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Diamond Shapes
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Meet the top 6: Round, princess, radiant, oval, emerald and pear
The diamond “shape” needs to be distinguished from its “cut”. The “cut” of a diamond establishes how well a diamond was cut into its final shape. The cut is therefore a grade, which can go from excellent to very poor, while the “shape” can be any shape you can think of!
In this article, we will focus on the 6 most popular diamond shapes:
- Round
- Princess
- Radiant
- Oval
- Emerald
- Pear
LEARN MORE: Diamond Buying Guide - All the tutorials you need to find the perfect diamond!
Round diamonds
Round diamonds are classic, elegant and sparkling.
This is the most popular style of diamonds, especially for engagement rings. Round diamonds, also called "round brilliant cut" diamonds have 58 facets, which are calibrated to achieve the maximum fire and brilliance.
Being the most sought after, they also are the most expensive shape.
LEARN MORE: Diamond shapes vs price: How diamond price changes by shape
Princess-cut diamonds
Princess cut diamonds offer an incredible shine despite their square cut. Just like round diamonds, it has 57 to 58 facets. It is ideal for long fingers, but we recommend staying away from this shape if you have short fingers.
Radiant-cut diamonds
Radiant-cut diamond in a rectangular shape
Radiant-cut diamond in a squared shape
The radiant is one of the shiniest cuts because of its 70-facet cut. This is an excellent cut for buyers who like the emerald cut shape but want something with the brilliance of the round.
BUYING TIP: Radiant cut diamonds come in a square or rectangular shape!
- If you want a square shape, go for a ratio between 1.00 and 1.05.
- For a rectangular shape, go for a ratio between 1.30 and 1.50.
DISCOVER: Our collection of Radiant-cut Engagement Rings
Oval-cut diamonds
The oval cut is nothing else but an elongated round brilliant cut diamond. It offers the brilliance of the round but is more fashionable than its round counterpart. Another advantage: oval diamonds appear larger than rounds at the same carat weight! Ovals are also known to flatter the hand: it is ideal for shorter hands as their elongated shape can make one's fingers look longer and thinner.
BUYING TIP: the rounded ends of the oval cut diamond have a tendency to show more colour than a round diamond would. So, when choosing the colour grade of an oval diamond, try to stay in the colourless colour grades D, E, or F.
Emerald-cut diamonds
The emerald cut is one of the most elegant and sophisticated cuts in the world and its elongated shape is perfect to flatter smaller hands.
BUYING TIP: the faceting being so minimal and simple, inclusions tend to show more with this cut than with any other and a lower colour 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 in the colourless colour grades D, E, or F and do not go below a VVS clarity grade.
Pear-cut diamonds
Pear-shaped diamonds have 58 facets, which make light dance through them as it does in a round brilliant diamond, maximizing their sparkle. The pear diamond´s faceting often masks inclusions and its elongated shape also provides a slimming effect on fingers.