celestial Charm

The crescent cut, a newer and more slender bracket shape, takes the form of an androgynous moon half. The moon’s shape is a more ambiguous form echoed in the simplicity of the crescent cut’s conjoining brackets that curve into a tapered point; a slender comma gracefully curving into the sky.

Although it’s still relatively rare, this crescent cut is particularly effective as an accent stone – the ultimate symbol of asymmetric romance in jewelry. Its gently arching profile has a hand-crafted, artistic, dreamy quality reminiscent of its moon-light energy.

Typically, crescents are set with points pointed down, so this way they’ll make the most of the central arc, the main element that defines the shape. If you prefer to have your jewels evoke the celestial realm, the crescent cut presents well that flickering starry romance.

Final Thoughts

We’ve gone around the historical and contemporary diamond cuts that all have their own beauty. Hopefully you learned that the cut controls exactly how light interacts with the diamond to give the desired effects. It unlocks a diamond’s ability to sparkle.

Some cuts shine brightest and shiniest. Others have elongated shapes that emit a sculptural elegance.

The Hidden Truth About a Diamonds' Sparkle

Diamonds - you know them when you see them. There's just something about the way they sparkle that catches your eye. Of all the minerals in the world, diamonds have a special place in our hearts. And for good reason! They're incredibly unique.

Let's dive into what makes diamonds so special.

Hardness

One of the biggest things that sets diamonds apart is their hardness. I mean, these stones are incredibly hard. Harder than literally anything else found in nature!

On something called the Mohs scale, diamonds score a perfect 10 out of 10 rating for hardness. That's as high as it goes, folks. To give you an idea, sapphires and rubies - which are very hard in their own right - score a 9.

Diamonds are about 4 times as hard as those stones! The only thing that can actually scratch a diamond is another diamond. Anything else just bounces right off.

Why so hard? It comes down to the way a diamond's carbon atoms are bonded together. They link up in a very tight, rigid crystal-like structure that makes diamonds super resistant to any kind of scratching or cutting.

Their hardness also makes them incredibly durable. You can knock a diamond around and it'll keep on sparkling, untarnished. Now that's impressive!

Heat Conduction

Diamonds aren't just the hardest stones, they're also the best conductors of heat found in nature. We're talking three times better at conducting heat than copper. Yeah, you read that right - three times better than copper!

This means diamonds transfer heat very rapidly from their surface into the stone and vice versa. One minute they can be cool to the touch, the next hot.

Plus, diamonds have the highest melting point of any natural material - we're talking a whopping 7362°F. That's an insane temperature. Just imagine, you'd have to put a diamond in an industrial furnace to get it that hot.

The bottom line is diamonds can take the heat. Their tough atomic structure resists melting even at temperatures that would turn most materials into a puddle.

Optical Properties

Now let's talk about why we love diamonds so much - their gorgeous, sparkly look! Diamonds have a high refractive index, meaning they really bend and disperse light as it passes through them.

This causes a dazzling display of flashes and sparkles - what jewelers call "fire." And diamonds have more fire than any other natural stone. Their refractive ability is truly unparalleled.

Diamonds also have very low dispersion. This makes the white light passing through spread evenly across the color spectrum. So you see all the fiery colors of the rainbow flashing out, while the overall diamond still looks crystal clear and colorless. Such a cool effect!

When diamonds are expertly cut, you get an almost magical quality of light transmission. Raw, uncut diamonds look a bit hazy and dull on the inside. But skilled diamond cutters can unlock all that inner radiance and make it glow.

Rarity

One last thing that makes diamonds special - they're incredibly rare! The conditions needed to form diamonds - we're talking tremendous heat, pressure, and lots of time - only exist in a few places on Earth.

Their rarity, plus decades of marketing by companies like DeBeers, have cemented diamonds as the ultimate symbol of love and commitment. But even without the marketing hype, diamonds would still captivate us with their one-of-a-kind brilliance and fire. They're just that dazzling!

The Ultimate Guide to Diamond Cuts

Diamonds are amazing, but their cut is what makes them interesting. A diamond's cut determines how light dances and skips across its surface, mesmerizing us with flashes of fire.

Want to explore some cutting-edge diamond cuts? Keep reading!

Round Brilliant Cut

Alright, let's start with the classics. Round brilliant cuts have existed since the 1700s and remain today's most sought-after diamond shape. Why? Because they know how to showcase a diamond's sparkling potential!

The round brilliant is all about proportions. Its 58 facets (or faces) are placed at just the right angles to maximize light return through the top of the stone. People covet diamonds because of their prized fire and brilliance. A classic round brilliant will dazzle from any angle.

About 75% of diamond sales are round brilliant cuts, so you know this is a tried-and-true shape. It's what your mind conjures when you imagine a glimmering diamond engagement ring or necklace—simply timeless.

One downside of round brilliants is that they require more raw material to cut than other shapes. So, you'll pay about 25-30% more than a princess cut. But many feel it's worth the splurge for that unmatched sparkle.

The bottom line is that you can always go right with the brilliance of a round diamond. It's the standard bearer for a reason!

Princess Cut

If you love the sparkle of a round cut but want something a little more edgy, say hello to the princess cut. Second only to the round brilliant in popularity, princess cuts are square or rectangular gems with sharp corners and clean lines.

Unlike a round, the princess cut's extra facets provide flashes of light down the edges. So, you get tons of fire and brilliance in a contemporary square shape - a pretty neat trick!

Princess cuts retain about 80% of a rough diamond's carat weight compared to only 50% for a round. So, you'll save roughly 20% with a princess cut of the same carat size. Have you added savings AND visual appeal? Yes, please!

With its sharp edges that shimmer as you move, the Princess Cut pops in solitaire engagement rings and modern jewelry designs. If you love a square silhouette, embrace your inner princess!

Cushion Cut

Sometimes called pillow cuts, cushion cuts have rounded corners that give them a pillow-like shape. Their softer outline exudes vintage charm and romance.

Cushion cuts balance a round brilliant sparkle and an emerald cut's understated glamour. The significant, gently shaped facets amplify light return, while the curved edges have an antique vibe. You get the best of both worlds!

In recent years, cushion cuts have surpassed even princess cuts in popularity. Their versatility works with both modern and traditional settings. If you want something with timeless appeal, cushions are your best friend!

Along with their visual appeal, cushion cuts retain about 70% of a rough diamond's weight, so they are mid-range in terms of price—much more affordable than a round brilliant of the same size!

Emerald Cut

The emerald cut has long parallel facets that create light reflections, described as a "hall of mirrors" effect. Chic and understated, it channels serious Art Deco vibes.

Here's the thing about emerald cuts - only about 3% of diamonds are cut this way. That's because the emerald shape retains the least amount of rough diamond. We're talking only 50%!

The emerald cut beautifully showcases a diamond's clarity on the plus side since flaws are more visible. 

Asscher Cut

The Asscher cut, which appeared in 1902, was the precursor to the emerald cut. It boasts the same straight facets and hall of mirror effect but is square rather than rectangular.

The Asscher cut fell out of fashion for decades. It is largely forgotten. But recently, it's made a significant comeback with some updates to increase its brilliance. The modern Asscher cut has more facets on the bottom to reflect extra light up through the top. Gorgeous! 

Like emerald cuts, Asscher cuts retain only about 50% of the rough diamond, so they come at a bit of a premium. However, their rarity and vintage-chic style have helped Asscher cuts gain popularity again in modern times. 

You'll often see Asscher cuts shining brightly in solitaire engagement rings. Their antique vibe pairs beautifully with contemporary band designs—so elegant!

Oval Cut

Oval-cut diamonds have an elliptical shape that visually elongates the stone. They provide a nice balance between the brilliance of a round and the uniqueness of a marquise or pear shape. 

The oval cut's softly rounded sides give it a classically elegant appeal that fits both traditional and modern styles. Because ovals retain about 70% of the rough diamond's carat weight, they come at a lower price point than brilliant cuts—a win-win!

Oval diamonds also photograph exceptionally well from the top view, making them popular for Instagram-worthy rings meant to be shown off online. An oval can appear larger face-up than other shapes of equal carat weight. Talk about getting the most bang for your buck!

Marquise-Cut

The marquise cut is an elliptical shape with gently pointed ends, like a delicate boat hull. Its elongated outline can make fingers look longer and slimmer.

Sometimes, marquise diamonds are called "navettes," French for "little ships." Their dramatic silhouette naturally draws the eye to the stone, mesmerizing it. 

Because of their elongated shape, marquise diamonds appear to showcase carat weight beautifully. But they retain only about 45% of the rough diamond. So they're generally more affordable than other cuts.

In settings, marquise diamonds are often embellished with side stones to highlight their shape. They work best in pendants, earrings, and rings meant to elongate the finger. Play up their unique look by pairing marquise cuts with round or pear-shaped sidekicks!

Pear Cut

The pear shape of the pear cut, which fuses round and marquise cuts, has a brilliant lower half with a delicate, tapering point at the top. It's estimated that pear cuts retain about 70% of a rough diamond's original carat weight.

The pear cut has an inherently feminine, elegant look. When worn pointing up, it can elongate fingers in a flattering style. Flipped with the point facing down, pears take on a more traditional vibe. 

Pear cuts shine when accented by round or marquise side stones that complement its shape. They also make eye-catching solitaire pendants thanks to their graceful teardrop silhouette.

Heart Cut

Heart-shaped diamonds are expressly cut to resemble the universal symbol of love. What better way to celebrate romance than with a heart-cut stone?

Heart cuts retain only about 50% of the original rough diamond's carat weight, but their sentimental symbolism makes them more than worthwhile. They are modified brilliant cuts, maximizing light return through precise symmetrical faceting. 

Whether given as a romantic gift or worn as an enduring token of love, heart-cut diamonds are perfect for expressing emotion. Highly sought after for engagement rings, pendants, and earrings, these stones are meant to be treasured forever.

Radiant Cut

The radiant cut combines the scintillating sparkle of a round brilliant with the sleek lines of an emerald cut. It has trimmed corners and a brilliant-style facet pattern to pump up light reflection.

Radiant cuts retain about 70% of the rough diamond's original carat weight. They deliver exceptional fire and brilliance at an attractive price compared to other cuts. 

When choosing a radiant cut, look for length-to-width ratios between 1.0 and 1.5 for the most appealing outline. Radiant diamonds with a square shape look sophisticated in solitaire engagement ring settings.