Diamonds are a girl’s best friend, so they say. But did you know that diamonds come in different shapes? You see, the shape of a diamond has a significant effect on its value and appearance. In fact, there are 7 different cuts that diamonds can be shaped into. Most people don’t realize this and the majority of diamond jewelry is shaped into either a round brilliant cut, or an emerald cut. Both of these cuts are very popular but there are other cuts that are just as beautiful such as the heart-shaped cut or the pear-shaped cut.
Tapered baguette cut diamonds are also becoming more popular because of their unique visual effect. A tapered baguette cut diamond is quite unique in terms of its appearance and it is often used for engagement rings or anniversary gifts because it is an excellent way to render your love eternal and unbroken in form as well as in spirit.
This article will look at 7 diamond shapes and their meanings:
Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds
Round brilliant cut diamonds are the most popular diamonds around the world because they have both sparkle and fire. Round diamonds have 58 facets and each facet has a different angle which allow the light to bounce off in different directions creating a sparkle which dazzles us
Diamond shapes vary in popularity due to the different meanings behind each shape. Here is a list of diamond shapes and their meanings.*
Round Diamonds: Round diamonds are the most popular diamond shape. This is because it is the easiest to set into jewelry and it is flattering on most hands.
Diamond Cut Shapes: Princess Cut, Radiant Cut, Pear Shaped, Heart Shape, Square Shaped, Cushion Cut and Asscher Cut.
Affluent Times: Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds have been the most sought after for generations for their classic beauty and brilliance. The round cut gives the diamond its sparkle. Because of its brilliance, a round diamond can appear larger than other cuts with less total weight – making it a great value as well!
Shape of Your Heart: Princess Cuts are elegant and sophisticated with pointed corners that give them a unique look. They are great for fingers as they show off more of the stone’s outline but they also appear smaller than other cuts in rings. Asscher Cuts will be similar to princess cuts but with a larger table that makes them appear more like an emerald cut.
These are a few of my favorite things…heart shaped diamonds are great for fingers or earrings! Heart shapes are becoming more popular in engagement
The seven diamond shapes are: Pear, Emerald, Oval, Marquise, Radiant, Asscher and Princess. The first five listed have steeply angled facets on one or both sides of the stone so that it will reflect as much light as possible. These shapes are also called “brilliant” cuts and are the most popular nowadays. Princess cut diamonds have rounded (or pointed) edges and corners and have a square or rectangular shape. Oval diamonds are long in length and short in width with rounded corners.
Tapered diamonds have a more triangular shape than other diamond cuts and are the most common cut in Europe. They can be cut in any of the diamond shapes listed above. When you are shopping for your perfect diamond ask for a tapered diamond because they will be less expensive than a round brilliant cut of the same carat weight. A slight taper makes for a more unique design as well.
Diamonds come in different colors too! The rarest colors of diamond are yellow and green, followed by pink, blue, black and orange. White is the most popular color of diamond today. In the past pink diamonds were considered to be a woman’s color while blue was a man’s color. Nowadays however, colored diamonds can be worn by anyone regardless
The diamond is known as “The Queen of Gems” and with good reason. It is the hardest natural mineral on earth and has a high refractive index, which means it can take on more brilliance than any other gemstone. Diamonds are available in a wide range of shapes and cuts, but the most popular diamond shape is the round brilliant cut. This shape possesses the highest number of facets, which helps to reflect light and produce sparkle. The most popular diamond cut grade is the “Ideal Cut,” which has a cut grade of 0. Ideal-cut diamonds are also called “Triple-A” or “Four Cs” diamonds.
Trapezoids – These diamonds are sometimes referred to as “marquise.” They have one flat side and two sloping sides. The sloping sides have a rectangular shape at the top and bottom with a pointed tip. If you look up at a marquise from its pointed bottom, it will look like an upside-down trapezoid. Marquise diamonds make excellent solitaires or can be set into unique designs such as double-marquise settings with other gems like rubies or emeralds.
Princess – This diamond shape has four flat sides and one pointed tip, making it
A diamond cut is a specific, precise, mathematical and man-made formula for how a diamond is shaped. The standard for grading the quality of a diamond is based on how well its proportions adhere to the ideal formula for that particular cut. The diamond shape, or cut, that has been most popular since the mid-1800’s is the round brilliant. The round brilliant diamond generally has 58 facets. The most common diamond shapes are:
The Princess Cut:
The princess cut diamond was originally introduced in the early 1900’s, and is a square modified version of the brilliant cut. This cut has approximately 64 facets and creates an illusion of greater size than other cuts.
The Square Brilliant Cut:
This is the most popular diamond shape because it provides maximum sparkle, fire and brilliance at a minimum cost. It generally has 58 – 62 facets.
The Oval Brilliant Cut:
This variation on the classic round brilliant cut was created to increase brilliance by using more of the rough stone. This cut is favored by those who prefer a more elongated shape than the traditional round brilliant style. It generally has 56 – 58 facets.
The Emerald Cut:
This “emerald” or “triple triangle” shaped stone became popular in Victorian times as an alternative to the
Diamonds are the most sought after gemstone in the world. Apart from their brilliance and beauty, diamonds have a lot of mythological and historical importance attached to them.
Diamonds are mined all over the world. The biggest diamond mines can be found in Russia, South Africa and Canada. The biggest diamond ever found was the Cullinan Diamond which was discovered by the British at a mine in South Africa in 1905. It weighed 3,106.75 carats, valued at £150 million (about $300 million).
TREATMENTS & CUTS
Nowadays almost all diamonds are treated to improve their appearance or performance characteristics. Diamonds are generally heated to make them clear without altering their color. This process is known as “heat treatment” or “thermochemical treatment.”
Diamonds may also be treated by irradiation to render them colorless but there is no consensus among the worldwide jewelry trade bodies on whether such diamonds should be called “colorless” or “irradiated”. Irradiated diamonds are frequently masked with a thin layer of colored plastic to hide their tell-tale blue tint. Some manufacturers blur the distinction between colorless and fancy colored diamonds by referring to both colorless and fancy colored diamonds as “colored” or by using
Diamonds are mined and formed under the most intense conditions. In order to understand how a diamond forms, you need to first understand what it is made of. Diamond is a mineral that is created under extreme pressure, heat, and time. Diamonds form from carbon, which is compressed over thousands or millions of years into small crystals. Underneath the earth’s surface, diamonds are formed in magma and within rocks that have been subjected to great heat and pressure.