Various Diamond Cuts - Affecting Sparkle, Shimmer and Shape

The cut of a diamond indicates more than its shape. The cut also determines how sparkly your diamond will be! It's not enough that a diamond is big and clear and white. No diamond can be truly attractive unless it sparkles, and it won't sparkle unless it's properly cut. You can buy a one carat diamond, graded SI2 or higher for clarity, and rated J or better on the color scale, and it still won't sparkle unless the cut is good.

Some shapes:



Diamonds can be cut into a wide variety of shapes. The following are some of the most popular:

Round Brilliant Cut

The term "brilliant-cut" was coined at the end of the 17th century and was represented by several forms of faceted stones. During the early 18th century, Brazil gave rise to the cushion-shaped old-mine cut, a forerunner of the modern brilliant cut. Back at the turn of the century, Marcel Tolkowsky, a member of a large and powerful family, calculated the cuts necessary to create the ideal shape. As part of his PhD thesis in mathematics, Tolkowsky considered variables such as index of refraction and covalent bond angles to describe what has become known as the brilliant cut. This work, A Study of the Reflection and Refraction of Light in Diamond, described the best proportions of a round brilliant cut, which would provide a balanced return of light (brilliance) and dispersion. There are 58 facets in a Round Brilliant.

Princess Cut

The Barion cut was the forerunner of the Princess cut. This was a style of cutting for square or rectangular stones, with extra and improved faceting, so as to obtain maximum brilliance from the jewel. It was invented by Basil Watermeyer from Johannesburg. The modern Princess cut, developed by Arpad Nagy of London in 1961, was a great improvement. The Princess cut has uncut corners. It is cut square rather than as a rectangle. The Princess cut tends to be the smallest of the shapes for the same carat weight since the cut is basically an upside-down pyramid with most of the carat weight in the pavilion. Brilliant-style refers to vertical direction crown and pavilion facets instead of step-style horizontal facets. It is effectively a square version of the Round brilliant cut, and is known technically as a square modified brilliant cut, rendering more sparkle because of the extra faceting. A Princess cut has 76 facets, giving it more brilliance and fire than the round brilliant.

Marquise Cut

The name came from a legend of the Marquise of Pompadour that the Sun King wanted a Diamond to be polished into the shape of the mouth of the Marquise. Light passes through the back of the stone due to the criticality of the angles needed to reflect the stone being too steep. The crown cut is sometimes modified in the Marquise to form what is called a "French Tip," where the bezel facet at the point of the stone is eliminated. Many cutters stay in the sixty percent range for this lovely cut, and to avoid extremely thin girdles. The ideal ratio of length to width should be about twice the length as the stone is wide (2:1 aspect ratio). The Marquise brilliant contains 58 facets.

Oval Cut

The Oval-shaped brilliant is very similar to a Round except it is elliptical. It was invented by Lazare Kaplan in the early 1960s. "Shape appeal" is very important with Oval brilliants. The Oval cut is an elliptical shape when viewed from the top. The Oval cut to a ratio of the length to the width should be about 1.5:1. If it is much greater, you will see a dark area. This is commonly called a bow tie effect. If the ratio is much less then 1.5:1, the stone looks like a misshapen Round. A well cut Oval stone can be nearly as bright as a well-cut Round brilliant shape, the angles are closer to ideal for the maximum optical effect that well cut diamonds can produce. Ovals provide a bigger surface area than a round with the same carat weight and therefore are an excellent option for those looking for the brilliance of the round but a bigger size. The Oval brilliant cut has 58 facets.

Emerald Cut

The Emerald cut is rectangular with cut corners. It is a step cut as opposed to a brilliant cut. Step cuts are comprised of larger facets which act like mirrors. The facets are broad with flat planes resembling the steps of a stair. That's why it is referred to as a "step" cut. Unlike the Marquise brilliant, there is no bow-tie effect on an Emerald cut. The Emerald cut looks like a rectangle from the top, with truncated corners. These are beautiful stones with stepped facets; the sheen tends to be large flashes of these stepped angles on the pavilion of the stone. Because of the angle, size and shape of the facets, the Emerald cut shows less brilliance and fire (dispersion) than the other brilliant cut diamonds. However, the Emerald cut stone reveals a classic beauty and elegance not seen in other cuts. The length-to-width ratios are 1.5:1 to 1.75:1. The Emerald cut has 58 facets.

Pear Cut

The Pear cut is a popular cut that looks like a tear drop. The Pear-shaped brilliant is a combination of a Round brilliant and a Marquise cut. This is a traditional cut which is perfect for pendants, drop earrings, and many other applications. This fancy-shaped diamond has a rounded end and a single point. Many who like the look of the Round but want a fancy shape alternative choose the pear-shaped diamond. In a pear, it demands a well-shaped head and even shoulders with a length-to-width ratio of 1.50-1.75. The length of the stone creates a slimming effect on the fingers. The Pear cut has 58 facets

Trillion Cut

The Trillion cut is a dazzling and versatile stone shape. One of the more unusual cuts, the Trillion displays a very sharp brilliance or fire when the stone is cut to the correct depth allowing good scintillation. Trillions are triangular in shape, usually with truncated corners, with a variety of facets. They can be used in earrings, solitaires, wedding bands, necklaces, bracelets, and pendants. Actually, the Trillion can replace the standard shape anywhere, adding its unique style, fire and brilliance to create excitement. Trillions have a more modern cut and are based upon a brilliant style cut. The fire and beauty of this cut is spectacular. The Trillion cut has a large well-proportioned surface area. This feature results in a "big look" as compared to the body weight of the other cuts. A one-carat Trillion jewel looks as large as a one-and-a-half carat Round gemstone. A Trillion cut is an equilateral triangle with 50 facets.

Radiant Cut

The Radiant cut is a beautiful combination of the classic elegance of the Emerald cut and the sparkle of the Round Brilliant. The Radiant cut is similar to the Princess cut but projects a more rectangular outline and has blocked corners like those of an Emerald cut. The cutting is a combination of the step-cutting of the Emerald cut diamond with some triangular faceting of the Round Brilliant cut. The Radiant cut is dramatic as a solitaire but also looks great paired with side staging stones such as Baguettes, Trillions, or Princess shapes. A Radiant cut gemstone should be set with special prongs to hold the blocked corners securely.

Heart Cut

The Heart is the ultimate symbol of love. And since most Heart-shaped stones are nearly round, each has the advantage of having a nearly round that provides its beautiful brilliance.The Heart-shaped brilliant bears some similarity to the Pear shape, except that there is a cleft at the top. The "shape appeal" is especially important with hearts. It is required that there is always a perfectly symmetrical appearance where the lobes (top arches) are of even height and breadth, and the overall shape exceptionally pleasing to the eye. The Heart shape is one of those special cuts that follow more human and emotional values. The technical benefit is that a Heart shape stone has a roundish pavilion, and when proportioned, it can drive the sparkle and scintillation back out of the jewel. Optimum shape is: length to width ratio 0.9-1.2:1, which is most gratifying to the eye. The Heart cut has 58 facets.