Diamond Shape
Diamond shape, not to be confused with diamond cut, is all about whether a diamond is round, square, pear shaped and so on...
Things to Be Careful of With Shapes
Some diamond shapes come with extra considerations. For some shapes (princess, heart) that have sharp corners, if the diamond is a moderate to lower colour grade (say J or below), it may be more obvious than in a round diamond shape. Other shapes such as emerald may make inclusions more obvious than another cut, so you may need to eyeball the diamond yourself before you buy it in these cases.
Here are the main shapes:
Round / Brilliant Cut
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Round diamonds are circular in shape when viewed from above. They're probably the most popular and widely bought diamond shape nowadays. These are very common diamonds in solitaire and multi-stone rings. |
Princess
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The princess shape is usually square, although they can be slightly rectangular (but typically one side will not be more than 20% longer than the other side). Some people think that for a given carat weight of diamond, princess shapes don't appear as 'big' visually as a round diamond. These are also very common diamonds used in solitaire and multi-stone rings. |
Emerald
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An emeral diamond is rectangular with curved corners and a particular look to how the pavilion (bottom half of the diamond) is cut. |
Marquise
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The marquise diamond is a long slender diamond, with a length that is typically about 2 times the maximum width. If you judge a diamond's size by its longest dimension, than for a given carat weight this shape gives you a lot of bang for buck. |
Oval
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A variant on the round diamond, the oval shape is typically about 50% longer than it is wide. You can think of it as being halfway between a round diamond and a marquise diamond. |
Heart
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The heart shape combines the symbolism of a diamond with the symbolism of the heart shape. |
Pear / Teardrop
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The pear or teardrop diamond shape is rounded at one end and comes to a point at the other end. These are often paired with a single round or princess diamond to form a three stone ring. |
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