How do you decide which diamond cut types are right for you and your engagement ring? In addition to factors like metal type, setting style, detail work, accent stones, and other factors, your diamond cut and diamond cut grades have an important effect on the overall look and style of your engagement ring, affecting a stone’s shine, symmetry, and proportions. To help you understand the options available on today’s engagement ring market, we’ve put together a list of frequently used diamond cut options. Read on to learn about the most popular diamond cut types.
What Does Diamond Cut Mean?
Before we begin, it may be useful to define exactly what is meant by diamond cut. While many people think that cut refers only to a diamond’s shape, a diamond’s cut also refers to the symmetry, polish, and proportions. Each cut (versus raw) diamond can be scored by the GIA International Grading System according to those factors. A diamond cut grade is a way of measuring these characteristics to determine a diamond’s quality. Quality, along with diamond size, is an important factor in the price of a diamond engagement ring.
What is a Round Brilliant Cut?
This is currently the most popular diamond cut types and for good reason. The round cut maximizes the diamond’s shine and brilliance, allowing for lots of eye-catching sparkles. To find the best round brilliant cut stone, seek out cuts that score high for symmetry to ensure that your stone reflects light well. Round brilliant cut diamonds are famous for vintage-inspired styles with detailed settings, and they are also commonly used as accent stones in engagement rings.
What is a Princess Cut?
A princess cut diamond is a diamond cut in a square or rectangular shape. One of the most distinctive features of a princess cut diamond is that these diamond cut types concentrate color in the center and the corners of the diamond for a very unique look. Like round brilliant cut diamonds, princess cut diamonds are also often used as accent stones. A princess cut engagement ring may be right for you if you’re looking for a diamond with hints of color in a slightly unusual, modern shape.
What is an Emerald Cut?
Emerald cut diamond engagement rings are distinctly glamorous, with an Old Hollywood feel that makes them an elegant choice. This cut features rectangle shaped facets that create a large surface area that reflects light and shows off a stone’s clarity. It is important to find an emerald cut diamond with a good diamond cut grade, as poorly cut emerald shaped diamonds tend to look flat and colorless rather than reflective and bright.
What is a Marquise Cut?
A marquise cut diamond features pointed ends for an elegant diamond shape with a vintage era feel—which makes sense when you learn that this cut dates back to French Royalty from the 1700s! This is a fantastic choice for the woman who wants an engagement ring that stands out and who is seeking a shape that will draw attention for being slightly different while still offering lots of shimmer. It is also popular to design rings that place several round cut diamonds close together along the band to mimic the elegance of the marquise shape while offering a little more versatility.
Cushion Cut
Cushion cut diamonds are often described as the softest or most feminine out of all the diamond cut types. It takes its name from its pillow-like shape, and it great for the bride who wants to max out on sparkle with its round corners and large facets. This type of diamond cut is often used in halo rings, where the center stone is encircled by a halo of small, round cut diamonds for even more high impact shine.
What are Pear Shaped Diamonds?
While pear-shaped diamonds are lovely, they are among the least common engagement ring types—making this the right choice for a woman who wants something different and one-of-a-kind. Solitaire pear-shaped diamonds are always a classic look, while many contemporary pear cut diamond rings feature embellishments like halos that emphasize their unique shape and add even more glamorous sparkles, while others include floral inspired details for extra visual interest.
What is Baguette Cut?
A baguette cut diamond refers to a diamond that has a long, narrow, rectangular shape with sides that angle inwards. Their name is derived from their elongated shape, which is narrower than the emerald cut and looks like the classic type of french bread. Baguette cut diamonds are rarely featured as the center stone on an engagement ring, but they are commonly used as accent stones for engagement rings or as embellishments on wedding bands. If you love baguette diamonds, consider incorporating them in a custom design. At Aurosi Jewels, we can produce custom designs using your choice of diamond cut types and diamond cut grade with our choice of stones or modify our current designs for a totally personalized engagement ring look.
What are Oval Cut Diamonds?
Oval diamonds reflect light in a similar way to round brilliant cut diamonds, but the elongated shape offers a slight twist on the popular round stone shape. Oval cut diamond engagement rings are particularly pretty for accenting long fingers, so consider this style if you’ve got long fingers and hands. Another benefit of oval-shaped diamonds is that they tend to appear bigger than their carat size, for a look that truly dazzles.
Discover Quality Engagement Rings at Aurosi Jewels
Aurosi Jewels is home to handcrafted engagement rings and wedding bands in a range of diamond cut types and styles. With our free home try-on program, we’re taking the stress out of wedding and engagement ring shopping, and our friendly support staff is always available to assist you with any aspect of your purchase. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you find the engagement ring and wedding ring of your dreams. Use coupon code “SPRING10” at checkout and get up to 10% OFF sitewide.
