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Round
Brilliant Diamonds
This classic diamond shape is by far the most
popular sold today. There are 58 total facets
in a round brilliant, usually with 33 on the
crown, 24 on the pavilion, and 1 on the culet.
The fire and brilliance of a well-cut round
brilliant diamond is unmatched.
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Princess
Cut Diamond
This shape is typically square, but can also
be slightly rectangular. In the grand scheme
of diamonds, the princess cut has just recently
become popular. The 4 prong mount that a princess
cut diamond is set in should protect the corners
from chipping. A princess cut can look smaller
than other shapes for its weight because comparatively
speaking it is “bottom-heavy”. |
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Pear
Shaped Diamonds
The pear shape is known as a hybrid cut, sharing
characteristics of both the oval and the marquise.
Its shape resembles a teardrop, and can make
beautiful dangle earrings or pendants, but is
also seen as a center stone. Beware of dark
areas in the shape of a bowtie due to poor cutting
proportions. |
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Marquise
Diamonds
A marquise cut diamond can be described as having
the shape of a football, and it can make average
length fingers look long and slender. This diamond
shape can look relatively large for it’s
carat weight. Marquise cut diamonds are usually
good in color, as a poorer color will show near
the points of the stone. The name comes from
the smile of the French Marquise de Pompadour. |
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Oval
Diamonds
Oval diamonds can have a brilliance similar
to that of the round brilliant. They’re
in high demand, so usually expensive for their
carat weight. They can also lengthen the appearance
of a woman’s fingers, but are susceptible
to dark, bowtie shaped areas when they are poorly
cut. |
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Emerald
Cut Diamond
The emerald cut was originally developed for
just that - cutting emeralds. They resemble
a rectangle with angled or beveled corners.
They are “step cut”, because their
facets look like steps. Because the facets are
large and few, inclusions are much more easily
seen. For this reason, better clarity stones
are typically used for an emerald cut. They
have far less fire and brilliance than other
cuts, but they create bright flashes of light
rather than small sparkly reflections. |
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Radiant
Diamonds
The radiant cut resembles the emerald cut from
above, but the pavilion has a facet pattern
that maximizes the stone’s brilliance.
This is a deeper cut than others, especially
for shapes that are more rectangular than square.
The angled corners help protect it against chipping.
The radiant cut is very popular in 3 stone rings,
and it’s often seen in fancy-colored diamonds
as well. Beware of “bowties”. |
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Heart
Shaped Diamonds
The proportions used in the cutting of heart
shaped stones are up to the tastes of the cutter,
so the heart may be skinny or fat. This style
is often used for solitaire necklaces, and for
obvious reasons, it’s a very popular shape
around St. Valentine’s Day. A heart shaped
diamond is similar to the pear shaped diamond,
but it has a cleft at the top. Sometimes cutters
use stones that would otherwise be cut to a
different shape, but an inclusion is removed
where the cleft is. Heart shaped diamonds can
have excellent brilliance if well cut. |
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Trilliant/Trillion
Diamonds
Trilliant is a term that combines “triangular”
and “brilliant”. It’s also
sometimes called a “trillion”. They
are generally triangular in shape, but a trilliant
diamond can have slightly rounded corners rather
than sharp points. They usually have 50 facets,
and can appear larger than a round diamond of
the same carat weight. Trilliants are often
used as side stones but can be center stones
too. |
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Baguette
The baguette is a long, skinny rectangle shape
that became popular around the art deco period.
The shape can also be tapered. Like the emerald
cut, the baguette is a “step cut”
diamond, but it does not have angled or beveled
facets on the corners. There are usually only
2 rows of facets, and the view of the interior
of the stone is very clear so inclusions are
more easily seen than in other shapes. |