Stone Cuts 101
February 6th, 2019 / Alese Oldenburg
From brilliance to fire, each stone cut has noticeable differences. Before your purchase, know the key features of popular cuts.
ASSCHER
Style Features: Flat surface, cropped corners, open facets.
This cut spiked in popularity in the 1920s, making it a vintage beauty. It features a flat surface and four cropped edges. The square shape slightly resembles a Cushion, but sparkles more brilliantly because of its large, open facets. Keep in mind, the cropped corners will be somewhat hidden once mounted in a prong setting.
CUSHION
Style Features: Rounded corners, stunning fire.
Named after its pillow-like appearance, the cushion cut engagement ring is square-shaped with rounded corners. Although the brilliance is slightly less than that of a Round Brilliant, its fire, or stunning reflection of color, is what makes it such a popular choice.
EMERALD
Style Features: Large facets, dramatic flashes, open surface.
The Emerald cut produces a hall-of-mirrors effect, created by its step-cuts and large, open surface. This cut is relatively less fiery, but flashes vividly because of its long lines. Its elegant appeal is cherished by those who love glitzy style.
HEART
Style Features: Unique design, striking brilliance.
Seen most often in solitaire designs, the Heart cut is a unique and feminine design. To accentuate the shape, it’s best in 0.5 carats or larger. Because it is a modified brilliant and features numerous facets, it is near the top of the list for luster.
MARQUISE
Style Features: Large crown surface, brilliant facet sparkle, slenderizes finger.
This cut is an elliptical shape and has one of the largest crown surface areas of any cut. 58 facets create sparkle, end to end. The shape also creates the appearance of a longer, more slender finger.
OVAL
Style Features: Stone appears larger, slenderizes finger, striking brilliance.
This cut holds all the brilliance of a Round Brilliant, but captures a more unique design- no wonder it’s such a popular shape. Some cuts vary in width, but a thinner Oval cut is usually preferred when paired with side stones.
PEAR
Style Features: Slenderizes finger, unique design, striking brilliance.
This asymmetrical cut combines the look of a Round Brilliant and Marquise to produce a distinct pear-like shape. The tapered point is worn pointing towards the fingernail, and is commonly designed as a halo. This cut is also one of great brilliance because of its many facets.
PRINCESS
Style Features: Striking brilliance, pairs well, excellent price value.
The Princess cut is a traditional square shape, which makes it versatile enough for most settings and styles. It is also one of the closest in capturing the same brilliance and sparkle of a classic Round Brilliant cut.
RADIANT
Style Features: Striking brilliance, cropped corners, modern design.
The Radiant cut is a hybrid of a Round Brilliant and Emerald cut. It most closely resembles the shape of an Emerald, but has a brilliant facet-pattern applied to the pavilion and crown, making it shine with much more brilliance.
ROUND
Style Features: Striking brilliance, stunning fire, pairs well.
Round Brilliant is by far the most popular stone cut, making up more than half of all diamonds sold. Because of its shape, it is superior in the way it reflects light, resulting in maximum brilliance and shine. It is also the most versatile cut in terms of style.
TRILLION
Style Features: Striking brilliance, stunning fire, unique design.
The Trillion cut is a triangle shape with curved sides instead of straight. This cut is a modified brilliant, so it features maximum shine and sparkle. It is best featured as side stones, or can be turned into a unique solitaire design.
Which stone cut is your favorite?