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.