How to choose the perfect diamond shape

 

When it comes to choosing the perfect engagement ring, one thing most women are certain about is the shape of her diamond! One of the main things to consider when picking the perfect ring is that you want to be able to reflect your partners personality and capture her style to a tee with her forever ring.

If she hasn’t given you any hints of the style she likes, lets start with the basics: shapes.

Here is a list of the most common diamond shapes, feel free to reach out if you have any questions about the following or wish to talk to one of our diamond experts from our Melbourne or Brisbane showrooms about a custom KAVALRI engagement ring.

 

The Brilliant Cut

Round Brilliant Cut:
‘RBC’/ Brilliant

By far the most classic of all diamond shapes!

The round diamond is the most coveted shape and a true favourite amongst designers and clients alike. Timeless and simple in its nature, the brilliant cut features 58 facets which allows light to precisely travel through the diamond to provide ample sparkle!

Interestingly, round diamonds are the only shape to feature their very own ‘Cut’ grading (refer to the 4C’s of Diamonds Diamond Rings Explained – KAVALRI) as there is very specific guidelines on how to cut to achieve a stone with the very best light performance

Tip: do not compromise on an ‘Excellent’ cut round brilliant diamond

View our collection here

 

Fancy Cuts
(anything other than a round!)

 

 

 

Princess Cut:

Princess cut diamonds are gorgeous square, sharp edge diamonds, often set into solitaires to show the stone’s true shape. Elegant and classy, the princess cut is second to the round in popularity and is far more forgiving to inclusions based on the cutting pattern.

Tip: Princess cut diamonds are usually around 30% cheaper than their round counterparts – meaning you can up the 4C’s specifications of the diamond, or even go a little bigger in carat weight for a similar price point

 

Alexia Diamond Engagement Ring Setting – KAVALRI

 

Cushion Cut:

‘Pillow’

Cushions have been a hit amongst brides in recent years and are a cutting progression of the original ‘mine cut’ diamonds. They are available in a square or rectangular proportion and they have larger facets, which increase their brilliance and often mask inclusions found in lower clarity grades. It is important to note that cushion cut’s do hold a lot of their weight in the bottom of the stone, so will appear to be smaller to a round counterpart of the same carat weight (they will also be roughly 20% cheaper).

Tip: Cushions are not too forgiving with colour, so best to stick within the D-G colour grades

Violetta Diamond Engagement Ring Setting – KAVALRI

 

Heart Shape:

For the true romantic, heart shaped diamonds are not a common choice for engagement rings, but due to the brilliance and sparkle of the stones, they do remain a fantastic option for those wanting something more whimsical and certainly unique!

Heart shaped diamonds are the epitome of sentiment and will be cherished forever!

Tip: notoriously hard to execute precision cutting of a heart shaped diamond ensure the stone is well cut and the heart is quite pronounced

 

Pear Shape:
‘Teardrop’

Pear shaped diamonds are a beautiful blend of the marquise and oval shaped diamonds. They are fun and adventurous and have been a popular choice for future brides during the past decade (even though they have been around since the mid 1400’s).

Tip: ensure you are looking at only well-proportioned pear shaped diamonds, that do not appear ‘wonky’ and have a very small bowtie through the middle.

 

Aiyana Diamond Engagement Ring Setting – KAVALRI

 

Marquise Shape:
‘Pointy Oval’/ ‘Football’

Marquise are possibly the most intriguing diamond shape – initially cut in the 18^th Century at the request of King Louis XV who wanted a diamond cut to resemble his lovers’ smile. Symmetry is a key characteristic with the marquise cut diamond, but also is being well-proportioned – you do not want the stone to be disproportionately long nor too short and chunky. Balance is critical when choosing the perfect marquise diamond – and beware of the bowtie effect

Tip: look for a marquise that has a length to width ratio between 1.5 - 2.0 (L/W)

Tiara Diamond Engagement Ring Setting – KAVALRI

 

Radiant Cut:
‘Cut Cornered’

Good radiant cuts are hard to come by – they are in short supply, but high demand! Originally being introduced to the jewellery world in the 1970’s, radiant cuts are the newest of all common diamond cuts. They are product of marrying the elegant glamour of the emerald shape with the brilliance of the round, resulting in a rare, usually elongated sparkly square with trimmed cut corners.

Tip: look for a slightly elongated and more rectangular shape to achieve the best overall look. Watch out for a pronounced bowtie.

Camilla Diamond Engagement Ring Setting – KAVALRI

 

 

Oval:

Not only is the oval cut sophisticated, they are oh so hot right now!

Taking the jewellery industry by storm the last few years, ovals are by far the most popular trend of the 2020’s, with cutters being inundated with requests they can barely keep up with! While oval cuts are very modern, they also have a beautiful romantic feel, initially being introduced to diamond cutting in the 1960’s.

Much the same with all elongated shape diamonds, ovals can display what is known as a bowtie, or a dark shadow running across the centre of the stone. Whilst this is an inevitable feat with longer diamonds, ensure you avoid those that have overly announced bowties

Tip: popular among those with smaller hands or shorter fingers, due to the elongated shape giving the illusion of a larger stone and length to the hand.

Noelle Diamond Engagement Ring Setting – KAVALRI

 

Asscher Cut:
‘Square Emerald’

Originating in the Netherlands at the turn of the century, Asscher cuts are the personification of all things Art Deco! Asschers have quite a deep and stepped cut and highlighted and sharply cut corners (almost lending the stone to look like an octagon in some cases). Due to the cut of these diamonds, Asschers do appear smaller compared to other shapes of a similar carat weight.

Tip: Get the Elizabeth Taylor glamour from an Asscher cut (and check out the infamous and whopping 33ct stone she received from then husband Richard Burton)

View our range here

 

Emerald Cut:

Another step cut stone, Emerald cut diamonds display a vastly different look, resembling more a hall of mirrors than a classically shiny sparling diamond. While they definitely still sparkle, the light performance is totally different to that of all ‘brilliant’ cut stones (i.e. anything other than emerald or asscher). Emerald cuts are not at all forgiving with inclusions due to the long mirror like facets – you can see right through the stone. It is the large table (top facet of a diamond) that shows off the rock's clarity better than any other shape.

Tip: Ensure you look for diamonds VS2 and higher when selecting your diamond. Best to use the guidance of an expert who can guide you in the process of buying an emerald cut as they can be quite tricky to navigate!

Alyssa Emerald Diamond Engagement Ring Setting – KAVALRI

KAVALRI offers a wide range of stunning diamonds in all shapes. Simply call or email one of our diamond experts, make an appointment at our Melbourne or Brisbane showroom or view our diamond engagement ring collections online.