A diamond´s price is commonly defined by its 4Cs:

• Carat
• Clarity
• Color
• And Cut

... But the 4Cs are not the only factors defining the price! The shape a diamond is cut into also has a major impact.

Diamonds do not come out of the ground cut and brilliant! When extracted from the earth, rough diamonds actually look like nothing else but glass pebbles! The diamond cutter will decide which shape to give the diamond, in order to get rid of the maximum of inclusions and maximize its beauty.

Depending on the specific shape, between 20 to 60% of the rough stone´s original carat weight is lost during cutting. The more diamond material is “lost” during the cutting process, the most expensive will the “saved” diamond material be.

The most expensive diamond cut is the round brilliant.

For such diamonds, only 40% of the rough stone is “saved” after the cutting process, meaning that roughly 60% of the original diamond is “lost” and cannot be reused elsewhere. This impressive loss explains why round diamonds are the most expensive shape.

Round is also the most popular shape - and as for anything else - the higher the demand, the higher the price.

VIEW: Engagement ring with a round brilliant cut diamond

• Fancy-shaped diamonds (i.e. pear, oval, princess, and radiant) can save you up to 25% more than a round brilliant diamond of the same size.

That is because, for such shapes, less of the rough diamond is lost during the cutting process. For example, for princess cut diamonds, 80% of the stone is “saved”, which makes this diamond shape way more affordable than its round counterpart.

• Emerald cut diamonds can be the cheapest shape!

Emerald cut diamonds can save you even more money than the aforementioned fancy shapes because they have step cuts (or facets, that look a bit like a staircase).

Their simpler design means they need less precision work to be achieved. They also use more of the rough diamond, all of which results in cost savings.

Note: the faceting being so minimal and simple, inclusions tend to show more with this cut than with any other and a lower color grade will be badly hidden by this type of cut. So if you decide to go for an emerald cut diamond, make sure to stay with a very high-quality diamond (which in turn makes it more expensive…)

At My Diamond Ring, you can configure your own engagement ring by choosing your diamond. We offer more than 5000 diamonds in different qualities and price ranges, in order for you to find the diamond that meets all your requirements, in terms of quality, size, and budget. Our diamonds are all GIA certified and start as low as € 350.

LEARN MORE: How to configure your engagement ring in 3 simple steps

LEARN MORE: All the tutorials you need to find your perfect diamond